Death Valley – March 2024 – Part Two

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Please click here for – Part One

 

Ghosts

 

We woke to another soggy morning with clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

But it was dry enough that we took our coffee for its usual morning walk. It is amazing the terrain and distance the Lady can cover without spilling a drop. She was in the mood for high points this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

The clouds, the smell of wet earth, the vistas, made this a special morning.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a quiet morning except for the barking dog of one of the support people at the encampment. Maybe it’s just me, an old curmudgeon, but if I had paid $3000 to attend the event unfolding around us – to spend 3 nights fasting, alone, in silence, under a tarp to mediate, find my place in the world, heal my soul, immerse myself in the harsh natural world of Death Valley, experience visions – hearing a support person’s barking dog would have been a deal breaker. I would have demanded my money back.

 

But, of course, I’d also consider a new tarp and 4 one-gallon bottles of water pretty slim accommodations for $3000.

 

For the time being, enough about the tarp people. I’ll address them and our previous encounter at the end of this chapter.

 

After an hour and a half of wandering about, and now really hungry for breakfast, we returned to camp and got ready for our day of hiking. The clouds were lifting. It was warming up. Our plan was to work the old Indian trail that ran to the north and along the flank of the Cottonwoods. We’d hiked out this way before and it’d be fun to see if we could find more sections of this ancient route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were long sections where a trail was no longer evident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wildflowers we came upon were delightful. My favorite Death Valley flower – the Gravel Ghost (Atrichoseris platyphylla)

 

 

 

 

 

A new one for us we found tucked up into a side canyon wash, the Golden Desert-snapdragon (Mohavea breviflora)

 

 

 

 

 

Along the Cottonwoods is a double canyon that share a single wash at the canyon mouth, but branch into two forks a short ways in. In 2016 we explored the right fork. Today we headed into the left fork.

 

 

 

 

 

Extra benefits up this fork included a bighorn ram skull and slickenside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was an enjoyable trek up this canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the above photo, the Lady is watching the two ravens. They spent the day shadowing us.

 

The Lady was ahead. I rounded a corner and she announced, “I’m calling this Beehive Canyon because of this rock.”

 

 

 

 

 

Close to our turn around time, we encountered a sloping, water polished pour over.

 

 

 

 

 

We took a break here for a snack and water. We decided we’d not climb the pour over, we’d stop here, but then the Lady noticed a steep chute behind us. Why climb a pour over when we can climb a chute more then ten times higher?

“You are coming, aren’t you?” she asked. “We’ll leave our packs here. The views should be great!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safely back down, we worked our way out of Beehive Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

The ravens decided to leave us as we neared camp. The hike was a nine-mile round trip. After clean up, chores, dinner, we again wandered away from camp and took in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

First light the next morning was worth waking up for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This day’s hike was up the North Fork LeMoigne Canyon. It has a section of nice narrows just above its split with the South Fork.

 

 

 

 

 

Inside we found the body of a red-tail hawk.

 

 

 

 

 

It was gone when we passed back by in the late afternoon.

 

The North Fork is not a dramatic canyon, but it's worth exploring. It is also the route that finger on the Desert Guide Post sign is pointing to. This is the way to Cottonwood Water. This historic route continues on over Hunter Mountain and on to Keeler on the shore of Owens Lake – back when steamboats crossed its vast waters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know you’ve gained elevation when you find Joshua trees.

 

 

 

 

 

This was a 12 mile, three Mylar balloon day for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Our descent of the canyon was just as much fun. We came upon the remains of an old truck. Do you remember when odometers really “rolled over?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It had warmed up during the day and was beginning to feel much more like Death Valley spring weather. We returned to the truck and camper around 1630 hrs. Our raven friends spotted us and dropped down to check on us.

 

 

 

 

 

We pulled off our hiking clothes, got cleaned up, sat in our chairs in the shade of the truck, and ate Late July Jalapeño Lime chips with prickly pear salsa. I also enjoyed an ice-cold Henry Weinhart’s root beer. The ravens were undisturbed by our movements, in fact joined us in the shade of the camper at our feet, and spent about an hour and a half with us.

 

 

 

 

 

The female would come up close to the male and request grooming. Her mate obliged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't even let it cross your mind. They received no handouts of food or other enticements.  

This was our last night up LeMoigne Canyon Road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our adventure continues. Please click here for - Part Three

 

Additional information on the tarp people.

 

In February of 2020 we encountered this same group (I’m waiting for confirmation on that but I’m 90% sure) at the end of Hole in the Wall Road. It was very similar – what in the hell is this large group doing here? The camp was in a choke point, there was no way around. We again retreated and set up camp more than a half mile away. We were stopped when we walked through their camp that night on a walk under a full moon.

“What are you doing? We have people out all over around here. They’re alone in solitude. If you encounter them, don’t speak to them. They’re to remain silent.” We were then regaled with all the benefits of their program; how wonderful it was. “Even my father is out there!” The fellow said they were the School of Lost Borders. The next morning, as we were doing a search for archeological sites, we found two ancient shelters being lived in by these pilgrims.

 

On our way out of the Park in February 2020 we stopped at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and asked if they knew what was going on and did the group have a special use permit to work inside the National Park. The people at the desk said they knew nothing about this group or the event taking place. We asked that our report be passed up the food chain so the Park is aware of their operation.

 

Thursday morning, after leaving LeMoigne, we stopped at the Visitors Center. After surprise by one at what we described, another NPS employee said she believed the group was operating under a special use permit.

 

I am following up with the Park to confirm who this group is and whether they have a valid special use permit. If the organization does have a permit to operate in the Park, I will offer a few – I hope helpful and well received – suggestions to amend the permit. Their events should not be at the end of the road/trailhead where other public users gather and the two uses conflict. It should be required they camp a distance (100 – 200 feet) away from trails, roads, archeological sites. Keep flagging, etc., to a minimum. Post a notice in the area so the public is aware an event is taking place – well before driving in and finding a tent city set up. And no damn drums.