February 18, 2025 - Death Valley-Vehicle on Life Support

 

Title: February 18, 2025 - Death Valley-Vehicle on Life Support
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Menu : Extra Photo's : Animals 

Hike Info:

Type: Camping

Description:

I slept pretty well. There was a short time where the wind came up, but did not do any damage to our camp. I got up at 7. Don had gotten up before I did and returned from his walk. I walked over to a ravine on the other side of a hill to the north of our camp. There I discovered a path, but did not follow it.

I got back in time for Sherri to start our French Toast breakfast. Very satisfying. It is about 10 when we are finally ready to start our travels. The first place will be Badwater, the lowest place in the United States.

But then we had an intervention to our plans. The car would not start. A fellow camper was passing by-Dave from San Jose. He jumped our car and it started up. It then ran for 4 minutes and stopped and would not start again. There was enough power to give a series of messages: Brake System Not Working, AWS Not Functioning and Charging System Malfunction.

 

 

Don runs down to the service station while I work through “what do these error messages mean” and “what does the owner’s manual say?” None of which are particularly helpful. Don comes back with the news that the mechanic at the station is off today, but he has a phone number for us to call. Which would be helpful if we had a cell connection. That is spotty at best.

Sherri and I decided we needed to go down and make arrangements. Our campground neighbors, Jim and Joe from Colorado offered to take Don someplace close. Don wanted to go to Golden Canyon, about 2-3 miles away. So that is what happened.

Sherri and I go to The Ranch at Furnace Creek, we were able to use the cell phone. I called Ted at Snapps and ran through the symptoms. He suspects the alternator, but cannot confirm this unless some voltages can be taken. We walk over to Farabee Jeep Rentals which is where the mechanic works through. There we found out that the mechanic has three days worth of work already lined up, but another person from Pahrump could be arranged to work on the car.

But he will not be coming until tomorrow. But if things work out, he will bring an alternator with him. In the meantime, I need to trot back up to camp and get the VIN number for the Highlander. Sherri will at least explore the Visitor Center while I run this errand.

That process takes about 45 minutes. It is a little over a mile in each direction. The VIN is on an old insurance card, so I just brought that. Tyler says that they will have an answer in a couple of hours. So I go and find Sherri at the Visitor Center. I am ready to sit down for a while and there is no place in the Center, but some benches in the shade outside provide what we need. We sat down for a while talking and musing-nothing profound. Next to us there seems to be some sort of testing going on. I have not seen this many LE’s in one place at a National Park before. Hope iot is not connected with the layoffs our President is inflicting on the Parks.

We start to get hungry, so we start going back to camp. We go past Farabee’s, but Tyler is on break and will not be back for another hour. At camp, Sherri and I have our lunch. About when we finish, Don comes in after enjoying Golden Canyon. He has his lunch and then goes off exploring some more. For me? I am tuckered out and take a nap, waking up at 3:20, a lot more refreshed. Time to go back and see if we have any word yet on the plans for tomorrow.

I find Tyler at the gas station, filling up a jeep. They found an alternator and it will be coming with the mechanic in the morning. We then talk about the name Farabee. Sherri had seen a book by Butch Farabee at the Visitor Center-National Park Ranger. I was wondering what the connection was. Tyler notes that the Butch side went more north in New England while his relatives headed south to Florida. Eventually making their way to Moab where his great-grandfather inadvertently started into the Jeep rental business. Now the only Jeep rental by the Farabee’s is in Death Valley.

When I got back, I talked with Dave a bit. There was a discussion about the various places we both had been. While he did not know about Jensen Canyon, but when I mentioned the Mummy there, he knew what it was and had learned it to be Mummy Canyon.

Sherri made us dinner-skillet chicken, pasta and vegetables from Birds Eye. Pretty tasty and filling. Don, Sherri, and I all talked about the possibilities of what tomorrow held and when the repair would happen. When it got dark, we lit the fire from wood Don brought from his property near Pine Flat. Sherri and I, well maybe particularly I, usually do not have a campfire, so this is a good treat out in the desert. We burnt all the wood. Around 9:30, we wandered off to bed. A bit more tired than our exertion warranted.

The places we did not go today, which was on our list:

Badwater

Devil's Golf Course

Artist Palette

Visitor Center

Borax Mine

Maybe Desolation Canyon-before Sherri gets up

Trail Lesson: Be prepared to change for the unexpected.

