Playing Hooky at Little Hunk

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Playing Hooky at Little Hunk

If you're wondering what or where Little Hunk is in Joshua Tree National Park, and why I would want to play hooky there, read on. Little Hunk is a popular rock formation in the Echo Rock area of JTree, with at least ten main climbing spots and over 175 different routes to complete the climbs. It's accessible from a number of different spots: the Barker Dam parking area, the Echo Rock parking area, and even from several turnouts along Keys Ranch Road. The later two routes are the shortest, both traipsing in at less than 1/2-mile, one way.

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The Red Couple of Joshua Tree

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The Red Couple of Joshua Tree

Have you ever seen something so cool that it left you speechless? But then a few seconds later you just wanted to scream and perhaps do someone bodily harm? I have. It happened on September 4th, 2016 at approximately 4:40 pm.

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Roadside Dis-tractions

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Roadside Dis-tractions

The skies were cloudy and rain was falling in some parts of the park, so I wasn't feeling like doing much hiking. I decided to drive from the west entrance to Cottonwood Springs to see what I could find along the way. It was a couple weeks past the peak wildflower bloom, but I thought I might be able to spot some color out in the gloom. And you never know what else you might find just a bit off the road.

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Lost Horse Valley

/ Joshua Tree National Park/
Lost Horse Valley

The name of the horse that gave Lost Horse Valley its name is one of the many missing pieces in the jigsaw puzzle known as Joshua Tree National Park. Back in 1890, Johnny Lang and his father drove a herd of cattle into this area and set up camp. The next morning, they woke to find their horses gone. Johnny tracked them to the McHaney brothers camp (local cattle rustlers), and was promptly told "yer horses ain't here, ya better git lost." Johnny heeded their advice and returned to his camp. It's more than likely the McHaney brothers had stolen their horses during the night. At some point, the valley became known as Lost Horse Valley.

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The Candy Bar - Joshua Tree National Park

/ Joshua Tree National Park/
The Candy Bar - Joshua Tree National Park

When I say "Candy Bar," do you think about yummy sweet treats or giant quartz monzonite rocks with crazy names? What if I added, "Snickers, or Mounds, or Big Hunk?" I guess it would depend on whether or not you're a rock climber, a confectionery connoisseur or had recently view Murbachi's 3D imagery of a group of climbing rocks in Joshua Tree National Park known collectively as "The Candy Bar."

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