Campground review

Similar to all campgrounds in Joshua Tree National Park, it's hard to get a camp site, unless you come midweek or come off-season when it gets hot (mid-may through September). The availability is the reason for not rating this site with a full 5 stars. Otherwise this campground is great. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire pit. There are vault toilets but no running water. This campground is the only one in the park that has a an emergency phone line, which is necessary given lack of cell service. Payment of sites is self service with envelopes at campground board. This campground is extremely convenient for the nearby classic trad routes. There are also many bouldering problems in the campground itself, and many more just a short walk away.

Gear review

One of the great parts of being a Ranger for The Dyrt is testing awesome new products from time to time - on this trip I was testing Boost Oxygen. I'd never used sports oxygen before trying this product, so I'm playing around with all the different potential uses. I ordered the flavorless kind and all three flavors in order to try them all. My personal favorite is the menthol-eucalyptus. My friends and I were using Boost throughout our climbing trip. At first assessment: they're fun. We weren't sure what to expect in terms of effects, but we got a major kick out these canisters. We found every opportunity to boost some extra Oxygen - before bed for recovery during sleep, to wake up in the morning, after running around, in between climbs, etc. The flavors really add to the experience. I found the effects to be more noticeable in the immediate sense, like getting a shot of alertness when groggily waking up in the morning or when feeling winded right after exercise. Sometimes I experienced it as a very subtle and brief tingling after taking a few bursts of Boost. Long term effects were less obvious to me, and I didn't notice any clear muscle recovery effects. One final nice feature is that the canisters are extremely light weight - because it's oxygen! So it doesn't add any weight to day packs, which is especially nice if you want to bring some for long hikes, especially at high altitudes. Check it out: https://www.boostoxygen.com