I combined a business trip with a climbing trip and got two days of great climbing in with Seth, an old climbing buddy from Rhode Island who moved to LA. The plan was to climb some long routes on Tahquitz but the weather had other plans. It snowed the night I arrived in Idyllwild and when Seth arrived the next morning it was pouring. We drove up to the trailhead and took some photos of the snow. Then Seth suggested Joshua Tree. An hour and a half later we were there, in the desert, in tee-shirts, rock everywhere. If you're ever happen upon Joshua Tree at the spur of the moment, like I did, you can rent quidebooks and get some friendly beta from the gift shop right at the west entrance. We headed to Indian Cove where we did a bunch of trad routes including: Lucky Charms 5.7, Moosedog Tower; Duchess 5.6, Feudal Wall; Bombay 5.8, Short Wall; and a few other routes that we made up as we went.
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Click photo to enlarge
We were back at Tahquitz the next day and made the steep approach up to its
base.
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Considering the conditions, we decided on doing Angel's Fright a five pitch 5.5. We were knee
deep in snow at the start of the route and there was glare
ice on the rock. So we decided against anything stupid and turned around
and hiked back down.
Click photo to enlarge
The views were worth the hike. Across the valley was Suicide Rock and it was snow
free.
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Suicide is lower in elevation and was catching more sun. So we hiked up
and checked it out. Suicide is known for it's long run-outs. We grunted up
the Escalator, taking the 5.7 variation to avoid wet rock, and
wandered around a ledge checking out the routes above that were either too
wet or too run-out. After rapping
down, we discovered the Buttress of Cracks and did The Hernia a
great 5.8 with atypically good pro.
Seth on top of Moosedog Tower
Joshua Tree has a sand-paper rough quartz monzonite that can be crumbly
on some routes. I didn't think that the protection was good even on those
routes with what the guidebook called "good protection." 
Seth striking a pose after soloing an unnamed spire.
Tahquitz Rock
Suicide Rock