It felt like someone, or something was watching me as I wandered about the rocks and desert, near mid-day with temps in the high 80s. I thought I heard a whisper on the breeze, "madness, madness." But there was no wind.

I was hunting arches, in a seldom-visited area of Joshua Tree National Park. During the three hours I was there, not another hiker came into view. One rattlesnake, however, announced its presence vociferously.