Joshua Tree National Park - Artist in Residence Day 19

April 21, 2018 Jessica L. Bryant

John's Camp and Grand Tank

I had overly optimistic ideas about how much hiking I could accomplish today, and of the four hikes I had planned, I only managed two of them. Largely they just took longer than I estimated, but there was a fair amount of navigation required as there were more trails out there than should be, and it's not always easy to tell which are intentional and which are social. I'll pause a minute to say that in most cases in most places, it is important to stay on established, maintained trails. The reasons aren't always obvious to the casual hiker, but we should all remember that there are myriad ways in which trails help protect the environment and preserve it for future enjoyment. In some cases this is especially true, and you won't always know when or where.

First I headed to a place known as John's Camp, which is reached by following an old road that intersects Park Blvd. Around a mile and a half in is the remnants of John's Camp, consisting mainly of an old stove setup, cement pad, and scattered cans. A little further up the wash is an old mine, with bits of machinery setup. I think it should really be Johns or Johns' Camp, since doing a little research revealed that of the mine's several owners, a couple were brothers with the last name "Johns."

I'll pause again for a reminder that when visiting historic sites, and natural areas as well, always take only photos and leave only footprints. This is so very important. Removing or moving objects ruins the experience for future visitors, even if it seems like it's just an useless pile of cans. Even more important, moving or removing items damages important cultural and archeological sites, and is illegal. Keep in mind, any object over 50 years old counts as an historic artifact. So those piles of tin cans are protected. And there is a lot that resource experts can learn from them. Objects make it possible to determine the dates of use of an area, and give insight into the people who used them.

After John's Camp, I went in search of Grand Tank, one of the numerous man made water catchments within the park, which I had read always has some amount of water in it, and sometimes as much as 12-15 feet. Unfortunately, there was no water. But it's still a lovely hike, and easy enough to find with a proper guide book and topo map. Less easy was navigating the supposed loop trail. It was fine for a good while, and I even ran across a second tank. But this area is behind a campground, and the vast quantity of social trails that crisscross the area made it impossible to stay on the intended trail, and I kept following paths that led to dead ends at boulders. I probably spent twice the time I thought I would here. It was still enjoyable, but I dislike contributing to the social trails.

At this point it was late afternoon, and the other hike I most wanted to do is another that could lead to some navigation issues, and I didn't want to risk trying to find my way back to my car in the dark. Instead, dinner and some reading ended the day.

Following the old road.

A ways down a wash is this interesting stove setup.

Assorted cans.

I could see the tailings from the mine, so followed the wash to get there.

A now partially eroded road winds up to the tailings and mine shaft.

Initials of one of the mine owners.

Tailings and concrete structures.

The mine shaft.

Barrel cactus

Even items like this are historic artifacts. Leave them as you found them.

Headed back down the wash.

Patterns in the sand.

I walked past a huge trash pile, this is just part of it. Makes me wish I knew how to date metal containers, would be fascinating to spend time looking at them all.