The Death Valley
National Park newsletter describes the park as “the Hottest, Driest, Lowest
and Wildest (contains the largest designated wilderness in the US outside
Alaska).”
It certainly is that and
more. Despite its morbid name, Death Valley National Park is very much alive and active, attracting folks with a variety of backgrounds and interests: archaeologists, geologists, historians, naturalists, zoologists, botanists, star
gazers, explorers and adventurers (and retirees) come to experience all that Mother Nature has created over the past millennia.
Wilderness is the
highest level of conservation protection afforded public lands and prohibits
mechanical devices including bicycles and wheel barrows. It’s off limits to
commercial enterprises but not people, and to qualify as wilderness it must have outstanding
opportunities for solitude and primitive unconfined recreation. You can hike,
climb, backpack, horseback ride, camp, marvel at the views, take photographs or
simply sit in your comfy chair and gaze at the mountains surrounding the valley.
We spent a few days exploring
Death Valley National Park 10 years ago. It was an intriguing place then, and a decade later Death Valley remains just as fascinating.
Camping at Stovepipe
Wells with our Alpine group of friends made this visit that much more
memorable.
We stayed for a week, found that it was just enough time to scratch
the surface, and definitely want to return to explore and investigate the park
more thoroughly.
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| all set up at Stovepipe Wells with the Smiths, Archers, Collins, and Hasmans |
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| good friends, good company and good times |
At almost 3.4 million
acres in size, Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous
United States. To the west, Telescope Peak towers at over 11,000 feet, while to
the east, Dante’s View peaks at over 5,400 feet. And in between lies a valley
with the lowest point in North America, the Badwater Basin salt pan, at 282
feet below sea level. The difference in elevation is the most dramatic in a
series of parallel mountains and valleys that extends from eastern California
all the way to the Rocky Mountains.
Once again, we got to enjoy and explore the
dramatic result of plate tectonics that occurred here over millions of years after the earth’s crust got stretched out
and pulled apart to create the steep peaks and slanted valleys of Death Valley.
Winter is a good time to
visit. Summer highs can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Back in 1913, aptly named
Furnace Creek (elevation 190 feet below sea level) soared to a record temperature of 134
degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest recorded temperature in the world.
Our weather on this
visit was mixed. We had cooler weather than expected and it rained one day at the lower elevations in the valley, while snow sprinkled the mountain tops at higher altitudes. But
the sun shone brightly most of the time and the clear night skies provided
exceptional star gazing opportunities in this dark and desolate spot without adjacent city light glow.
This barren landscape
and the variety in geological formations offer wonderful photo opportunities.
At different times of the day, the light highlights the various rocks that
transform into palettes of striking color.
It’s a story of millions of years of
transformation: this area was once a lake, and also experienced periodic
volcanic eruptions. What we see today are the remains of arid badlands with
their yellows and tans, colorful canyon walls, and white gypsum and borax
deposits on the valley floor.
I took dozens of
photos as we explored various areas.
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| salty deposits in the valley between the mountain ranges |
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| colorful peaks |
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| mountain edges that look like pleated folds |
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| spectacular colors of Artist's Palette |
Furnace Creek, elevation 190 feet below sea level, has a terrific Visitor Center with displays and a film about the park and its history. I like to learn about the native people who were here centuries before western "discovery" of the area. Death Valley’s native
people are the Timbisha Shoshone. Timbisha is their name for this valley and
refers to a sacred red pigment found in the mountains overlooking the valley.
Timbisha Shoshone inhabited this remote, arid, and hot place for the past one thousand years. With the advent of Western exploration, settlement and mining altered the landscape, diverting spring water and displacing traditional village sites. Western contributions to the history of the area are never without consequences, it appears. While the natives protected this inhospitable area,
their stewardship was not readily recognized when the national park was first established. In 2000, the Timbisha became the first Native Americans to secure land rights within a National Park.Today
the Timbisha and Park Service work together to protect the land and its
resources.
The first men to enter Death Valley were pioneers heading to the gold rush in 1849. Many gold seeking pioneers arrived at Salt Lake City to be told not to continue on as it was too late in the year and were advised to wait until spring. But the pioneers became restless and organized a wagon train of over 125 wagons with Captain Jefferson Hunt as their guide. At the present-day town of Enterprise, Utah, those impatient with the slow progress decided to take a shortcut toward Walker Pass, hoping to cut 500 miles off the journey.
Within a few days the wagon train came across a major cliff extending several miles in both directions. After about a month of slow progress through central Nevada, they reached the borders of Death Valley in December, arriving at Travertine Springs located near Furnace Creek.
Why the name "Death Valley"? After stumbling into this desert, the pioneers had to deal with
severe consequences, losing animals, wagons, one another, and sometimes lives.
It was the Bennett-Arcan party that turned back and said, “Goodbye Death
Valley” as they were finally led out by their rescuers.
At Stovepipe Wells there is a historical marker commemorating the hardships endured by the pioneers.
The thing about having a
Jeep is that we can now venture out onto trails that are suitable for 4-wheel
drive vehicles. One day we went in search of Darwin Falls. Yes, there are real
falls in this inhospitable terrain. But you really need to know where to look.
We drove to the
trailhead accessed via gravel road west of Panamint Springs, and hiked a mile up Darwin Canyon. After some rock scrambling we
arrived at the 20-foot falls, a year-round spring-fed oasis in the desert.
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| the Alpine party in search of Darwin Falls |
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| the Smiths, Weitzes and Mike Collins with Harley |
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| Darwin Falls, a year-round source of water |
On another day the two of us hiked into Mosaic Canyon. The featured attraction of this canyon is hiking within polished marble narrows filled with unique color patterns.
