Gary-Summer: 2021-Death Valley

Showing posts with label 2021-Death Valley. Show all posts

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Death Valley - 2021

Sherri

Death Valley - 2021
From November 12, 2021 through November 19, 2021

Starting: November 12, 2021
Ending: November 19, 2021
The Tri[p : Our People : Trail People : Thoughts :Trail Log : References

Feb 28, 2022 - Added three references.

The Trip:
An eight day trip to Death Valley. But we spent a day more in Lone Pine, going up to Bishop and the Bristlecone Pines area.

Our People:

Sherri.
Gary
Gary

Trail People:
These people included many whom I think will be folks whom we keep in touch with. They include, and hopefully I do not missed anyone:

Eric who is a travel writer, planner by trade

Thoughts:
Death Valley and the desert has a different kind of beauty than what I love (the Sierra). It takes awhile for me to appreciate it. So adventures like this one is good. Like people, God did not create with one brush, so I need to appreciate the different strokes of beauty He has given us.

Along with that, I am not used to the ways of the desert like I am of the mountains. There is a bit of naivete on my part. Such as navigating washes is different than the creeks of the Sierra. The skills are similar, but different it is enough that I understand that.

Trail Log:

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

Date	Campsite	Miles Drove	Miles Walked	Elevation Gained	Max Elevation
Nov 12, 2021	Lone Pine, Best Western	264				Travel to Lone Pine
Nov 13, 2021	Lone Pine, Best Western	169	1.57	495'	10,357'	Movie Drive, Bristlecone Pine, Bishop
Nov 14, 2021	Texas Springs					Travel to Death Valley
Nov 15, 2021	Texas Springs	90	2.50	525'	5,593'	Desolation Canyon, Zabriskie Pt, Dante Pt
Nov 16, 2021	Texas Springs	36	4.67	751'	2,563'	Jensen Canyon and the Badlands Loop
Nov 17, 2021	Texas Springs	120	3.0	700'	2,885'	Salt Creek and Uhebe Crater
Nov 18, 2021	Texas Springs	40	5.26	1,147	944'	Artist Dip, Devils Golf Course
Nov 19, 2021	Home, Fresno	362	1.87	314'	2,694	Darwin Falls and returned home

Our total walking was 18.87 miles, Our "average day was 3.14 miles with an ascent of 652'. The totals are not significant. Just the area traveled was starkly beautiful.

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

Book-Loafing Along Death Valley Trails: A Personal Narrative Of People And Places by William Caruthers. I have not read. But I am always interested in understanding the background to places.
Book-Across Death Valley: The Pioneer Journey of Juliet Wells Brier by Mary Barmeyer O'Brien. I have not read.
Book-Death Valley and the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion by Richard E. Lingenfelter
Book-Live! From Death Valley: Dispatches from America's Low Point by John Soennichsen. I have not read.
Book-Death Valley in '49 Important chapter of California pioneer history. The autobiography of a pioneer, detailing his life from a humble home in the Green ... children who gave "Death Valley" its name by William Lewis Manly. The book I read on this trip.
The Wave blog site. Lots of map and photography information
The Archaeology of Death Valley National Park from the Digital Archeological Record
Rock Walls and Wooden Fence Posts: Archeological Inventory and Ethnohistorical Research in Johnson Canyon, Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California from the Digital Archeological Record
Archaeological Investigations in Death Valley National Monument 1952-1957 by WJ Wallace

Darwin Falls

Darwin Creek

Devils Golf Course

Second wash of the Artist Dip

Walls of the Artist Dip

Artist Dip Wash

Morning from Texas Springs Campground

Flat spot around the Ubehebe Crater

Ubehebe Crater

Little Hebe Crater

Us at Old Stovepipe Wells

The Mummy in Jensen Canyon

End of Jensen Canyon

Badlands and Manly's Beacon

Jensen's Rock

Gary and Sherri in Jensen Canyon

Desolation Canyon

Bristlecone Pine

Mt Whitney from Lone Pine

Mobius Arch with Mt Whitney in the background

Friday, November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021 Death Valley: Going Back to Fresno with a stop at Darwin Falls

Title: November 19, 2021 Death Valley: Going Back to Fresno with a stop at Darwin Falls
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Darwin Falls Parking area

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking : Car
Trail: Darwin Falls
Destination: Darwin Falls
Distance: 1.87 miles ¹
Elevation Rise: 314'
Descent: 314‘
Maximum Elevation: 2,694'

GPS Tracks
¹I lost the GPS track from this hike. I am using Google Earth data and maps for this blog.

