Death Valley : day 2
This post is part 2 of the "dv-2009-09" series:
::: {style="text-align: center;"}
:::
We awoke at sunrise, with the temperature at 81F. We packed up and drove out to the Fall Canyon trailhead (which is at the exit from Titus Canyon).
::: {style="text-align: center;"}
:::
The hike to the entrance of the canyon was a bit longer than I expected (alot of climbing in and out of washes), and there were a few points where it wasn't entirely clear where the trail went. The actual entrance to the canyon is a huge, wide wash, with a massive number of rocks, boulders and dead plants strewn from the last flash flood runoff. Since it was still very early in the day, much of the canyon was still obscured from direct sunlight, and was a reasonably (around 90F) comfortable hiking temperature. The floor of the canyon was always full of gravel and rocks, which made for some strenuous walking. The canyon itself zigzags quite a bit for the first mile before starting to narrow with some beautiful patterns on the walls. After almost 2.5 hours, the canyon widened considerably, and was heating up with direct sunlight. We decided to turn back at this point, rather than slog on through the heat. Not too long later, I almost stomped on a collared lizard. What was surprising was how docile it was as we checked it out from numerous angles, and less than 2ft away. I got some great pictures, and David was thrilled. The remainder of the hike back was uneventful, and by the time we reached the car it was well above 100F.
We spent the rest of the afternoon driving out to Wildrose campground and getting setup. After dinner we relaxed watching the sunset, followed by several bats fluttering around and the stars coming out.
This post is part 2 of the "dv-2009-09" series: