March 11, 2020 - Granite Mountains

After an hour long hike/climb up the granite mountains we found a resting place to relax and observe. Up here it is shockingly lush, likely in some part due to all the rain the past few days. We are quite lucky to be able to experience rain in the Mojave desert, getting only 8 inches a year! The rain has brought life to the desert, revealing new scents and broadening the spanse of the existing springs in granite. The birds chirp happily and I was lucky enough to see a few. Yucca and cholla are common sights as well as a species of pine tree that I am very surprised to see. I've seen a few ants and spiders, but otherwise no other critters.
The climb up was incredibly fun, each group finding new paths through the rocks. Karina, Lucy, and I found a small cavern through the rocks, narrowly passed some sharp cacti, and shimmied up between rocks on our journey to the top. Currently, I am very glad I have been working on my upper body strength! I cannot wait to see where the rest of this trip takes us.

Posted on March 19, 2020 01:14 AM by oliviabarr