"Bloody Hands" Pictograph Boulder

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"Bloody Hands" Pictograph Boulder

How to turn a short hike in J Tree into a day-long event? Hike in the Spring when the wildflowers are blooming. You'll see a spot of color off in the distance and just have to check it out. Try to get a picture of every lizard you see, they are very fast. As are the rabbits. Name the rocks as you hike through the formations. Rest in the shade of a Pinyon pine while eating crackers. Be on the lookout for abandoned cars. Inspect that old pile of mine tailings. Scramble to the top of that rock pile. And that one over there. Try to spot a bighorn sheep.

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Piano Valley Pictograph Site

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Piano Valley Pictograph Site

I was wandering around the Wonderland of Rocks, looking for pictographs and petroglyphs. That involves climbing a lot of rocks, peeking under boulders, squeezing through creosote-choked passageways, getting poked by yucca and very rarely, having a rattlesnake sound its displeasure at my presence. But it's always fun to explore in J Tree, to see what I can find. And occasionally, I find what I'm looking for, which is like icing on a cake.

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Hidden Valley Pictograph Site

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Hidden Valley Pictograph Site

Long before modern-day campers began coming to J Tree, olden-day campers lived and traveled through this land. They were the Cahuilla, the Chemehuevi and the Serrano Native Americans.  Did they enjoy the desert solitude and jumbo rocks as visitors do today? I'd like to think so.

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