Gary-Summer: Badlands

Showing posts with label Badlands. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

November 16, 2021 -Death Valley: Jensen Canyon and the Badlands Loop

Title: November 16, 2021 -Death Valley: Jensen Canyon and the Badlands Loop
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking
Trail: Jensen Canyon
Trail head: border of Death Valley
Destination: End of Canyon
Distance: 2.09 miles
Start Time: 10:08
End Time: 12:36
Travel Time: 2:28 (0.85 mph)
Moving Time: 1:22 (1.53 mph)

Elevation Rise: 304 '
Descent: 334‘
Maximum Elevation: 2,563'

GPS Tracks

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking
Trail: Badlands Loop
Trail head: Zabriski Point
Destination: Loop including Gower Gultch and Golden Canyon Trails
Distance: 2.58 miles
Start Time: 2:41
End Time: 4:36
Travel Time: 1:55 (1.34 mph)
Moving Time: 1:27 (1.78 mph)
Elevation Rise: 447'
Descent: 461‘
Maximum Elevation: 663'
GPS Tracks

Car Mileage: 36 Mile

Description:

I woke up at 6:30 and enjoyed watching the eastern sky light up until 7am. I then got up and started straightening up the car.. We had gotten a bit disorganized. Sherri fixes pancakes and bacon for breakfast. It still is cloudy, but does not look very threatening. By the time we get all ready, it is 9:30.

Sherri walking to the berm.

The first adventure of the day will take us to the eastern edge of the park. This is a short ways beyond the Dante Overlook experience we had last night. But it is closer as we do not need to go the 15+ miles off the road. We come to the Death Valley sign and park. I do not think we interpreted the book^* correctly. In retrospect, it was trying to tell us to park a quarter mile west of the sign, but we parked at the sign.

We got ready for our hike and walked over to the berm which controls the flow of the Furance Creek Wash. The book tells us to descend into the wash, but the berm has a nice hard even surface, so we walk that for close to half a mile. Both Furnace Creek Wash and the canyon we are going to go up join at almost the same place. In this way the book was very explicit about which canyon to take-the second one. This is Jensen Canyon, which the book calls Mummy Canyon-more on that later.

Barrel Cactus

As we go up Jensen Canyon we start spying different types of cactus: barrel, cholla, and little beaver tail. The barrel cactus are the most noticeable. We see some with flowers which are about to bloom. Not much else as far as botany-there is the sage and various grasses, but nothing really exciting. I take that back, we did see one plant with yellow flowers on it.

One of many bones in the canyon

Who is Jensen?

Gary, Sherri and the Natural Bridge

The sun is beating down on us and it is getting pretty hot as we climb up the canyon’s slope. We find a sliver of shade and decide this is a good place to sit for a few minutes and cool off. If we had only gone twenty yards further, the canyon narrows and is totally shaded.

The canyon narrows

Our rest stop is about half a mile up the canyon. The canyon narrows considerably and it turns cooler. A couple of things of interest pops up. The book^* tells us to be on the lookout for something of historical interest. A few steps into the canyon’s narrow part, we see a large boulder with T.A. JENSEN 1862 written on it. Who is Jensen? We do not know, but it makes sense that the canyon on the maps are called Jensen Canyon. We enjoy the coolness, the wonder and sense of accomplishment from being here. Also, we divide an extra leftover pancake

The Mummy

We walk up the canyon further. Now instead of encountering cactus, we see bones. There is an assortment of these. Looks like a rib cage which has gotten scattered. Then a pretty big femur-I am guessing. This is followed by what I think is a goats leg. At least the hoof is still attached along with some hair.

Mummy's Head

It is a short walk from there to the end of where we can walk in the canyon. There is a 20’ wall, made of layers of pebbles, rock and mud. The the top, there is a small natural arch. Look at this wrong and you do not see it. But with the right view, it almost seems you are looking into eternity. We take an additional few minutes to ponder and rest.

The way back is a lot quicker. This may be a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but even when we exit the narrow part of the canyon back into the sun, it does not seem as hot. Is that a cool wind pushing us? One thing, which we can see as we exit the narrow part of the canyon is a column of rockish mud with what looks like a face and wings. There is a reason this canyon has the nickname of Mummy Canyon.

We make it back to the car in a reasonable time. In doing so, we figure out that instead of parking by the Death Valley sign, a little bit west of there would have been the optimal place, close to the curve of highway 190. This just means we get more steps in.

