We scramble out of the office and start our traffic-congested drive to the elusive Joshua Tree. We arrive in the quaint little town to find out that all the campsites are taken, so what do we do? Improvise! We drive ten miles or so from town and setup camp in the middle of nowhere. A toasty fire and a few bacon-wrapped hot dogs later, and we were off to snooze.
We wake up, pack up and ship out. On the way to the national park we had to stop for some morning ice cream because as they say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. We park the Watermen van a few miles back from the crowded, actual Jumbo Rocks site and head to the top of some jumbo rocks.
Max blended in with a pair of our khaki crew shorts and scaled the side of some rock walls! While the description of these men’s quick dry hiking shorts with pockets reads “4-way stretch”, we watched a couple climbs with crucial, acrobatic moves and we’re convinced it’s really a 10-way stretch short.
After hours and hours of bouldering we were gassed, but the adventure ensued…
The sun had set and for some reason we decided that going to the cactus gardens in the dark would be a great idea. Just feel your way out right?! So after a few pricks and pokes we headed over to our next campsite in Cottonwood.
We start a fire, pitch our tents and start grilling more bacon-wrapped hot dogs. After munching, we geared up for a quick little night hike. Anyone who’s been out to the desert knows how chilly it gets when the sun goes down, and we were grateful to have our cozy Sherpa hoodies and Watermen sweatpants. And Jeff may have stepped on a cactus… or two, but no pain no gain. After a night of laughs, we started early the next morning to head home. It was a humbling experience and also a grand adventure. Stay tuned to see where the Watermen crew is off to next.
WHETHER YOUR ARE A WATERMEN OR A LANDLUBBER, GET OUT THERE AND EARN YOUR SALT.
