Mormons on Peyote?
Yes. Mormons on peyote. That’s the only possible explanation for how the “Joshua Tree”, the icon of Joshua Tree National Forest, could have gotten its name. Don’t get us wrong - these trees are unusual as all get out, but how the Mormon settlers could have seen a resemblance to the Bible’s Joshua with his arms outstretched to the heavens is beyond us. Only with the help of desert hallucinogens could this inane and unfit analogy be drawn. Dendrologists will tell you that the Joshua Tree is a Monocot, more closely related to palms and lilies than to ancient leaders from biblical times, but we digress….
A mecca for rock climbers, Joshua Tree National Forest is deserted (no pun intended) during the hot Summer months but packed as October and November roll around. The Jordan Brothers found that out the hard way, arriving after dark to learn that all the campgrounds were completely full. After a night out in the scrub land, the JBs were treated to some great bouldering and hiking in the late November sunshine. Faced with another night camping on BLM land, the brothers called an audible and headed past Palm Springs and spent a night in Idyllwild to set up some hiking in the San Jacinto National Forest.
Though Idyllwild was not in their “Plans”, the Jordan Brothers showed it’s always better to be flexible and go with the flow, and you can turn a busted weekend into a memorable one!
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