Sherri has been interested in a place called Hole In The Wall. But she is a bit apprehensive about going down it. From the map, it looks like it is a 4-Wheel Drive road. At least the first part of it is about the same level as the Delilah Road-not too bad. Just keeping it nice and slow. After a mile, we start seeing people camp out here. About four miles in, we drive through an opening in the rock wall-this is the Hole

Start of Badlands Loop

, into another wash. Lots more people camping here. Also the road gets a bit more rugged. We hear rocks bang against the under part of the car. Now, how to turn around? I find a place and we return down the road, without seeing the Hole in the Wall. Wait! Is that opening in the rock wall the Hole in the Wall? I believe it is. Later on, another book in the Visitor Center confirms it.

Zabriskie Point with golden clouds

By this time, it is 2:00pm and we have not had lunch. Se we stop at Zabriskie Point and have our lunch under the same rock giving us shade as yesterday.Sherri is interested in doing the Badlands Loop. I need to rest for a few minutes before deciding. After reclining for 20 minutes, I tell her I think I am up to it.

This loop starts to the north of Zabriskie Point and then drops below it. But to get to this part, you go through an opening in the ridge. Feels like we are entering into a new world. I think the trail is an old mining road-just a guess on my part. It has a pretty steep decline, but not a problem going down. But I am wondering about coming back up it.

Sherri has read navigation is easier going counter-clockwise. So when we get to a trail junction, we have a discussion about which way is clockwise. We take the trail leading towards Golden Canyon. It begins steeply, but only for a couple hundred yards. Then the trail wanders down through ridges and ravines until we hit the trail between Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch. Before hitting this trail, we meet a couple who wonders how much time it would take to get to Zabriskie Point. I can only tell them it is about a mile.

Then Sherri and I have another discussion about direction. We decide to head south. Turns out my mileage estimate is pretty accurate according to a sign there. We have been on this segment of the trail a couple of years ago, so we talk about where we had lunch and where we stopped and so on. We go along and hit Gower Gulch,

Now it is the final segment: back to Zabriskie Point, about a mile and a third, uphill. At this point, Sherri has more energy than I do and constantly out paces me. For my part, it is mostly putting my head down and keep moving. When we meet the original junction, I know the steep part is before us. Sherri goes up it at a steady pace. I go up it at a steady, but slower pace. Towards the top, Sherri notices an illegal drone being used on top of one of mounds high above us. I get a sketchy picture of it.

I am relieved to get back to the car. We drive back to camp as the skies darken into night. Sherri fixes us polish dogs for dinner. Afterwards, we mostly read before going to bed around 9pm.

Background

^*Best Easy Day Hikes Death Valley National Park. We went on two hikes listed in this book on this day:

Jensen Canyon/The Mummy. The book has this as an easy 1.8 mile out and back. It is. It is a pretty accurate rendering of our hike. We tacked on a little bit more because we misunderstood where to park.

Extra Photo's

Narrowing of Jensen Canyon

Layers of mud from flash floods past

Entrance of Jensen Canyon

Barrel Cactus

Gary on the Badlands Trail

End of Jensen Canyon

Layers of silt

The Mummy

Sherri walking the endless berm back to the car

Sherri on the Badlands trail

Manly Beacon

Sunset to the west

Gary trudging up the Badlands Trail

Is that Gary or an old leprechaun?

Animals

Goat's Leg

Bird

Whose jaw bone?

Spine with rib cage

Ribs?

Flowers and Plants

Beaver Tail Cactus

Barrel Cactus

Barrel Cactus Flower

Silver Cholla

Saturday, November 23, 2019

November 23, 2019 - Golden and Gower Canyons

Title: November 23, 2019 - Golden and Gower Canyons
Hike Info : Description : Menu : Extra Photo's

Trail head: Golden Canyon Trail Head

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Golden Canyon-Red Cathedral, Crossover to Gower Canyon, Gower Canyon

Destination: Loop

Distance: 5.33 miles

Start Time: 9:28

End Time: 2:20

Travel Time: 4:52 (1.10 mph)

Moving Time: 3:07 (1.71 mph)

Elevation Rise: 745'

Descent: 670‘

Maximum Elevation: 521'

GPS Tracks

Description:

I got up a bit earlier, just before the sunrise-actually, well before the sun came over the top of the ridge to our east, but it was light enough. Sherri said that I was snoring lost night-the sleep of the tired. But that is not what kept her awake. There was hum of a generator someplace in the distance which bothered her. Anyway, when she got up to go to the bathroom, I got up-she went back to bed. I was rested.

Side Wash to Golden Canyon

Breakfast is pancakes this morning. First time with this new mix. Not bad. We brought two cups of mix and mixed with almond milk, it only slightly was over-filling. We got everything put away and left the campsite around 9:15.

Rocks above Golden Canyon

It is only a short drive to the trail head for Golden and Gower Canyons, about 4 miles or so. The parking lot is also close to being full. After I changed into my boots-Sherri is walking in her tennis shoes-we take off. Neither of us are taking our poles. So far what we have seen is that the poles will get in the way.

