Mojave Desert

8 Apr 2018 - Brian Johnson

• • Today was the first day in the field of the 2018 NHFQ. It was a beautiful day in the desert, with a light wind and clear sky. The day was spent in our crawdads (groups) with an instructor, learning about different aspects of the Mojave Desert and the Granite Mountains. After dinner and a few student presentations, we gathered outside and gazed up at the night sky before returning to our sleeping bags. 

    Photo by Ryan Carle

9 Apr 2018 - Katherine Chen

• • Today was one of the most wonderful Mondays I’ve had in school. To continue yesterday’s group lessons, our crawdads met with the other two instructor types after an awesome activity and rap about plant communities and Joshua trees. After lunch, we gathered together to hear about biotic soil crusts. Then my crawdad went journaling with Chris and we saw so many birds, including a pair nesting within the cholla spines! We also saw a tarantula hawk. Emily helped our group interview many different plants, including the beautiful Thamnosma montana, or turpentine broom. Amidst the pale greens, tans, reds, yellows, whites, greys, and blue sky of the desert, turpentine broom’s purple flowers pop out in the landscape. After the end of our session, Sami and I spent over an hour trying to key out a miniature white flower she found in the wash. We missed the sunset, but after an amazing dinner of pizza (courtesy of the awesome cook crew), I moved my sleeping bag outside and got to fall asleep hearing the desert wind and blinking in the brilliance of the night sky.

    Photo by Danielle Devincenzi

10 Apr 2018 - Trevor White

• • None of us were quite prepared for the awe and excitement of today’s trek. Even our instructors seemed to move more deliberately then usual. What might have distracted an hour of our time on any other day simply breezed by us today. We were going to the Bunny Club. We couldn’t stop hearing how lucky we were to be invited there by the Norris family, but we had no idea just how amazing it was. After the longest hike yet, 5-6 hours of fumbling around through the desert, we saw the old wooden patio of the Bunny Club. I was in awe of just how well it seemed to fit into the rocky mountainside. It was like every kid’s dream clubhouse, equipped with running water, a rooftop hangout spot, and even a secret cave. I wanted to stay there forever. There was one question, however, that burned brightly in my mind. Why the Bunny Club? What could the name mean? Thoughts of Easter, Hugh Hefner, and childhood petting zoos flooded my head. After hours of bothering my instructors for any kind of answer, I was forced to give up. All I can speculate now, is that the name is probably more akin to a practical joke, and the real reason may only be known among the secretive Norris family. Eventually we gave in to the groans and cries of our hungry bodies and reluctantly abandoned the home of our dreams for our own food-filled cabin. That night I was plagued with images of the various rabbit themed figures scattered around the clubhouse, wondering what it all meant.

    Photo by Sophie Lev

11 Apr 2018 - Sami Akiba

• • Today, we went to the Kelso Dunes for more naturalizing and a hike to the top of the dunes. The excitement began on our drive down Kelso Dunes Road on the way to the dunes. We all jumped out of the vans at the sight of our first desert tortoise! We hiked up the dune and practiced naturalizing and journaling along the way on various flowers growing on the dunes and the many reptile inhabitants of the area. We got a close up look at the Desert Iguana and a “french toast lizard” (Fringe-toed lizard) that we caught. We stopped at a Desert Willow on the way up to learn about how these sandy peaks formed from Sophie’s presentation. When we all got to the top of the dunes we got to experience the singing dunes by all “swimming” and sliding down the slope face at the same time. Back at camp, we had dinner and some free time, in which we journalled and keyed new wildflowers we had found at the dunes. We ended the day with two more presentations and some old NHFQ lore from past students and finally a good music session with lots of singing.

    Photo by Danielle Devincenzi

12 Apr 2018 - Alexa Nino de Rivera

• • Today was a really good day. And by really good day, I mean an incredibly good day. We started off the morning with pancakes - so good! As we ate breakfast, we could all hear the wind outside picking up - it whipped sand into the air, whining as it passed up and over the cabin. Once breakfast was complete, the instructors announced that, due to the wind, our day activities would be spending all day at the cabin. This down day was much needed and much appreciated after a long day yesterday.

                For the morning we were split into four groups and went around the cabin in search of the infamous plants that will be a part of our quiz later in the week. While the wind lashed at our notebook paper, we went in search of Desert Almond, Skunkbush, and Antelope Bush. Success! All three were found plus more. Upon arriving at the cabin, a breath of warm, windless air filled by cold body.

                Lunch was had and plants were sketched - we even keyed a plant down to the variant! This plant was Purshia tridentata var. glandulosa in case you were interested.

                In the afternoon, we had some self-guided exploration time to naturalize on our own terms. For me, this became a very special time. It began by walking right past a rattlesnake. Don’t worry, I’m fine, and so was the rattlesnake. It turned out this might have been a Speckled Rattlesnake, according to Chris. So cool!

