02/12/02 Hiking Darwin Falls (2 miles round trip):
Left Sequoia National Forest yesterday and am now back in Death Valley. Entered the park from the west on CA-190. Passed a sign for Darwin Falls and followed the washer board road 2.5 miles to the trial head. Didn't know how long the trail was so backtracked to a camp site and spent the night.
Up bright and early this morning after a balmy night in the 40's. Darwin Falls turned out to be an easy one mile hike up a canyon. Half way up the middle the canyon turned into a cattail and reed marsh. Then I saw a small brook and that in turn brought me to Darwin Falls. A real waterfall, in the middle of Death Valley. No kidding! Well, not right in the middle, but it was for real, water dropping 30 feet or so and over a ledge. Must be from a spring above. Big horn sheep are in the area and that must be the reason.
Drove the 30 miles or so to the Wildrose and Telescope Peaks (9000 & 11000 feet) area. Nice, free camp grounds. Followed the dirt road 7 miles to near the Wildrose trail head but found much of the area covered in snow. Went back to the campground and found it was at 4000 feet. I didn't want to spend a night at that elevation and wasn't sure I wanted to tackle that washer board road to the trail heads again so left.
Hiking Mosaic Canyon (2 miles round trip):
Mosaic Canyon is right before the Stovepipe Ranger Station and campgrounds when coming in from the west. This is where I blew a tire last week. I got up the 2.5 mile washer board in one piece this time. This trail leads through some marble canyons... yeah, real marble, kind of a tannish color with white streaks through it. This goes on for a quarter mile or so then the canyon opens up somewhat and you're presented with these pretty, multi-colored mountains in the background. The trail was blocked after a mile or so. I tried scrambling up a side path but when I got up there there was more scrambling so I called it quits.
02/13/02 Hiking Fall Canyon (6 miles round trip):
50's and overcast at the trailhead this morning. 45 minute drive from where I was camped on Beatty Road. The Fall Canyon Trailhead starts at the Titus Canyon parking area and moves off to the left behind the restrooms. I followed the trail along the mountain base 1/2 mile to a big, wide wash that leads up into Fall Canyon.
Fall Canyon has rugged walls 200-400 feet high. The trail is rated moderately strenuous, not because of steepness or ruggedness. The trail is has a slight, but continuous incline. What makes it tough is the small pebble base in the wash. You take on step forward and slide 2-3 inches back with each and every step. This is worse than walking in sand.
It took me 1:45 to get to where the canyon ends in a rock abutment so I was going less than 2mph. A short, but tough climb helps you climb up around the blockage. I climbed up it, wondering how I was going to get back down. At the top of the technical climb I got an indication of where the trail led. It looked as though it led up sharply and I decided it was more strenuous than I needed. Too bad because there's supposed to be some great, narrow canyons for the next 3 miles up there.
02/14/02 Driving Titus Canyon Road (28 miles one way):
Needed gas and went to Beatty for it and saved 50-60 cents a gallon over park prices. Titus Canyon Road entrance is on the way so I turned in on the way back. When I hiked Titus Canyon the other day about 8 4X4s passed me so I figured the drive must be worth it.
A sign said 4X4 and high clearance recommended. I have neither but kept going anyway. Another sign soon said 28 miles. The first few miles are through open country, not very interesting and the road had some washer board. Eventually the road led into the mountains with no real problems with the road.
Then the mountains became steeper and the road narrower. This is a one way road and with just enough room for one car I could see why. Steep, sharp switchbacks up and down a couple of mountains made me wonder why they didn't have a 'no trailer' sign at the entrance. If a trailer or RV went back there they'd get stuck on the narrow road and wouldn't be able to turnaround or get back out.
The tops of mountain passes presented some really nice views and the road held up well. I could see a grader had been through not too long ago. 15 miles into the drive I passed Leadville, several tin shanties from the 1920's when they mined... lead? Another mile or two brought me to the petroglyphs I had seen the other day and I knew I was 6 miles from the parking area. The drive through the actual canyon was not as good as the hike since I now had to keep an eye on the road. Still very nice though.
I drove up to Scotty's Castle at the far end of the park but the parking lot was jammed. I guess this is where all the RVers hang out so I left and headed to Ubehebe Crater. This was the source of much volcanic activity in the past. Why its a 500 deep (1/2 mile across) hole in the ground instead of a conical shaped mound I dunno. I arrived right behind a couple of tour buses full of old geezers preparing to hike around the crater so I canceled out on that.
I had really wanted to go to the Racecourse. This is a sandy area where rocks and stuff are supposed to slide across the sand for some reason. I wasn't up for another 27 miles of dirt road though.
02/15/02 Hiking Grotto Canyon (4-5 miles round trip):
Went looking for Little Bridge Canyon 3 miles east of Stovepipe Village and found Grotto Canyon instead. A sign and a 4X4 road up to the mountains was good enough for me. Parking at the entrance I followed the road upward at a moderately steep incline for close to 2 miles or so through open desert. Gave the hamstrings, calves and Achilles tendons a workout moving at a brisk pace.
