Death Valley, Feb 3-5/06

[Mlachica]

Well I wrote my trip report and I kinda got carried away so it's a little long winded, and it's my first one so bare with me

Our intended route is to take Saline Valley Rd to Teakettle Junction via Hidden Valley Rd then back south Racetrack Rd to Lippincott and back to SVR.

Friday the 3rd

We left Saugus around 615am, headed for Death Valley. It was a typical late start for my brother, Jimmy, and I as we planned on leaving before 530. By 1030 we arrived in Panamint Springs to top off our gas tank.

We were both starving since we skipped breakfast so we stopped by the neighboring café. Everything about this desolate stop looked/felt like something out of a movie - the atmosphere, climate, the buildings, the people. The gas station had no attendant, the building where I assumed an attendant would be was abandoned with nothing inside. After filling up we entered the café and the first room had a small bar and a couple of tables. There was an older, rugged male gambling with some automated game at the bar. The sole waitress showed her age, lacked a tooth and wore blue jeans with a white T-shirt with “mines bigger than yours” on it and a picture of two wiener dogs. When I asked her for my eggs to be basted she replied, “He ain’t gonna do that for you.” Haha. I loved this place and I’m not being sarcastic. Not long after a ranger walked in - at a glance he looked like the deputy from The Andy Griffith Show. It was great!

After filling our tank and our stomachs we headed for SVR. The washboard road was in relatively good condition, at least it felt that way once I aired down. We passed Cerro Gordo Rd and drove through Lee Flats. Approaching 6000ft we continued on Hidden Valley Rd. We ascended Hunter Mt, temperature dropped, Joshua trees disappeared and snow became more prevalent. No more than a couple miles on HVR we hit 7000ft. It was 1pm when we arrived at this 100yd stretch of ice. The ice covered trail dropped, flattened for about 60yds and went back up to a snowy trail. We contemplated the situation, techniques and strategies - the ice was more predominant than slush, using an axe we couldn’t break through to dirt, the driver side edge had possible traction but came too close to the cliff at some points and there wasn’t much to hook a winch to. None gave either of us enough confidence to tackle this. The risk was too high for traveling solo. With this changing our plans we decided to take SVR to Big Pine.

[Mlachica]

Through Jackass Canyon we spotted plenty of cows and bull. The Navy also let us know of their presence with fighter jets maneuvering low through the canyons. It was awesome, I love the rumble from the jets! By 240pm we arrived at Saline Valley Dunes. I’ve never seen sand dunes before so it was pretty cool. There were all kinds of signs of wildlife - burrowing holes, spider webs, snake/bird and rabbit tracks and other tracks we couldn’t define. Yet during the half hour spent there, nothing was seen.

The sun was creeping away so we knew we had to find a place to camp. By 430 we found a great wide open spot where with spectacular views. Setting up camp was a breeze. I barbequed marinated spare ribs while Jimmy prepared the steamed white rice and stir fried vegetables and we washed it down with dos equis - it was delicious! The night was crisp, there was no wind and the sky was clear. What more could we ask for?

[Mlachica]

Saturday the 4th

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Enjoyed some scrambled eggs topped with cheese and kielbasa. After casually packing up we relaxed under the awning. While looking at the map I realized we had to climb back up to 7000ft. In fear of encountering what we did earlier we tossed around the idea of just heading back. Fuel is so precious and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue to Big Pine and find out we have to turn back. Luckily enough, the second truck we saw this entire trip was an older couple that came from Big Pine. We were excited to find out that we were only 42 miles from big pine and that we could make it through the snow covered pass. We packed everything up and scouted for a second campsite.

[Mlachica]

On the way we made a stop at Waucoba Mine where I think Borax was mined. There is so much to see here and the history never ends. In the higher elevations the trail was completely covered with snow - it was so beautiful. After driving through some snow we dropped down to Marble Canyon where lies a large gold mining camp with a few abandoned cabins, contraptions and vehicles. Things were in relatively good condition, with the exception of some damn vandalism. Gold mining in Marble Canyon started around 1882 but was relatively quiet til the 1930s because of the difficulty of access. It was in operation until 1960.