Menu

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
French Toast/Turkey Sausage/syrup/jam	PB&Nutella or jelly Sandwich	Skillet dinner	Clif Bar, GORP, Propel, CytoMax, Scratch, Coffee Candy, Jelly Belly

Extra Photo's

Animal

November 15, 2021 -Death Valley: Desolation Canyon, Zabristkie Point and Dante Point

 

Car Route

Title: November 15, 2021 -Death Valley: Desolation Canyon, Zabristkie Point and Dante Point
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo'

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking
Trail head:  Desolation Canyon
Trail: Desolation Canyon
Destination:  End of Trail
Actual Destination:  8’ dry waterfall about a mile in

Distance:  2.01 miles
Start Time:  9:36
End Time:   11:44
Travel Time:  2:08 (0.94 mph)
Moving Time:  1:01  (1.98 mph)
Elevation Rise:  285'
Descent: 315‘
Maximum Elevation: 289'

GPS Tracks

  Hike Info: 

Type: Hiking
Trail head:  Dante Peak
Trail: Dante Peak/ Mount Perry Peak
Destination: Dante Peak
Actual Destination:  an overlook
Distance: 0.49 miles
Start Time: 3:02
End Time:  3:45
Travel Time:  0:43 (0.69 mph)
Moving Time:  0:25  (1.18 mph)
Elevation Rise:  240'
Descent: 138‘
Maximum Elevation: 5,593'
GPS Tracks

 Car Mileage: 90 miles

Description:

It was a good night sleep with the skies lightning up for us around 6:30. Both of us got up shortly after that. But we were not moving with purpose. It is around 8 when we start eating our french toast and bacon. We left camp after 9 for Desolation Canyon.

 

 

Gary at the start of Desolation Canyon

We first see the full parking lot for Golden Canyon/Gower Gulch. Glad we have decided to go up Desolation Canyon-only a couple of cars parked there. Once we get to the parking lot, we remember we have done this trail before. But that is OK-as Sherri said, she is delighted just to do what we have done before.

The trail goes right up the canyon. The sides of it shows an assortment of color, not as vibrant as some places, still nothing drab about this walk. The UP portion of the initial statement is right. The trail goes against the water flow which created the canyon. Not an extreme ascent, but enough to let you know we are going uphill. The first half a mile is in the sun. For being 70 degrees, it is obnoxious. Sherri stops to put on sunscreen. But when we come to a major divide, we enter into shadows. My spirit is revived and my step becomes more lively. More sand is deposited from the tops of the canyon. It is fascinating just looking at these cones of sand.

Canyon path

And then we round a bend and see a couple seated. And then we realize why they are seated. There is an 8’ dry water fall. Plenty of footholds to go up. Not sure if I could get down without breaking something. And then, according to the book^*, there is another waterfall to climb. Neither Sherri or I are enthusiastic about the prospects of this. So we sit on the other side of the canyon and talk with the other couple. A few minutes later another couple comes by. The lady scampers right up the waterfall. The man waits a minutes and follows her. They do not come back.

A few minutes later another couple, we find out from Wisconsin. They look at the wall and the guy goes up it, only to return about five minutes later. He sort of figures out his way down, jumping the last several feet. They leave, so the other couple is left with us.

Sherri in the Canyon

We talk about several things-where we are from-they are from Eugene, Oregon. Their next place to go is to Joshua Tree and then to San Francisco. As they are about to leave I notice he has a backpacking backpack with him They have done the JMT in sections. We exchange notes about our experience. Their trail names are Fungi and Fragile Forder (in real life it is Jeff and Janice). Glad to have meet them. We realize that Janice was the one who yesterday warned us about the party campsite.

After they leave, we also go on down. There is a side canyon we go up-only a hundred or two yards until we come to a truly impassable dry waterfall, about 25-30’ up. We turn back and make good time back to the parking lot. Shortly afterwards the couple who went up the wall returned and said the view was great up there.

Gary and Sherri at Artist Pallette

Sherri had been reading about a trail in the book^* called Artist Dips. It is a route on Artist Drive between two dips in the road. We go drive the road, see the dips. Now to see if we want to actually walk it. There is two dry falls on the route. One 5’, the other 7’. At least we would not need to climb down the walls. See our November 18^th hike.

 

 

 

Afternoon meditation

We feel it is getting a bit warm, so we head up to Zabriskie Point, which is a couple thousand feet above the Valley floor. Before we go to the point, we find a spot in the shade and have lunch. Sherri goes into her meditation mode-I thought she might have fallen asleep. So we rest for a lot longer than our five minute allocation. Afterwards, we go up to the Point, a short, but steep paved trail. We take a look around. I take note of Manly Beacon-I am reading Manly’s autobiography. We talked about doing the Badlands Loop from here, but decide not today.

 

Badwater from Dantes View

But there is still time for an adventure. Up the road is the 20 Mule Team loop-driving. We take that and are duly impressed The route is only a mile or two on a dirt road. I think the idea is give the tourist an example of the type of terrain these teams had to drive. It is an enchanting area.

We continue our drive to Dante’s Peak area-you cannot drive to the peak. The area is 5,300+’ above sea level, right above Badwater which is 200+’ below sea level. Quite a contrast. The view is awesome. Clouds stretch out as far as we can see. But the view down and across the Valley can leave ne with a case of vertigo, if you are not careful. Looking beyond the ranges around the Valley, it looks like I can see Mt Whitney. A Wow! moment as you can see the lowest and highest points in the continental United States from here. (In looking at PeakFinder, I am wondering if what we are seeing is Mt Williamson. Still a pretty close relative to Mt Whitney. I suspect a bit up we would see Whitney.)

