A few miles south of Quartzsite there was a small, inconspicuous gravel road heading east from Hwy 95 into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. A little sign pointed towards Palm Canyon. The road was rough, but thanks to Loren's exciting desert excursion a few weeks ago, we realized just how mundane Palm Canyon Road was.
Sam was able to hike along with us, but between the sharp gravel underfoot, the cactus thorns and the 40 mph winds, he might have preferred to sit this one out. Just kidding, Sam is always up for a hike. It was us who started to rethink our decision! Especially me, without a coat. Nearly the entire hike was in the shadows of the mountains. Because it was in the shadows, it was difficult to see where the trail was taking us. We could not see a canyon and the path just seemed to head straight for the vertical walls of rock.
The short, uphill hike was not too strenuous and the falling over sign below signaled its end. I think we could have continued scrambling over the rocks to get to the palms, but there was no more trail. The wind chill had to be down around 40 degrees or so. We took our pictures and headed back toward the sunshine.
Looking back from the top of the trail, the contrast between the mountains and the desert flatlands was striking. I suspect these were young mountains that have had little time for erosion to soften them. The loose rock on the trail seemed sharp like it had been chipped away from the mountains above. Maybe the lack of flowing water to tumble and smooth the stones left the sharp edges. After a few hundred thousand more freeze/thaw cycles, the stones will probably be reduced to sand.
We loved the play of light on the nearby cacti while the dust in the air gave the background a foggy feel. The desert certainly has a beauty all its own!
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