[ErrinV]

Great pics. We were on that same road the week before. We came from Scotty's Castle to Teakettle then out at Panamint Springs. That stretch of ice was the toughest section of the road.

Here's my truck at the base of the climb.



This was at the top of the climb.



Here's a puddle that you would have had to cross. There were chunks of ice floating in it.





Errin

[Mlachica]

We pressed on in search of another place to camp. We spotted a great spot just outside of Death Valley, in the Inyo Natl. forest with a beautiful view of the Sierra’s. There was still daylight left so a stop in Big Pine for a large late lunch sounded like a great idea. After topping off the tank again and shoveling down a burger and fries, we headed back up.

By 430 we had camp established. As the night grew young, the wind picked up and the thermometer DROPPED. We couldn’t sit in our chairs because it would suck the warmth out of us so we pretty much stood talking, absorbing the atmosphere and trying to stay warm. Before 9 we called it a night because the cold was unbearable. For my legs I wore a lightweight and heavyweight REI base layer, convertible pants to shed the wind, with thick smartwool socks/asolo shoes. On top I had a long sleeve shirt, TNF lightweight down (thin), TNF fleece, Marmot shell, black diamond gloves and a beanie. With all that I had on I couldn’t bare the cold. With a 0 degree bag and pad, I still had a hard time sleeping. BRRRR!

Sunday the 5th

Difficulty sleeping kept us in bed till after 7. Although very crisp it was another beautiful morning so we headed out for a short drive to check out the Sierra’s. We took some pictures and some video before heading back to camp for some oatmeal, blueberries, banana’s and OJ. We soaked in the scenery for a bit then packed up and headed home.


Tacoma Review

All these mods were put to use for the first time...My dual battery system was great, I loved it! It kept my fridge going day and night, ran some lights and some 2m communications and still started the truck without a hitch. My Engel fridge freezer teamed with the transit bag is one of my favorite mods and it didn’t seem to have any problems in the bed of the truck (although, it never reached 80). The Garmin 276c worked wonders and the ram suction cup kept it still through the washboards. Dorcy's 1w LED flashlight is sweet, I think I’ll pick up a couple more. Thanks to Nathan at Pangaea, I had an ARB tree trunk protector and snatch block that I didn't use arrive the day before I left just as he promised, I'll be sure to order more from him!

[Mlachica]

wow you're quick ErrinV.

Nice pics too. That stretch of ice felt a bit too risky to do alone.
I wish I had more vehicles, I definitely would have gone through.

Where in Alhambra are you from? I have class out there once in a while at SCE on Marengo and Mission

[ErrinV]

I'm at Fremont and Main. Isn't SCE right across from the Home Depot?

Where is your Fridge mounted? I'd like to figure out a way to mount one. Thinkin' it may have to go in the back if I can remove a seat. Hopefully it's not too difficult. Also, was that a shower/toilet tent in one of the pics? Cool setup you have there. DV is amazing, I'd like to go back and spend about a week there.

Errin

[ErrinV]

That stretch of ice felt a bit too risky to do alone.

I know, the Jeep at the top of the climb felt the same. I was trying to convince them to go down and they wanted me to come up. Both of us were very uneasy about it. Neither of us had chains. We ended up going first. Shifted into 4Low, engaged the rear locker and the truck went up the hill without a single slip. I was very impressed. Never had to do anything like that before in my truck so I didn't know what to expect. If I was coming from the other direction I woudn't have done it either. The bummer was that this was the worst part of the road. Everything else was nicely packed snow.

Errin

[Mlachica]

Yes it's across from Home Depot.

My fridge was just tied off in the bed, I haven't really 'mounted' it yet. I want to build a bed deck, storage area and put my fridge on a slide. If you haven't already, check out Scott's and Chris' tacomas - they mounted theirs in the cab. They have different model years but the concept is the same.

Yes that's a privacy tent, here's a link...pup tent

Sounds like you and the jeep weren't traveling together. Glad you made it across though. Did the jeep make it?

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it better to be open on ice? From my understanding if you lock your diff on ice it can make you lose traction because your tires slip while turning and what traction you do have may give way.