At Dantes View

The book^* says that it is an easy one mile walk to the peak. There is plenty of light, so we decide to do it. While I do agree that the rise is not bad, the trail itself is cut above a drop off. When we come to a split in the path, we go to a point which overlooks the Valley. The rest of the trail looks a bit precarious. Even the trail to this point is not without its nervous points. We decide this is good enough for us, so we turn back.

A couple is trying to determine if they want to go to the point. The woman is a bit nervous about it. I give some “sage wisdom” about how to tackle it. When we look back, they are standing where we were on the point. By the time we get back to the parking lot, they are also there. We high five their accomplishment. They ask what else, but they are going on to Las Vegas tonight. So there is not much else. We share the wonders of the parks in the west. Then it is time to head back to camp.

While up at the Dante Peak area, we noted the sky growing dark, not only because of the sunset, but because clouds were gathering. It looked like up north might be getting some rain. So we stop in at the Visitor Center. They say no chance of rain and only clouds. Sounds good. Not going to put a fly on the tent then. We also stop at the market and get some ice and syrup. Then back to camp.

Sherri fixes dinner-soup and a hot cheese sandwich. Tastes good and is satisfying. At 7pm, we phone in to Zoom for our House Church, We only stay as long to hear the prayer requests and then leave before Bible Study. It is dark here. Shortly afterwards, we get prepared for bed. Lights are off by 9pm.

Background

William Lewis Manly-Death Valley in '49, This is a journal well worth the readng, not for the literary value, but to see the dangers of the time to get to the California gold fields.

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

• Desolation Canyon. The book has as a moderate hike. This is if you go up and over the two dry waterfalls. We just went to the base of the first waterfall. For this it is an easy hike. The description of the hike seems pretty good.

• Dante’s View and Point. The book has this as an easy(???) one mile hike to Dante's View and Peak. Elevation rise of 229'. While the trail itself is easy, it is a use trail on the side of a ridge. So the "easy" part is a bit misleading, particularly for those with height concerns.

Extra Photo's

Entrance to Desolation Canyon

Erosion

Color in Desolation Canyon

Canyon as a wash

Gary in Desolation Canyon

Scree slide from the steep canyon walls

Golden color canyon walls

20' dry waterfalls

Sherri going out of the canyon

Artist Pallette

Badlands and Manly Beacon from Zabriskie Point

Badwater from Dantes View

Mt Williamson from Danes View

Badwater from Dantes View

Trail to Dantes Peak

Looking north from Dantes View

Looking across into Nevada and the Great Basin

Artist Pallette

November 20-24, 2019-Death Valley

 
Death Valley - 2019
From November 20, 2019 through November 24, 2019


Our People : Trail People : Thoughts :  Trail Log : References : Abbreviations



Our People:
Gary - That would be me
Sherri - My wife

Trail People:
These people included many whom I think will be folks whom we keep in touch with.  All of these were people were folks who camped close to us.

• Yoni - Just moved to Las Vegas from New York. He came n with his motorcycle late on the 21st. We helped him set up his tent.
• Alma and three of his children-He has been accepted to sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They all were adventuresome and very fit.
• ???-A couple from Texas who was making a grand tour of parks in California. They are backpackers. We talked with them the morning when we left.
  

Thoughts:

Death Valley is something different than what we usually do. That may be a theme for this year. Because we also did another desert trip in the Spring: Anza-Borrego. I know that the Sierra is my first go-to place. But do I love the desert like I do the mountains? No, but there is still an allure to the desert: the desolation, the vastness, the feeling of how the planet goes on forever.

What was my favorite day on our trip? I would say when we went up Golden and Gower Canyons on November 23rd. It may have been because it was the only day of extended hiking, or because it was just down right interesting.

I am left with the thought that I would like to know more about the places where we hiked. Also that I am sure we will be coming back here again.

 
Journey Log:

Our journal is given by each day. Most mileages came from our GPS.

 

Date	Campsite	Miles Walked	Elevation Gained	Max Elevation
11/20/19	Lone Pine-Best Western	-	-	-	Travel to Lone Pine. Rain to Bakersfield. Then a bit of snow around Lone Pine
11/21/19	Texas Springs	1.4	-	-	Set up campsite. Did an late afternoon hike to Natural Bridge
11/22/19	Texas Springs	4.31	370'	429'	Walked around Badwater. Then drove Artist Dive. End of the day, hiked Desolation Canyon
11/23/19	Texas Springs	5.33	745'	521'	Hiked Golden Canyon up to the Red Cathedral. Then used a cross trail over to Gower Canyon and back down to the car. Did a little bit of sky watching
11/24/19	Fresno	2.81	726'	1,506'	Went to the Borax Mine, then hiked Mosaic Canyon. Drove back to Fresno

Our total walking was 13.85 miles, Our "average day was 3.5  miles with an ascent of  1,841'.  Nt much when you consider what we have done in the Sierra.

References:
For those of you who might be interested in hiking this hike, here are some references which you can consult:

• NPS Web site for Death Valley
• NPS Mining Study for Death Valley (online)
• Hiking Death Valley: A Guide to Its Natural Wonders and Mining Past by Michel Digonnet  (book)

Abbreviations:

• NPS - National Park Service