We're just back from another adventure in Death Valley, with a stop in the Pinnacles on the way down. We hiked Condor Gulch there, saw a couple of condors roosting and camped overnight--waking up to ice on the tablecloth in the morning. Ahem,
DAY TWO: We made it to Stovepipe Wells in time for a Zoom call (sigh) and then enjoyed the tightly packed gravel parking lot they call a campground. It was a lovely warm evening. Our neighbors hosted a movie party for some of the neighboring campers...offset by free wifi supplied by the same Starlink connection...
DAY THREE: Marble Canyon. 12 miles rt, but some lovely narrows in the heart of the canyon, just above a chock stone with an easy hike around. Back in camp in time to wash up (m had a shower at the hotel) and a zoom call with Expedia. The afternoon was spoiled by a generator on one side, children howling like coyotes on the other side.
DAY FOUR: Drove up to Mesquite Springs and got a campsite--winds blowing 15-25, with gusts up to 40. Hiked Red Wall Canyon until we were turned back by a dry fall. For the second day in a row we watched fighter jets in a mock dogfight overhead, incredibly loud and impressive what they can do in those planes.
DAY FIVE: Up to cool temps and a breeze. It quickly warmed up in the sun. WE chose an unnamed canyon in the Grapevine Mountains and just hiked up until lunchtime, then back down again. We got to 3000 feet by my watch, about 3.5 miles in. It was absolutely silent...a glorious Death Valley experience. We'll be back to backpack this one, carrying our own water...
After a nap and wash, we drove to look at Ubehebe Crater...then back to camp for dinner, and an amazing moonrise over the Grapevine Mountains
DAY SIX: Driving home, with a stop in Manzanar, the WWII Japanese internment Camp
The full trip report is here--as well as a link to the photo blogs of the hikes.
https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/death-valley-redux
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