At the Cottonwood trailhead, preparing to depart. Car is a slightly-dented but quite satisfactory (if you could overlook the aroma of the interior) Toyota Corolla CE (with manual windup windows) from Rent-A-Wreck; it got 41 MPG on this trip! Pack starting weight was 39 pounds, with about 6 pounds of food & drink, 19 pounds of water, and full raingear including umbrella.
Palms at Cottonwood Spring oasis, immediately by the trailhead.
Looking back at Cottonwood Spring oasis and trailhead parking lot.
The ocotillo, Fouquieria splendens, were fully leafed out and some were in bloom.
Close-up of ocotillo stems and leaves.
Though it was too early in the season to expect flowers, I did see a few. Most of them I saw were tiny, like this one.
The cholla, species Opuntia, were vigorous and widespread.
Ocotillo in bloom.
Ocotillo against a rocky backdrop.
In the distance, a view of the Salton Sea and mountains south & west of Palm Springs.
Creosote in the foreground, Salton Sea and mountains beyond.
Pencil cholla was also in evidence.
This trail, 3.6 miles from trailhead to Lost Palms Oasis, was actually quite scenic, with numerous ups and downs, various types of geology, and a variety of plants.
Red barrel cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus, slightly over-exposed.
A different exposure on the same barrel cactus, which was partially surrounded by some sort of small shrub.
Only saw a few lizards on this trip and all of them were small like this one, seen in lower center of photo; might be three inches long, at most.
A well-signed trail.
Barrel cactus and yuccas on a hillside.
Closeup of Ferocactus cylindraceus, times three.
Cholla thicket. Beware!
Another view of the distant Salton Sea to the southwest.
Jointed and red-stained granite, as seen in numerous locations about J-Tree.
A veritable forest of ocotillo.
Leafy ocotillo and spiny yuccas.
Sign at the edge of Lost Palms Canyon. From here it's a short 0.2 mile steep descent to the palms in the bottom of the canyon.
Palms on the left in an upper branch of the canyon, with the main oasis below.
A cluster of palms across the canyon in a little hanging valley.
California fan palms, Washingtonia filifera.
Some palms had been denuded of their thatch, probably by fire.
Nude and clothed California fan palms.
A beavertail cactus, seemingly growing out of a rock.
Looks fuzzy and perhaps even soft, but it's not.
Some reeds amidst a small amount of standing water in the heart of the oasis. The water was slightly sulfurous in taste. The oasis and surrounding area is for day use only, as I'm sure lots of desert critters depend on the water source being unobstructed, at least at night.
A bit of algae along the trickle of water in the bottom of the wash.
Another fully-clothed California fan palm. Rather stylish, I'd say.
A few ravens wheel above one of several constrictions in the lower section of Lost Palms Canyon.
Some person or group had, many years ago, strung several miles of metal pipe up to the oasis to pipe the water downstream. I was no remains of buildings, just lots of old rusted sections of pipe along the bottom of the wash.
Where the rock is harder, these desert canyons tend to constrict down to boulder-choked tight spots.
Looking back up the canyon, just below a constricted spot. Some creative boulder-hopping was called for.
Once below a choke point, the canyon would widen out and the walking again become easy.
At some points, the canyon walls were quite steep and quite scenic.
Looking back up-canyon at another boulder-choked constriction. Those boulders are quite sizable, ten or twenty or even thirty feet in height.
Ooops, not sure I can go through this way, though the occasional water seems to not be impaired.
Water-polished boulders.
At one spot, I could only find a way through by going under some of the boulders.
Looking back up the canyon, in what was probably the most daunting jumble of boulders I traversed.
