As we explored Montana in July, it was Monte @Blackdawg who suggested that a December trip to Death Valley would be the perfect time to get everyone together for a visit to the desert. Having planned our first trip in 2021, I set about building an itinerary that would pick up where we left off, taking us through entirely new terrain over the course of six days in the desert.
Then, a week before blast-off, the plumbing in Monte's new house exploded. Understandably, that put a crimp in his ability to join, and soon after, Mike @Digiratus, Zane @Speedytech7, and I decided to postpone the trip - so we could all go together - rather than pushing on without him.
Still, @mrs.turbodb and I had already forked over the staggering sum of $58/each for roundtrip tickets from Seattle to Las Vegas on Spirit Airlines. With a $99/each cancellation fee, there was nothing to do but figure out a new plan!
Digging through a series of resources - most notably, Digonnet's Hiking Death Valley and my stash of Steve Hall's trip reports - we settled on an itinerary that would shuttle us in and around the Cottonwood Mountains to a series of peaks, canyons, and overlooks that we'd not had a chance to visit when we'd trapsed through their folds only two weeks earlier.
Little did we know at the time, but it'd soon become apparent - as we encountered one summit and visitor log after another - that we were following in the footsteps two Death Valley Giants. Steve Hall and Jeremy Stoltzfus, it seems, have been everywhere.
We're In the Wrong Mountains | Cottonwoods #1 - 3 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…
Thanksgiving at Leaning Rock Peak | Cottonwoods #2 - 12 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…
Hidden Away | Cottonwoods #3 - 7 For nearly three years now - ever since I met in a Eureka Valley silt bed - there's been a special canyon in the Cottonwood Mountains that I've known I needed to visit. canyon was one that I'd heard whispers and hints of through other sources, but never a name and certainly never a specific location. As we chatted for a few minutes - after a small tug freed his pickup from the silt - our shared love for Death Valley was immediately obvious. He shared the joys of his trip that was coming to an end; I excitedly…
Ancient Gems of Bighorn Gorge | Cottonwoods #4 - Knowing that we had a huge hike in front of us, we worked our way high into the Cottonwood Mountains after returning from our hike to Leaning Rock just before 6:00pm, already an hour after dark. Having never driven White Top Mountain Road, the circuitous route remained a mystery as we pulled into a spot that we hoped would have a nice view once when the sun completed its circumnavigation of the globe. Even as we set up the tent for the night it was freezing. Luckily, @mrs.turbodb had already prepped sandwiches - at the same time we'd prepped our…