Heading to Joshua Tree to meet up with some friends and hike Pinto Mountain.

At Turkey Flats getting ready for the hike, Pinto Mountain in the background.

Robin, me, Kathy, Erick, Sooz and Rachel.

The group checking out some of the plant life.

We had to hike about two and a half miles across the flats to reach the ridge that we will follow to the peak.

Looking back as we near the mountains.

We stopped here for a snack break before starting up the ridge.

This is where we started up towards the ridge.

A group of barrel cactus.

Kathy and Sooz almost on the ridge.

Starting the climb along the ridge.

Looking back across the flats we crossed to get to this point.

There was a nice hiking route on the ridge.

One of the many locals that were in the area.

Robin, Erick, Sooz, Rachel and Kathy about half way up the mountain.

The terrain and plant life was getting more interesting as we gained altitude.

Ocotillos and barrel cactus.

Barrel cactus, these were little ones.

More barrel cactus.

Getting closer to the summit which is behind the peak in back.

Looking back at the ridge that we been following.

A little barrel cactus and pencil cholla.

Dendrites on the rock.

Kathy and Sooz on the short climbing section.

Approaching the peak.

The group on Pinto Mountain at 3983 feet.

Register box.

Marker, the word Pinto can barely be seen on it.

Group shot on the peak.

Looking at Eagel and Monument Mountains to the south.

Zoomed in on Eagel Mountain.

In the distance to the west we could see San Jacinto Peak and San Gorgonio Mountain.

Zoomed in on San Jacinto Peak.

And San Gorgonio Mountain.

A little section of Dale Lake bed can be seen to the north.

Starting down off the peak.

Just off the peak.

View to the south.

On the ridge just before we go down the steep section.

Kathy, Erick and Sooz going down the steepest part of the hike.

Hiking down on the ridge.

We are most of the way down at this point.

From here, we could see our trucks. They are at the center of the photo.

Almost back down on the flats.

Back on the flats. It's a two and a half mile walk back to the trucks from here.

Rachel found a desert lily with flowers on the sand dunes. We saw a lot of them out there, but none of them were blooming.

Close up of the flowers.

Back at Turkey Flats.