Death Valley and Various Updates

On Saturday, January 22nd, nine hikers took a day trip to Death Valley. We hiked through Golden Canyon to Zabriskie Point, one of the best easy hikes in Death Valley. This is an extremely scenic hike with great views all the way down to the desert floor. Along the way you pass Manley Beacon, a prominent highpoint composed of dirt and clay.

After the hike we drove to Badwater, the lowest point in the United States (-282 feet below sea level). Many times as I drove to Badwater it looked like there was water, but it was a mirage. However, this time there was water. It looked like an ocean!
Check out the video below.




We then drove up to Dante's Point, which towers  5,000 feet above Badwater. The panoramic views of Badwater and beyond were amazing.

Updates:

The road leading to Lovell Wash, which leads to Anniversary Narrows has been repaired. Recent rains washed the road out leaving a four foot drop! The repair was done quickly.

I was told the Rockey Gap Road will be repaired by the end of the month. Again rains made it almost impassable to virtually all vehicles.

There's still ice on some north facing routes in Red Rock. Be careful!

Magic Mtn, Anniversary Narrows Peak and More

On Thanksgiving, 10 hikers followed one of the wildest routes in Red Rock Canyon to the summit of Magic Mountain.This has been an annual Thanksgiving Day hike for the last few years. It's short enough to be back at the cars before noon. This is really a fun hike. Video of the chimney climb at the end of the blog.

On Friday, five of us hiked to Anniversary Narrows Peak in the Lake Mead area. This is one of the better hikes in the area. The rock is generally loose so caution is the name of the game when scrambling.

The blockage in the Narrows is much easier now. Small children and dogs can be lifted over the boulder. I have a photo from a few years ago. Gravel has filled in almost three feet of the bottom of the Narrows. Pretty incredible what nature can do and pretty incredible how stupid a man (boy) can be.

Notes: If anyone finds a climbing shoe in Lost Creek Canyon, please contact me.