Almost exactly a month ago, we headed south to Death Valley. Our goal - to explore a handful of places we've left behind over our years of exploration:
There are several places that I've wanted to check out in Death Valley for quite some time, but that haven't fit into the route or schedule for previous trips. Hoping to knock off a bunch of those places that I've "left behind," I set about planning a route that would take us along West Side Road and the eastern escarpment of the Panamint Mountains. From there, we'd repeatedly climb into the canyons, exploring the mines, narrow passages, and vistas that each had to share. It would - I thought - be a lot like our trip along the Nadeau Trail, or our recent foray into the Inyos.
In fact, it was nothing of the sort.Dan, Left Behind (Jan 2023)
Only managing to visit two of the five canyons, and not even completing all the hikes we'd hope to in those two locations - there's really nothing to do but "try again." I'm always saying how leaving one thing or another is just a reason to return, and so, I'm finally taking my own advice.
We're heading back - to finish what we started. Or - at least - to learn again that there's always something more left behind!
Better to be Lucky | Left, Again #1 - With the Tacoma stored in Las Vegas and a 6:00am flight, we headed out the door a little after 4:00am for a 45-minute light rail ride to the airport. In high spirits - the trip south would only take two-and-a-half hours - our discussion focused on what hike we should…
Finally Hiking Hungry Bill's | Left, Again #2 - Except for the burro that decided to "eee-aww, eee-aww, eee-aww" in the middle of the night a little ways up canyon from our camp site, Galena Canyon was one of the most pleasant nights I've experienced in Death Valley in recent memory. The level of the tent was just right;…
Finishing Slit Canyon | Left, Again #3 - Camped at the mouth of Johnson Canyon on the alluvial fan, we were a little worried that the wind would pick up overnight, but thankfully it was a very calm, and temperatures were once again quite pleasant. There were a few more clouds in the sky this morning, but they'd…