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| entering the canyon |
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| layers of marbled rock |
At Badwater Basin we crunched our way across the salt flat at the lowest point in North America. Two to four thousand years ago this was the site of a 30-ft deep lake that evaporated and left
a one-to-five-foot layer of salt in its wake. It is 4 times saltier
than the ocean, remains a basin during winter but shrinks to a puddle size
during the hot summer months. It has interesting salt formations.
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| standing 282 feet below sea level, marked on the mountain above me |
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| made it to the top of the dune: Stephanie, Toni, Michele and me |
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| Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes seen from the road |
We all set out on the 40-mile juddery, unpaved, off-road vehicle drive
along West Side Road to explore less accessible points of interest.
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| lots of bouncing and dust |
We took the turnoff to Shorty's Well, but couldn't find it.
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| no well, oh well.... |
Further along, there was a turnoff for a grave marker for two prospectors. This is where Jim Dayton and Frank "shorty" Harris lie buried. Apparently Jim Dayton died a horrible death according to a newspaper article: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18990825.2.177
Frank Harris, a colorful character, was Dayton's friend and asked to be buried beside him.
The inscription reads as follows:
Bury me beside Jim Dayton in the valley we loved. Above me write:
"Here lies Shorty Harris, a single blanket, jackass prospector."
Epitaph requested by Shorty (Frank) Harris, beloved gold hunter. 1856-1934
Here Jas. Dayton, pinoneer perished 1898.
To these trailmakers whose courage matched the dangers of the land, this bit of earth dedicated forever.
Here is a link to Frank "Shorty" Harris's story: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/nv-shortyharris.html
Gold, borax and talc were mined in Death Valley with limited success. We stopped to check out the ruins of the Eagle Borax Works, the first borax works in the valley, established in 1882 and operated for two years until the owner took his own life. Borax has been Death Valley's most profitable mineral. It's used in laundry detergent, cosmetics, insulation in walls and roof, in fire extinguishers, and ceramic dishes, as well as in the glass used on electronic touchpads.
Borax is only present if
volcanoes have added boron rich lava into the mix.
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| today all that remains are mounds where the kilns once stood |
The marker for Bennett's Long Camp is noteworthy because it marks the spot where the Bennett-Arcane contingent of the Death Valley 49-ers broke away from the rest of the wagon party and became stranded seeking a shortcut to the gold fields of California. They remained here for well over a month nearly perishing from starvation. Two young companions,Manly and Rogers, undertook an heroic journey on foot to San Fernando, returning with supplies, and then led the party to the safety of San Francisquito Ranch near Newhall.
Eventually we reached the turn off to Warm Spring Canyon which took us along more washes and rutted sand and gravel paths. Miles later, we began to see the remains of old mining shafts.
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| heading towards Warm Spring Canyon under grey skies and softly falling rain |
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| an old abandoned mine shaft |
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| how anyone discovered minerals worth mining in this remote area is in itself a feat |
On Sunday we all went to brunch at the rather ritzy and historic Furnace Creek Inn, established in 1927. It remains an oasis in this desert, and boasts a warm spring fed pool and pretty garden with palm trees.
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| oasis in the desert, a natural spring pond surrounded by palms |
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| spring fed pool |
We'll be back again next year. There remains more to explore and investigate in this valley, not to mention re-visiting the attractions from our first visit 10 years ago.
We spent a few days exploring
Death Valley National Park 10 years ago. It was an intriguing place then, and a decade later Death Valley remains just as fascinating. 
At almost 3.4 million
acres in size, Death Valley is the largest national park in the contiguous
United States. To the west, Telescope Peak towers at over 11,000 feet, while to
the east, Dante’s View peaks at over 5,400 feet. And in between lies a valley
with the lowest point in North America, the Badwater Basin salt pan, at 282
feet below sea level. The difference in elevation is the most dramatic in a
series of parallel mountains and valleys that extends from eastern California
all the way to the Rocky Mountains. 
Winter is a good time to
visit. Summer highs can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Back in 1913, aptly named
Furnace Creek (elevation 190 feet below sea level) soared to a record temperature of 134
degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest recorded temperature in the world. 
This barren landscape
and the variety in geological formations offer wonderful photo opportunities.
At different times of the day, the light highlights the various rocks that
transform into palettes of striking color. 
The first men to enter Death Valley were pioneers heading to the gold rush in 1849. Many gold seeking pioneers arrived at Salt Lake City to be told not to continue on as it was too late in the year and were advised to wait until spring. But the pioneers became restless and organized a wagon train of over 125 wagons with Captain Jefferson Hunt as their guide. At the present-day town of Enterprise, Utah, those impatient with the slow progress decided to take a shortcut toward Walker Pass, hoping to cut 500 miles off the journey.
Further along, there was a turnoff for a grave marker for two prospectors. This is where Jim Dayton and Frank "shorty" Harris lie buried. Apparently Jim Dayton died a horrible death according to a newspaper article: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18990825.2.177
Gold, borax and talc were mined in Death Valley with limited success. We stopped to check out the ruins of the Eagle Borax Works, the first borax works in the valley, established in 1882 and operated for two years until the owner took his own life. Borax has been Death Valley's most profitable mineral. It's used in laundry detergent, cosmetics, insulation in walls and roof, in fire extinguishers, and ceramic dishes, as well as in the glass used on electronic touchpads. 
The marker for Bennett's Long Camp is noteworthy because it marks the spot where the Bennett-Arcane contingent of the Death Valley 49-ers broke away from the rest of the wagon party and became stranded seeking a shortcut to the gold fields of California. They remained here for well over a month nearly perishing from starvation. Two young companions,Manly and Rogers, undertook an heroic journey on foot to San Fernando, returning with supplies, and then led the party to the safety of San Francisquito Ranch near Newhall.
