Joshua Tree: Camping with Coyotes

Joshua Tree National Park: Inspiration to a pretentious band's album and possibly the first tree-hugging kid's book.


Joshua Tree is one of the few places we could camp on this trip.  Winter camping is hardly an enticing endeavor when most campsites are frigid and barren.  Joshua Tree is one of the few places we planned to camp, because it wasn’t that cold and there were plenty of other campers that night.

Arriving after dusk, we set up the tent only with the light from our car’s headlights.  Luckily, we practice setting up the tent at Ayk’s apartment in Baltimore before we left.  Once the tent was pitched, Ayk built a solid campfire that kept us toasty. That is until we went to bed in chilly temperatures.

 You try setting that up at night.  We are wilderness badasses!

The weather didn’t bother us that much since we came prepared.  The local wildlife, on the other hand, was a cause for concern.  In the middle of the night, I heard coyotes howling.  I woke up and turned to see two brown eyes starring right at me.  Thankfully they were just Ayk's.  We were both a little scared (I was actually terrified).  Some nearby camper turned on his car to scare the critters off.  Kudos.  I was too frozen from fear - from both the coyotes and leaving my snuggly sleeping bag - to do anything.  I’m just glad we weren't coyote snacks that night.

 View from our campsite

Skull Rock.  Probably remains from a coyote attack.

Let's end on a happy note.