Beautiful morning to run this solo backcountry trip! I went a little out of my way in the beginning because the old mining trail was tricky finding in the dark but managed to get on course without too much extra mileage. No signs at the start so its important to check the Sat image for the first cut left up the alluvial. After that, pretty straight forward. There are a few cairns here and there and the NP boundary sign, but other than that, just the mountain and quite a few eyes shining at me in the dark!
Once you leave the main wash and enter the various canyons below Keys View, there are a lot of changes in color due to various minerals. I passed an abandoned gold mine as well. I followed a goat trail up the ridge and as I climbed, the cold wind was biting but the view inviting! I came across my first Joshua Tree just before the top. I had to stop a few times to take in the scenery so there's definitely room to bring the time down. Super fun scramble and run down! I love having this trip just a few miles from my house! A whole lot to explore out there!