                After this, I headed East of our cabin, towards the wash, and caught sight of a little bird, with a bright white throat, rusty underside, and an unmistakenly coched tail. A Canyon Wren, nonetheless! If you know anything about wrens, you know that their illusive little buggers, so this was a particularly special treat. Fast forward my desert exploration - I saw a Black-Throated Gray warbler. It allowed me an up and close look, so close that I could see the small, bright yellow spot above its eye. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, appears a Bewick’s Wren! Two wrens in one day? I knew I must have been blessed by the birding gods today, I felt so lucky.

                While I didn’t want to leave this magical world of birds, dinner was calling. Nothing like some yummy food and good music to wrap up an incredibly great day.

    Photo by Alexa Nino de Rivera

13 Apr 2018 - Christina Olague

• • Today we visited the UC Reserve headquarters and heard talks about petroglyphs and conservation issues all thanks to the staff at Granite Mountain Research Center. We wrapped up our visit with a nature walk guided by Tasha. After a short car ride, we were at Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark to naturalize in a new environment. The elevation decreased significantly and so did the wind. Everyone was free to roam the volcanic rocks and look for critters or plants however they chose. I walked around for a bit and saw a lizard. I had the strongest urge to grab him (although it truthfully could have been female for all I know) and get a good look at his markings to find out his species but whenever I leaned in toward him he would look right at me as if he was ready to bolt. I let him scurry off while I went to get a “herp stick” which is basically a fishing pole with dental floss for catching reptiles. I went searching for critters with my new tool and Sami waved me over to a Chuckwalla she was observing on the rocks. I was a bit intimidated by his (again, using male pronouns but I had no idea) large size, but I carefully and slowly looped the string over his head and caught him! Instructor Rozy and Sami un-lasso him and when I held him carefully by the armpits, I could feel how he bloated up as a defense mechanism. I also noticed that he was in the process of shedding his skin. Once we got a good look at him with his orange patches and his deflating tummy, we released him back to his rock. I went on to observe more lizards that were too fast to catch and even watched a Big-headed Ant (the actual common name, identified by Jessica later in the day) carry a fuzzy creosote fruit as it fought the wind. There were so many other things to notice! Everyone shared stories of the things they saw as we headed back to camp for some dinner and hang out time.

    Photo by Kelly McWilliams

14 Apr 2018 - Brian Johnson

• • We started our adventure today with a geology lesson from Chris and Emily. The lesson looked at the rock cycle and the rocks that make up the mountains around us. After that we loaded up in the vans and headed Northwest, to Junk Car Wash. Here we spun the wheel as we explored the wash or hiked to the ridge line. Returning to camp we had a group discussion about solar energy in the desert before calling it a night.

    Photo by Danielle Devincenzi

     

15 Apr 2018 - Katherine Chen

• • Alas, today was our fated quiz, unfolding like an approaching storm - but not really. It was an eclectic mix of questions that were both entertaining to read and answer at times, and didn’t take too long to finish. We then headed up the granite for part II of yesterday’s geology lesson, before jumping into the vans and heading over to Cima Dome to meet and hang around with the Joshua Trees (aka J.T.). Everyone fanned out over the field, becoming scattered among the landscape of eccentric, sharp, and whimsically shaped Joshua Trees, as well as tiny junipers and shrubs and islands of granite. One can sense the level of immersion as twenty five students plus four instructor types and guest eventually settled into a series of observational silence. After regrouping, there were stories of scanning snakes, red-legged grasshoppers, trees of many different birds and bees, copycat bugs, and many more. The two hours had passed by quickly, and before we knew it, we were back at the cabin with amazing apple crumble, discussing the events of the days. It’s hard to believe tomorrow will be our last day here…

    Photo by Kelly McWilliams

16 Apr 2018 - Trevor White

• Today was our last day at the Mojave, and everyone was pumped for a great last day. People who were usually relaxed decided to go all the way and make the trek to Granite Peak. Others decided to skip the vans and leg it back to camp on new trails. We had come so far to adapt to the Mojave, but it reminded us that we were just visitors. Ryan, one of our instructors, led the peak expedition all the way until he stopped 6 inches from a rattlesnake. The snake, as our T.A. Rozy put it, “made a convincing argument,” and Ryan became airborne when he heard it. They headed back to the vans with their tails between their legs and a new respect for life and death. That night, we settled down for story-sharing and brownies. This trip has affected all of us in unique ways, and we still have much to learn about connecting ourselves with the planet we stand on.

   

  Mojave Desert in Ten Haikus - Christina O.

   

  Hummingbird flutters on over the yucca but won’t turn around   Let Me Identify pt 1	Black wings spread, soar, glide behind the far mountain ridge Where are my binos?   Let Me Identify pt 2	Shouting from torment. It’s not due to the cholla, but couplets of the Jepson.   Let Me Identify pt 3
  Beautiful blossoms Plenty of pollinators Chorus of buzzing   Conquering fear	The Catclaw got me and drew blood from my finger. Bark as bad as bite   Acacia	The wind carried her, left her to sing for us. She followed us home.   Sand
  Find me in Amboy turning over lava rocks wranglin whiptails   Crater	On a mountain trail a wasp digs diligently to protect the kin.   Naturalizing	Tall Joshua trees Watchguard to the desert shrubs Her arms welcome me.   JT
  Four pink speckled eggs tucked into a cottonwood wait for mother’s warmth.   Nest