The first section of the road is nice and hard for good footing. When it leads into Grotto Canyon, however, it deteriorates into tiny pebbles that mean you slide back an inch or two with each step you take. The canyon walls are mostly dried mud with embedded stones and rocks rising up a couple hundred feet.
After a half mile or so the canyon narrowed down and I thought it was turning into a slot canyon with all sorts of weird shapes and forms and twists and turns. Unfortunately it ended abruptly at a 10 foot wall. It might have been climbable but I would have had to jump back down. That's not a good idea for a feeble old guy hiking by himself. That falls outside of acceptable risk.
Damn fighter jets from nearby China Lake made themselves annoying by playing overhead much of the morning.
On the way back out I noticed a little side canyon. Well, it was more like a large fault in the rock into which boulders had fallen. Thinking it might go around the grotto wall and lead to a smoother trail I began scrambling over big rocks and such. I came to a 6 foot wall with decent hand and foot holds and climbed up it. Then I came to a 5 foot wall climbed up that one and then another. I continued for 15 minutes or so until I could see a little distance but only saw more boulders.
Some of the volcanic rock was so rough and jagged, falling and sliding down one would be like sliding over a rock full of barnacles.
02/17/02 Hiking no name canyon:
Lost a couple of days somewhere. Today is Sunday... thought it was Friday. Big winds blowing this morning. Tried to find Little Bridge Canyon. I must be close but no cigar. I parked exactly 3 miles east of Stovepipe Village on CA-190. I was supposed to go up an alluvial fan, whatever that is. Alluvial has something to do with minerals or rocks and a fan is... a fan. I was too close to see.
I started out up a stoney wash type thing and continued on uphill for 25 minutes. Here I came to a big wash and followed it. I was supposed to go two miles up the alluvial fan and know I didn't cover that distance in 25 minutes. Oh, well, the exercise is the thing.
The canyon is all mud walls with embedded stones. 5 minutes brought me to a Y. I started to follow tracks to the left but then switched to the right canyon. It was in the shade and looked more like a canyon. The left side looked more like a wash with mud walls. 10 minutes later I scared up an owl just as the canyon dead ended at two 8-10 foot walls, one above and beyond the other.
Backtracked to the Y and started up the left canyon. I didn't have to go far to convince myself this was indeed a wash.
Back on the main wash I looked to see where I might go next but saw nothing but ridges I couldn't see over between me and the mountain so I gave it up for the day.
02/18/02 Hiking Dante Ridge (8 miles round trip):
Moved over to Hole-in-the-Wall Road to camp last night. Went back to Dante's View to hike Dante's Ridge. The ridge runs 4 miles to Mt. Perry with great views on either side of the ridge. On the left, 5000 feet below is the Death Valley salt flats with the Panamint Mountains beyond. On the right is Greenwater Valley and the Funeral Mountains beyond.
The trail is not maintained but follows the ridge up and down a few short peaks. The wind was blowing in my face about 15mph making the lower 50's feel like the 20's. Fortunately I had brought my gloves and vest.
After 2.5 miles or so I lost what little trail there was. Climbing up a cross ridge the ground changed to almost all basketball size rocks. Steep slopes to the left indicated I was heading the right direction. Up ahead I could see nothing but more rocks. I don't mind walking over a few rocks but that's all I could see in the distance. Not wanting to bruise my feet since i was wearing sneakers again, I turned back.
02/19/02 Hiking 20 Mule Team Canyon (6 miles round trip):
As I drove thru 20 Mule Team Canyon last week I was thinking to myself I should come back and hike through here. So today I did. The road is through continuous large mounds, small peaks and ridges. Most of the stuff up close seems to be mud with embedded stones, crumbly slate stuff or volcanic rock and cinders.
Great colors; mostly light beige and gold in the foreground interspersed with aqua and light purple and ark corduroy brown in the higher ridges in the background. Found an old borax mine close to the road. Nothing much as far back as I could see but a tunnel about 3 foot high. A very scenic hike. About 50 minutes out and probably the same thing back.
Drove down to Badwater, 282 feet below sea level. The big salt flats are a mile or two distance and a lot of people walk out to them. I've already seen salt flats up close. Give you about the same sensation as walking on ice.
Backtracked to West Side Drive and drove across a narrow section of the salt flats. Followed it 10 miles or so to Hanaupah Canyon Road. Followed that road up 4 miles near the canyon and found a flat place to park for the night. Several SUVs, trucks and vans parked up ahead; presumably out hiking the canyon. Walked up past them and saw several tents down a steep hill. I'll hike into the canyon tomorrow.
03/11/02:
Geeze! Almost a month has passed since the last entry. Just been hanging out in the Lake Havasu City and Quartzite and Kofa Wildlife Refuge areas in Arizona for the past few weeks. Put on a few pounds but got the running up to 1 hour per run (most of the time) trying to counteract that.
On my way to Organ Pipe National Monument so, in effect, I'm back on the road.