Who knew that as soon as I got out of the desert, I made the decision to go back into the desert. Not just any kind of desert, the hottest area of the United States, Death Valley National Park. This turned out to be one of the most memorable memory of the entire PCT so I am super excited to share with you. Here we go, let’s talk about the action packed adventures of Death Valley.
Why did I go to Death Valley? Because we showed up to Lone Pine and was ready to leave when we looked at the weather report and saw how much snow and storm the Sierras was getting over the weekend. As much as I love a good type II fun once a while, I would love to be on top of Whitney with a view and not freezing everyday.
So I walked through this plan of going to death valley with Carmen and after some convincing, she was in. So we booked our car and ride to ridgecrest and the trip is on! That night, we bumped into a hiker named Lost and casually mentioned our plan. Next thing you know, we have a third to our awesome road trip.
Randsburg
The trip started with a drive to a ghost town called Randsburg. Driving into this town made me think I was walking into the world of a Fallout game. The shops had old bottles and jars, the general store covered with old posters, signs and had a soda machine over 100 years old.
The town was buzzing from the activities of a poker run, where people with ATVs and dune buggies run around the desert looking for poker cards to bring back the best hand. We explored around and settled in a old fashioned saloon for some refreshments and pool. There goes our afternoon then, shooting pool and chatting with the locals, enjoying the simplicity of a traveller without a rush in the world.
Trona Pinnacles
The sun was getting low before we set off again, waving good bye to the little town. The next stop I was really looking forward to, the Trona Pinnacles.
The area used to be an ocean and when that was gone, all was left was pinnacles of minerals and salt, forming these out of this world landscape that makes you think you are on mars.
To get there, we took our minivan out on this bumpy dirt road, inching slowly to the pinnacles. The anticipation was ever building up to be unbearable. Finally, we came upon and gazed at the giant forest of pillars.
After some exploring around, we decided to spend the night.
Since we decided to buy a bunch of hot dogs but none of us thought, maybe we should get some wood. We decided to ask the couple camping in their trailer beside us with a fire already going. They were nice enough to let us use their fire to cook the hot dogs. We spent the evening eating, chatting and playing around with my camera, taking night shots of the dark sky.
Lost is on Instagram with an interesting flair. He likes to lay down like he passed out in front of big landmarks and it’s hilarious. I think it’s because of the contrast against the triumphant and inspiring photos you typically see. I have been a huge fan of his stuff since the beginning of the PCT so of course I want to be a part of this. So this is the result. Follow him on Instagram at @lostuphigh
Lost and Carmen slept in the Minivan and I cowboy camped by the Van to block out this wind. Luckily, Lost woke up to pee at 4 am, waking me in the process. Looking up at the sky, I got up with my camera and walked to the Pinnacles for more night shots. What I came up with are absolutely stunning, like we stepped onto an alien planet to gaze at the night sky.
I swear most of my amazing shots involve having to pee or someone having to pee.
Exploring Abandoned Mines
The next morning we drove off to explore more ghost towns and abandoned mines. We took our vehicle down a dirt road near the small town of Darwen and looked out for interesting spots where tunnels were dug out. After much searching and dead ends, we finally found one that was open so we put on our headlamps and went in for a look. It was such a thrill checking out the abandoned mine and all the history around and within. We saw crude wooden structures, rusted cans and metal equipments. At the same time it was horrifying, being in the ancient and dark place, especially when a bat came out of a hole on the wall and flew past us.
Beauty of Death Valley
Funny when the objective is to go see death valley but it took us a day and a half before we actually made it inside the park. Once we got to looking around, the park is nothing like I have imagined. I thought the park was going to be like the desert we always experienced, barren and the same type of views through out. But was I ever so wrong.
The Sand Dunes of Death Valley
Pictures a giant who journeyed with a bucket of fine sand and then decided he doesn’t want it anymore so he dumped it out on the dirt and left it for the humans to find. As silly as that metaphor is, it is what I imagined. This sand dune is only about 2-3 miles across, surrounded by landscape of shrubs, rocks and mountains. Being in the sand dunes was like being teleported to the Sahara but instead of a vast expense, you can see the end of this sand dunes and the mountains beyond every direction you look.
This was one of the coolest things I have experienced. Sinking in with every step on the climb up the steep sandy slopes then running and sliding down them. This was my first experience of real desert. Of course, the scenary are beyond incredible as well. The wind carving smooth curves on the ever shifting sand.
Photos by @lostuphigh
We had so much fun modeling and capturing powerful images with the sun, sand and the howling wind. A photo in these dunes just make you feel like a powerful warrior and brave adventurer.
Devil’s golf course
Another one of the highlights we almost missed out on. I convinced my friends to pull off to a side road on the promise of a short drive. The devil’s golf course is a rock field made of salt deposits forming sharp jagged rocks, there’s even a sign saying, falling will cause bleeding and broken bones and I believe them. We walked carefully into the rock field, marveling at the strange look and touch to them. Another place that’s just so out of this world.
Photo by @lostuphigh
Lowest point of the United Stats – Badwater Basin
Next comes Badwater Basin, a salt flat that also marks the lowest point of the Continental US, at 282 feet below sea level. If you walk out about two miles, you get away from the crowd and come to the untouched features of the salt flats. This is where the fun begins. We fooled around in every manner, horrible pretend fights, running actions shots and playing with prospectives.
Artist Drive
Last stop was an incredible drive through colorful mountains where the minerals formed layers of purple, blue and pink shades. It’s called Artist drive because at one point of the drive, the mountains are so colorful that it looks like a artist’s palette. Of course, we weren’t going to be happy with just a drive so we got out of our cars and explored the pallet. As you walk, New perspectives kept popping out at us, many sights of new colors and patterns.
That concluded the long weekend of adventures!
We were super happy and totally spoiled by the luxury of a car and the freedom to explore. It was great to feel like a tourist and to be able to appreciate one of the most beautiful and unique places in the US, a place I might’ve never gone to otherwise.
The Pacific Crest Trail is all about a big adventure, the willingness to seek out beautiful places and the ability to let go of worries, be flexible and explore.