Car Mileage: 362 Miles

Description:

Lunar Eclipse

Today we go back home. But before we even got up for the day, I had gotten up around 12:30 last night to watch the lunar eclipse. Earlier in the evening, the sky was covered in clouds. But by the time I opened my eyes at 12:30, there was clear skies. I should say semi-clear. While the clouds were gone, there seemed to be moisture in the upper air causing a glow to be around the eclipsed moon and the moon to appear a bit fuzzy. I watch this for about 45 minutes until I turn in.

Our Campsite

Cracked Water Pipe

I do not know if it was the middle of the night interlude, a hidden anxiety about leaving or something else, but I did not sleep very well afterwards. At 6:30 I got up. Sherri got up a little while afterwards. Eric from last night comes over and we talk a little more until we said we needed to eat. Sherri made french toast and then we packed and left around 10:30.

We know we need to get gas before leaving the Valley. But we think we can do better at Stovepipe Springs than the $6+ a gallon at Furnace Creek. Sherri drives along to Stovepipe Springs. There we are surprised. All the pumps have an out of order sign on them. We have enough gas to get to Panamint Springs where there is another set of pumps. But what happens if they are out of gas? Fortunately we have a good cell connection at Stovepipe and I was able to find the phone number for Panamint. Katie thankfully answers and said they have gas.

Sherri on path

We have about 100 miles worth of gas left and only 30 miles to Stovepipe. We get to Panamint and yes there is gas. While not filling up, we do put a bit more gas in. I find Katie behind the cash register an thank her. Now that our minds are at ease, we go to the trail-head for our hike-Darwin Falls.

The trail head is two miles down a dirt road about a mile from Panamint Springs. Not really far at all. A couple evidently did not like the look of a dirt road so they were doing a U-turn when we started down it.

When we got to the trail-head, several cars and vans were already parked there. Some were leaving, others were just starting out. We do our usual slowly getting ready. There was one person left when we started going. Sherri and I walked in this dry, unshaded, sandy wash for about a third of a mile. There is a pipe which parallel our route, sometimes it is iron, other times PVC. At this point, a PVC pipe has split and it is sending a thin sheet of water 15’ into the air. The little kid in me gets under the desert fountain and enjoys the cool, refreshing moisture. Sherri is more of a stick in the sand and hangs back, shacking her head.

But there is redemption. The woman who was at the trail-head? She sees me enjoying the fountain of water. When I move out of the flow, she enjoys the coolness. As Sherri and I start going further up the trail, she joins us. All three of us will walk together the rest of the way, well almost all the way. By the way, she is from North Carolina and does not even talk funny.

Darwin Creek

Shortly afterwards, a couple of things happen. We get a lunar simulation, going from the hot sun to the cool shade all within a step. What a difference that makes. Shortly afterwards, the desert wash turns from sand and scrub to trees, flowers and grasses, almost like hiking in the Sierra foothill in spring. Finally, there is a small flow of water down the middle of the canyon. Maybe there really is a water fall at the end of the trail!

Darwin Falls and Gary

But even in the garden of Eden in the middle of the desert, there are obstacles to overcome. In the dry canyon washes, if there is a boulder, you go around it. Here where there is water and lushness of growth, the boulders have thickets of trees and brush. Not only that, but I suspect the water has caused a bit more rock slides from around the canyon sides making more obstacles. I either find routes or try to guide over or around rock.

We come to a huge boulder where the choice is to climb up a steep rock slide or go over the boulder. Our friend will goes over the slide. As I am examining this, a group of females come down the boulder. I decide this is the way to go. But Sherri is having none of this and is will to stay here and wait for our expected return.

The lady and I go over a few more obstacles and then up a rock and see the falls. Not as spectacular as the pictures, but we may be at the wrong angle. Still it is pretty remarkable that this place is even in the desert. After observing for about ten minutes, we return back to Sherri. She is not at the bottom of the rock, but a little ways beyond, watching the female group finish up their lunch.

