Death Valley : day 3
This post is part 3 of the "dv-2009-09" series:
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Unlike the stifling heat at Emigrant, it actually got chilly (58F) overnight at Wildrose. We woke at sunrise, and headed a few miles up the road to the Wildrose Peak trailhead (which is just behind the charcoal kilns). The trail up to the summit of Wildrose Peak is basically the baby brother to the Telescope Peak trail. Its a bit shorter, a bit less strenuous, and a bit closer to civilization. The first few miles are mostly up hilll, passing pinion pine and juniper trees, with the occasional beaver-tail cactus clusters. Next it becomes considerably more rocky, dry and sun exposed, with eventually glimpses down into Death Valley, and the ranges to the east. After crossing a relatively flat saddle, it begins a much more steep climb, with some lazy U shaped switchbacks, towards the Wildrose Peak summit. There are far fewer pinion trees available for shade, but the views make it worth it. At this point, the trail grew even more steep, and we entered a series of true switchbacks. We slogged onward for a while, however we had been hiking for over 4 hours at this point, and the summit still seemed to be quite distant (even though it was less 2 miles away). I think the combination of the lack of good sleep over the past 2 nights, the increasing temperature, badly blistered feet, and the relatively high altitude (we were around 9500ft) took their toll, and I just didn't have the energy to forge onward. While I was a bit disappointed, I think it would have been a mistake to have pushed to the summit with the day half over. We didn't see any other people on the way up, and just 3 on the way down. By the time we got to the car at 2pm, it was 98F, and I was absolutely exhausted. David spent a few minutes exploring the charcoal kilns, and then we drove back down to the campsite.
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Additional pictures are posted here
If I had any regrets from this trip, it was a huge underestimation of the impact of the heat on our ability to hike. While I was always adequately supplied for the temperatures, they completely drained my energy, and made any efforts painful. I think the only way that I'd consider going back to Death Valley in the summer again was if I was going to spend all of the time at much higher elevations (perhaps in Eureka, Hidden, or Butte Valleys)
This post is part 3 of the "dv-2009-09" series: