The Lucky Boy
Perhaps this is true of all the national parks, but it’s especially true of Joshua Tree – the more you look around, the more you see. One afternoon on my last visit, I decided to just drive around on some of the dirt roads to see what I could find. I ultimately found myself at the Lucky Boy trailhead so I decided to just get out and walk around for a minute, which is when I spotted this tree. In my time exploring the park, I’ve seen a number of trees like this one that almost appear to be trying to break free from the rocks they’re growing out of. I really liked this one because of it’s shape and the way its perched up on the rock.
I did some digging after returning home, but was not able to determine how the trail got its name. Given the number of old mines around in the general vicinity (this trail actually goes right past one) though, it’s easy to imagine its origins are from that era. After I saw this tree and worked out its orientation with the night sky, I also felt like a lucky boy, as it lined up directly with the rising California nebula and Pleiades star cluster, which I have to say, is currently my favorite area of the night sky. There’s just so much going on! Anyway, I obviously returned that night to get the shot, and felt even luckier with the results!
META
Entire scene captured with a full spectrum modified Canon R5 and a Sigma 14-24mm lens at 18mm. Foreground was multiple 60 second exposures, f/8 ISO 1600 using a visible light filter. Sky was 16, 3.5 min exposures, f/2.8 ISO 3200 using a tri-band filter.
Location: Joshua Tree National Park
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by TheDanfromTN