Death Valley is always full of wonderful surprises. Experienced where they are never expected, they make for memorable trips and are one of the reasons I keep going back.
This time, I was going solo; sort of. Sure, there were a couple spots - Hidden Dunes being the most prominent - that I planned to keep to myself, but I also hoped that this would be a trip of new beginnings and old friendships. See, I planned to meet - for the first time - a fellow adventurer that I'd been trying to cross paths with for the last two years, and I hoped that my last day in the park would be spent with an old buddy.
Little did I know how amazing the whole thing would turn out.
Death Valley Connections Part 1 (Jan 2020) - Prologue It was 4:04am on a Wednesday morning when I pulled out of the driveway and pointed the Tacoma south towards Death Valley. I was looking forward to the warmer weather - the forecast in the mid-70°F's - but even more than that, I was looking forward to the company.…
Exhilaration at Hidden Dunes | Death Valley Connections #2 - From the get-go, I'd known that my second day in Death Valley would be my fullest. As such, I'd done my best to set myself up for success by camping at the trailhead for my first hike of the day - though "trailhead" might be giving significantly more credit than…
Up and Down | Death Valley Connections #3 - Previously, you may recall... It was just before 1:00pm when I arrived back at the truck, and I had a decision to make: the day's plan called for another ~8.5 mile loop hike high into the Last Chance Mountains, but I wasn't sure I'd have enough time before the sun went…
Full Circle | Death Valley Connections #4 - It had been 9:00pm or so by the time I'd finally climbed up into the tent to head to bed, and I'd hoped that my second connection of the trip would show up as I slept - the plan, to spend the following day (today) together exploring a few interesting…
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