Journey to the Center of the Earth....or Close Enough

I had the opportunity this past weekend to go on an amazing adventure and experience the most amazing desert canyon in Southern California. What was more exciting was how little information we gathered on the area beforehand- this gave us an amazing opportunity to explore as if we were discovering it ourselves. Painted Canyon, in Mecca California is part of the San Andreas Fault Line and can be seen clearly from above when viewed from Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park. We ducked behind some large boulders to find what is known as Ladder Canyon-a "Slot Canyon" made from a narrow passage through the fault line. The trail is accessible through a series of ladders secured throughout the hike. Much of the hike is within two walls- a hike through a crack in the earth- how exciting to realize this when about halfway through the adventure....Enjoy photos of Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon. (Ladders are secured and maintained by volunteers- no ladders=no hike!)