On our way to the Mule Tail Mine after hiking Upper Marble Canyon. Pastel skies - and Telescope Peak in the distance - as we searched for somewhere level. After a bit of a struggle to find a reasonably flat spot along the Mule Tail Mine road where we could set up camp, it was pitch dark when we climbed into the tent a little after 6:15pm. We were asleep 45 minutes later, well before a reasonable bedtime. It was also windier this evening than it'd been on the previous three that we'd been in Death Valley National Park. Rather…
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Our night in the southern flanks of the Cottonwoods was chilly but with a couple down comforters and a replacement Exped Megamat that did a great job of holding air and keeping us toasty warm, we slept well. It helped that it wasn't windy, too! Good morning mountains. (White Mountain - of the White Mountains - rising in the distance.) The Sierra and Inyo Mountains fought for dominance to our west. We ate a quick breakfast - it had to be, since the milk in our bowls was freezing as we spooned the cereal into our mouths - while trying…
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Winter. You will never hear me share my love for winter in the Pacific Northwest. Here, during the period of the year that lasts from the end of the September until the beginning of July, it is gray, dark, and damp. Still - for the last seven years - I find myself looking forward to the season. Winter, for me, signals the time of year for trips to Death Valley. A vast wonderland of exploration that - every time I visit - seems to reveal additional secrets and endless ideas for future adventures. After 20 trips to this spectacular place,…
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Our spirits still high having hiked Funeral Slot Canyon and from our encounter with the F-16 as we climbed past Father Crowley Point, we turned off onto Saline Valley Road, just a little after 3:45pm. It was 45 minutes before sunset, and with quite a few miles to go before we reached the area we wanted to camp, which - to this point - I'd only narrowed down to somewhere on Hunter Mountain. While airing down, I saw a spec in the distance. A bird, I thought initially, turning to tend to the next tire. But something in my brain…
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