We continue on down the canyon. Shortly afterwards, the group passes, as expected. And then we have our ¾ of a mile trudge back to the cars. We stop only a couple of times when something catches our eyes. But I think Sherri and I know we need to start moving soon as we have a long drive back to Fresno.

Sherri with our new North Carolina friend

At the parking area, we say goodbye to our North Caroline hiking friend. We follow her down the dirt road until she turns to go to Furnace Creek and we to the west. We still have not had lunch, so we stop at Father Crowley Point. But all we do is eat in the car and make use of the facility. And then we are off.

We drive the long highway to Olancha, catching highway 395 there. We do not go over Walker Pass, but head towards Mojave. All of this is uneventful. Then it is over Tehachapi and down to Bakersfield. We get gas in Bakersfield. By this time it is after 6. So we pick up a hot dog at Costco to tide us over. Two hours more of driving gets us back home in Fresno. We are tired enough that we will unpack in the morning. But we get reunited with Steven, take a shower, rest so we can go to bed. After all, it is after our 9pm camping bedtime.

Extra Photo's

Looking down Darwin wash

Darwin Creek, not Falls

Stones to climb

Water source for Panamint

Gary and the North Carolina friend

Flowers and Plants

Thursday, November 18, 2021

November 18, 2021 -Death Valley: Artist Dips

Title: November 18, 2021 -Death Valley: Artist Dips
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Background : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking
Trail: No Trail
Trail head: Artist Dip
Destination: Loop
Actual Destination: end of canyon and back.
Distance: 5.26 miles ¹
Start Time: 9:47
End Time: 2:27

Travel Time: 4:40 (1.13 mph)
Moving Time: 3:33 (1.48 mph)
Elevation Rise: 1,147'
Descent: 1,137‘
Maximum Elevation: 944'

GPS Tracks

¹There is about half of a mile where the GPS turned itself off. So there is a gap in the tracks.

Car Mileage: 40 miles

Description:

Sherri walking to Dip 1

I woke up to a glorious sunrise this morning. The time would be around 6:20. The sun rose with an array of colors lightening both the eastern and western skies. When Sherri got up, she makes pancakes and bacon.

Now we have not decided on what to hike today. We had talked about a hike called the Artist Dips^*. It is to the west of Artist Drive, going down one wash and coming back up another. But the concern here is the book’s^** description of this second wash: first a five foot dry waterfall, followed by a harder seven foot wall. Are we really up to this? After talking about other options, we decided this is the one we will do. We even leave camp a bit earlier than usual: 9:15.

Gary walking the wash

We get to the Dips at 9:55. The book says to go 0.4 miles beyond the first dip and park at a wide place in the road. We walk the road back to the first dip. Here we observe a pretty curious scene. A person is walking back down the middle of the road to his car. The car is parked right smack on the road where it will be hit if anybody comes along. Ever hear of the phrase, an accident waiting to happen?

We do not stick around, but neither do we hear the crunch of metal, so we assume nothing happened. We start out going down this first canyon. Within a hundred yards we hit the remains of the old road which must have been washed out by a flash flood. The book talk about how the road propagates erosion. But in my mind, it is how it inhibits it. We have to work around a 5’ shear wall of dirt being held together by asphalt. If the old road was not there, there would have been a decline several yards back.

Asphalt holding back erosion

Walls of the wasg

We continue our walk along the wash. The book gives several benchmarks about what we expect to see. The canyon did not disappoint. It slopes downward at a reasonable pace. The canyon walls turn colorful, maybe not as much as the hills of Artist Palette, but enough to satisfy with the greenish-blues, red, yellows and other colors in-between.

The canyon narrows a bit and changes colors to more shades of chocolate brown and tan-almost like a sundae. Looking at the tans, we realize this is where floods have thrown mud on the walls, in places going up 15-20’. If a flash flood happens, how do you escape that?

Mud on brown walls

The book says to do a sharp right turn when you see an expansive view of the Badwater valley floor. We start seeing a view of the floor and there is a promising canyon going to the right, but the view is more of a narrow V. The book warns not to be fooled by canyons which are too soon. So we continue on.