Looking back down where we came

The walking us pretty easy; it is a gradual incline. I calculate the first mile is about a 350’ elevation gain, But the differentness from what we usually hike in makes it an interesting and walk-worthy of noticing the incline of Golden Canyon. Also at one time, now under boulders and up some sand there was a paved road up this-we see remnants of it here and there. (As a note: there was some scenes from the original Star Wars filmed in this canyon.)

A bit steep

One way down

When we get to the trail junction for Gower Canyon, we decide to take a trip up to the Red Cathedral. It starts our as more of the same. But after about 0.4 of a mile, it narrows and we start to do a bit of scampering under some boulders. Or up and over 3-4’ rises in the path. Sherri takes it like a trooper. I am left wondering how to get down these when we return. Also the path is getting steeper. Sherri is charging right up these, leaving me to bring up the rear. As we come along, we have passed people coming back down the path, all of whom said it was doable. But then the final rise comes along. It is really steep with scree on top of the path. There is a narrow path up to a wide space, but I decide that this was as far as I was going-I was having some balance issues. Sherri went up to the higher level-and she said that I was able to be helpful to her climb down.

A trail friend coming down from Sherri's perch

Red cathedral

We devour a Clif Bar break before we reach the Gower Canyon junction. That was nice being able to stop there. For whatever reason, I do better going down than Sherri. I do not think it takes away for her doing fantastic going up. Still there is a bit of niceness that I was able to help her down-call it my old fashion chauvinism.

Us on our way to Gower Canyon

After we pass the side of Manly Beacon, it goes downhill pretty good. There is another loop around the Badlands area-the part which we saw last night from Zabriskie Point. But she did not want to go to that one-and I agree with her, I am getting tired. We crab crawl down the couple of steep places. This is where the boots came in handy. Even with the scree, I am able to get a descent grip on the path.

When we enter Gower Canyon, Sherri and I find some shade and stop for lunch. This is a bit late, but it does help to revitalize us. I am not sure if it is the stop or the food, but I will take it. The walk down is not as relaxing as in the other canyons. It seems like the stones under foot are of different sizes, so when I set my foot down, I am careful not to twist an ankle. There are places a bit above the flow where the rocks are fewer and the sand is harder. I try to pick my way on them. When I can, my stride becomes more normal.

As we approached the end of the canyon, two things happened. The first, two ladies from Texas and a daughter, who is entering college next year. We walk with them all the way to the car, about a mile more. The interesting thing is that one of the ladies had a leg brace so she could do little more than swing her leg forward. Going over these rocks I was not pleasant for me. I can only imagine what it was like for her.

Sherri marching down Gower Canyon/Gulch

Chocolate topped mound

Then the second thing is that there started to have some drop offs, not bad, but enough that some scrambling was needed to get over them. Evidently this is called the Lower Knickzone. But this brings me back to point one, how in the world is the lady with the brace going to get over and down? I offered her some help, but there was no need to fill any macho need I may have. She struggled a little, but made her way down without my male help. There was several of these little 3-5’ drops to get down. Not too much of an issue for any of us. As we traveled along, we talked with the ladies. They are from Texas and had come to Vegas for a wedding. The daughter, Luna, is an adventurer herself. We walk with them all the way to the cars.

Gary and the ladies in Gower Canyon/Gulch

But before we get back to the cars, there is one more obstacle of note. When we came out the mouth of Gower Canyon, there is a 30’ drop off. Now what do we do? Well there is a ledge to wrap us around the opening of the canyon and this hooks us into the trail. The ledge looks more scary than it really is. Once we start around it, piece of cake. A few steps along the trail, I look back and our campground neighbors was rounding the bend. When they catch up, we talk for a few minutes. For a person who is in some pain from a nerve, the father is moving pretty fast.

Now it is about ¾ of a mile back to the car. It feels good to get into the car and sit for a few minutes. Then it is back to the campground at Texas Springs. It is our last night, so we are concentrating on left overs. So our dinner is like the rest of our dinners, We get to rest a bit, not that we are going out to hike.

Our camp friends exiting from Gower Canyon

As the skies darken, we get ready to go out to the Harmony Borax Works. The volunteer at the Visitor Center said Friday this is where they do their dark skies talk. The better place is the Mesquite Sand Dunes, but neither of us feels like driving 30 miles for this. It was hard driving in without bothering others and I do not think I was successful in this. I know that others were not. Still when our eyes got adjusted, the skies were a beautiful sight. Layers of stars above other stars as far as I could see. When I got my telescope focused, the sight was jaw dropping. No pictures-sorry.

We got back to camp by 8:30. I wrote and read. Then it is off to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day as we drive back to Fresno.