It was a cold night camped above Steel Pass. At 5,000 feet, it was 31°F - about 10°F cooler than it'd been at our lower-elevation-camp the previous evening - just before sunrise. Luckily, my electric socks made going to bed easy, and two down comforters kept me nice and toasty until it was time to roll out of bed in the morning. I was relieved to see that I was Matthew @Beardilocks was still around; I hadn't scared him off on our first day together! Grabbing my down puffy from the cab and pulling my beanie down over my ears,…
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Five years ago now, I received an email that began thusly. Needless to say, I was intrigued. I just wanted to drop a quick line to say howdy. I only recently stumbled across your site and felt a bit of deja vu. I'm a photographer and I've spent the last 3-4yrs exploring the western side of North America in my 1998 Taco (with 400k miles on her!) and have been to a lot of the same amazing places you have. Luckily, you've been to a lot of places I haven't as well and given me some great inspiration. It seems…
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As is my custom, I set my alarm for half-an-hour or so before sunrise. As with the time immediately after sunset, this shadowless hour of the day is often aglow with pastel tones and a fleeting stillness that I enjoy every time. For 50 years or more, Joshua has had a really nice view. Enjoying the Belt of Venus over the Mountains. The pink band is actually the area between Earth's shadow and the blue sky. Layers and layers, the as the Range, Mountains, Mountains, and finally the Mountains reach toward the sky. Here, away from the hustle and bustle…
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I can't tell you how excited I was to hike . A trek I'd been planning for months, its remote location relative to much of the rest of the park was the only reason I hadn't done it sooner. Boasting phenomenally polished narrows, an enormous chockstone, and a short side trip to Death Valley's largest arch, it was sure to be a highlight of my trip. That is, if the treacherous route didn't end in disaster. I got a relatively late start - having gotten up at sunrise, I still didn't reach the trailhead until just before 11:00am - distances…
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April 14, 15, 2018. A couple hours after falling asleep just north of Saline Valley Warm Springs, I was awoken by what I initially thought was a gunshot in my dream. But, with the valley still echoing, I soon realized it was no dream. Unsure what was going on, I looked back towards the springs, to see how others were reacting. I saw no real reaction, but then a few minutes later, I heard a "thump-thump-thump" and saw streaks of light heading into the moonless sky. And then, light and explosions. Fireworks continued intermittently for the next 10-15 minutes. Ultimately,…
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