Besides, there are foot prints going further. Shortly afterwards we come out onto the alluvial fan of this wash. This is what I would call an expansive view. But not a sharp right turn, but we do go right around the bottom of a ridge. And then we keep on going. After about 20 minutes of this, we are trying to identify which draw to try to go up-none looks promising. We stop for a break-it is warm and no shade. I start trying to identify places on the GPS and am quickly coming to the conclusion we have gone too far. The footprints continue on, but we do not.

After resting and discussing, we start back the way we came. We are unsure if we want to go up the second canyon since we would still have to go over those two dry waterfalls or turn back around.

Wash's Walls

Shortly after re-entering the canyon, there is a promising wash we could go up. Looking at the
GPS, I think this one is the second dip canyon as it goes close to our starting place. There are no distinct footprints up this way, but the surface is pretty hard. We think it is good just to continue up the original canyon.

Gary heading past the wash opening

A little ways further, we come to some shade, so we stop for lunch and discuss our tactics. One thing which we are getting concerned about is which wash to go up. We are coming to several washes which looks promising. Coming down, we knew we just wanted to go down the main wash. But going up, it is a different story as there are splits in the washes with many of them look like they could be the main one. Fortunately we can make out tracks in the gravel on the one we are following and no tracks in the other washes. I need to understand a bit more how to navigate at the bottom of a canyon in the desert where I do not understand the geography as much as the Sierra. Also next time, make sure I bring topo maps of the area.

As we progress up our canyon, the colors are not as vivid as when we came down. The sun is more overhead, washing out the colors. It is harder going up the canyon as well. But we are doing good. I will confess that I am thinking that we should be coming to the end soon. But each bend gives us a new leg to continue our journey on.

Looking up the wash of Dip 2

Then around another turn, we spot the wall which the old road is built on. We get to it. Instead of continuing up the canyon, we follow the old road back to Artist Drive. Now it is only the third of a mile back to the car. This is a relief.

We take our time getting ready to move on. It is only 2:45, but we are pretty much pooped out. I guess we can do something if we can just drive to the place. A friend of ours talked about the Devil’s Golf Course as being an interesting place. We drive there. This is where salt has been raised gathering and forms tufts for as far as we can see. The tufts are covered by dirt, so there is a not a feeling of pristine white which you would expect from a plain of salt rather something which needs to be washed down. Still it is impressive just watching out across this wide expanse.

We got back to our campsite in time to relax for a little while. I read and watched my next door neighbor put up his tent. At first I thought this was the first time he had put up any tent-it is a gigantic tent. But he seemed to know what he was doing, just carefully following instructions.

Devil's Gold Course

Sherri fixes us a dinner of polish dogs topped with chili and cheese. While not high cuisine, it is filling and just what I needed for tonight’s meal. About the time I finish cleaning up, our next door neighbor comes over and we start talking. His name is Eric and he is a planner/communications person from Phoenix. In his spare time, he writes travel articles for various publications. We talk for over an hour, trading stories back and forth. He had a long drive and I had a long day. So about 8:30 we say good night and head our separate directions.

Trail Lesson: Pay attention to your surroundings, particularly when you are in unfamiliar territory.

Background

^*If you are looking for someplace on a map called Artist Dip, you will not find it. When you go along Artist Drive, you will now which is Dip 1 and Dip2, as long as you can count to two. They are obvious.

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

The "expansive view" of Badwater

Artist Dip. This is a hike which shows great promise, as long as you do not mind scrambling up two dry waterfalls. Also, there is not any recognizable trail, so do not expect any signs to say where you are going. The book tells you that. Having said that, there is a bit of interpretation issue when reading the book. It does say, If any junction tempts you, check where you can see the Badwater Valley floor ahead in the distance. If you don’t see it, don’t turn out of the main canyon yet. Fair enough. There are a lot of tempting washes coming into this canyon. It then goes on and says At 2 miles from Dip 1 you can finally see all of the Badwater Valley floor far below. … Here you take a sharp right turn to head back. Advice: pay attention to the 2 miles on your GPS. If you can see all of the Badwater Valley floor, you have gone too far.