How to describe entering Death Valley? Famously known as the hottest place on earth, we were prepared for an absolute skin blistering roast in the sun as we lurched across canyons riding a team of mules likely to succumb to the lack of water. If only we had taken the railroad! Oh wait, it's December, and we're pulling a luxury cabin behind our truck. It was exciting anyway!
Can you spot the photo bomber In this shot? Hint: he is wearing a purple jacket.
We have been descending in elevation since we left New Mexico, and our drop down continued as we entered the park. A few minutes in we stopped at Zabriskie point to get a good look at the park from one of the higher points accessible from the road. We walked up the paved trail (more of a ramp really) and took in the undulating mountains, towering spires, and white as bone salt flats. Death Valley has it all.
We jumped back into the car and drove a few miles more to the Badwater Basin to explore the salt flats. There is a spring at Badwater and the water isn't actually bad, just terribly salty. Apparently there are some snails that like it. The park requests that you don't step on them. There was recently a round of flash floods that had covered a lot of the flats in dirt, muddying their normal white appearance. Cutting through this was a white salt road. We weren't sure if this was from people walking in the salt or if the park staff had run the street sweeper over it. Maybe both. The ground blisters and cracks in the sun, giving it a look of mini mountain ranges that go on for miles. We walked until we had passed the muddy section and were completely surrounded by salt. It was an eerie feeling having so much white everywhere; it looks unnatural. The uniformity of the landscape and the color makes for some good photography tricks, so we obliged.
While driving we discovered several camp spots much closer to our hiking destination for the next day, so we pulled a few u-turns until we sorted out a new place to stay for the first night. The campground was well appointed with a nice dishwashing sink and plentiful garbage cans (we are pretty easy to please). We turned in early as we were headed back to Zabriskie in the morning for the sunrise.
Everyone got up early, 6 ish, and we headed straight to the truck. The drive was only a few minutes thanks to our change in camp ground, and we got to the top of the point with time to spare. There were already several photographers set up with fancy camera equipment so we knew we were in the right spot.
After sunrises it was time for breakfast. Dad has been whipping up some excellent breakfast burritos. He is very proud of them. Everyone ate a big meal and we headed to Golden Canyon for our first Death Valley hike. We packed lots of snacks and about 850 gallons of water. There are signs everywhere detailing the dangers of heat exhaustion. Even in winter heat and dehydration problems can wreck havoc on an otherwise healthy person.
The hike wound through a canyon just below Zabriskie point. We passed first through some of the undulating hills before eventually climbing up out of the canyon on a sandy ledge. This ledge was one of the steepest trails that we've ever been on, especially given that it wasn't stepped. We had to pull Remy upward as we were a little afraid of him going backwards. Once we got to the top there were some dips and climbs through more sandy rock structures. Eventually we dropped back down into a gradually descending wash that took us back to the parking lot. Remy, now a master hiker, walked the whole five+ miles.
We found the hiking in Golden Canyon to be extremely enjoyable. Much like Valley of Fire, there is a lot to take in. The walls of the canyons tower over you, and the different rock layers provide continuously evolving stiumi to look at. The hiking itself is also pleasant, with a good portion of the walk taking place in relatively easy to navigate washes. There were a few climbs, but they were manageable without much fuss as long as we took the slow. We are fortunate to have a bout of mild weather, with mid day temps around 70 degrees. The canyon walls provide plenty of shade. We also had the trail to ourselves for the most part, passing just a handful of people. The fact that this hike was just below the viewpoint from the previous day was also intriguing, as we had now seen the same geology from two very different perspectives
One other thing that we noticed was how quiet it is in the park. As soon as you're a minute or two away from any of the camping areas, noise ceases to exist. There are very few birds (and basically none in the canyons) and there is very little wind. The silence is palpable when everyone stops walking.
After our hike Remy took a much needed nap. When he awoke we packed up and moved to our campsite on the northern part of the park. Stay tuned for Death Valley part two!
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