Diet Taco... trying to keep things light

Great idea Ken! I'm a nerd when it comes to flashlights. It think you and I can agree that it's more about having the right amount of useable light rather than the brightest. One of my favorite lights to use is a small, no-name, 3-button cell light that I found in a small plastic bin by the register of a hardware store. It's about half the size of a standard chapstick tube and has an opaque white diffuser cap and carabiner attached. It's the perfect amount of light to use in my tent at night without blinding myself if I need to look for something in the dark. I've camped far too many times with people that have no "light discipline" and want to show you how bright their flashlight is only to ruin your ability to enjoy the night sky.

 

Indeed! I usually keep a very low light camp. Not only is it good for being able to enjoy the stars but if your eyes are mostly dark adapted you don't even need a light to walk around if there is any moonlight at all. I went to the trouble of setting up the lights in my Flip-Pac to be switchable between dim red and bright white but in the end I've almost never switched them to bright white. The dim red is plenty and a little bit of "task lighting" when needed from a headlamp works great. Originally I was thinking about external camp lights but after three years I can't think of a time I would have used them!

That's a great idea. I usually have head lamps that by default come on with a dim red that can be switched to white if needed. But I generally don't have them on my head the whole time and really a small task light hanging around my neck or looped through a button hole would be even more useful. Hmmm... I'll have to look into that. Thanks!

Yeah, some camps can literally be seen for miles. And OMG the bugs they attract!

A few weekends ago we had a 1st grade camping trip with my daughter out here in MD. (For the record "camping" in MD is a pointless endeavor in my opinion but it was fun for the kids). A bunch of parents had given kids headlamps. That was hell.

Well this is all reminding me that I've been meaning to write up some other camping lights stuff...

 

Headlamps are great with red light. It's mostly what I use when out and about. What kills me is when people don't realize that you should point them towards the ground if you're going to talk to people rather than shine a bright light in their face. What I tend to remind people of when choosing camp lights or even aux truck lighting is, "what do you need it for?" I don't have high dollar lights on my truck with a 5 thousand mile throw and bazillion lumens because light that far out just isn't useful to me. Trophy trucks and all out race trucks actually need that much light because at the speeds they travel, obstacles close the distance quite rapidly. I can see out to 100 to maybe 200 yards with my lights and those are the obstacles that I need to be aware of at night if at all. Same goes for camp lights. I don't need 100 yard lights at camp, just something so I can see what my hands are doing. I have since removed some of my aux lighting on the truck based on what I actually use or need.

Speaking of a small camp light that gives off useable diffused light, I have one of these on my pup's leash for night walks but also considered getting more in varying colors for camp. Might be useful to you:
https://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-Spo...UTF8&qid=1537914664&sr=8-3&keywords=nite+eyes

Secondly, in my search for a solution for broad light at camp, I though of a solution just haven rigged it up yet. This would be useful when camping in a larger group and camp is more spread out for night time cooking/cleaning duties, but even that that's a rare occasion for me. I was going to rig a small light or lantern to a expandable paint pole or something similar. This can be mounted to a bumper or roof rack when setting up for the evening and as night comes you turn on the light and hoist it up as far as it will go. That'll give a large radius of light but also keep the bugs up and away form camp and your food. Good enough idea, but nothing that I've found necessary as of yet.

 

I still remember the amber lamp you have in back from our Mojave trip. At first I had no clue what it was for but when the dust started to get kicked up I fully understood. I could see your light but not your truck.

Those small niteize are really cool.

The idea of a light raised up high is also a good one. A friend described exactly the same thing a couple years ago and it makes good sense.

 

Yeah, we're at the stage where we introduced flashlights and headlamps to the toddlers, which mostly ends in the parents screaming in agony ARRRGH MY EYES! DON'T LOOK AT ME!

But the next step is discipline. Red lenses. And also just learning to use ambient light. I remember as a kid, and as an "older kid" (ahem) priding ourselves in moving about at night with no light in the hills (and other places). In fact, I came to the point of being able to move around my entire home in darkness and being able to find anything I need like that. Wife and kid changed that a bit...but still, I make an effort.

Last time we were camping I realized I had the wrong headlamp, the one without the red mode, which was at home on my bench.

Also got my new Leer cap with LED bars front and back. They are on a single switch, and too bright, so I'll need to change that to independent switching front and back, and change the actual light fixtures to dual mode red or white as time allows.

The downside of today's lighting options.

















AND DON'T FORGET A HEATER!

 

Dust lights are priceless when at speed and in caravan. I’ve since moved to just one light but it does it’s job. I usually give the car in front of me a lot of room but if the wind changes direction and the dust moves, things could go badly for everyone.

 

That's a really good idea, as you say for a larger group or area.

I did that a lot, especially when still living solo. Though one time I did step on and get stung by a scorpion while doing "night maneuvers" like that... I switched to very low intensity LED or EL lighting that raked the floor so I could see if there were any creepy crawlies around (they'd cast very long shadows if I put the lights practically right on the floor, usually underneath furniture so I wouldn't end up directly seeing the emitter). These days my feet are more likely to be taken out by a stray Lego.

I'd never heard of or seen "dust lights" before. Totally makes sense for caravan travel though. Learn something new everyday, thanks!

 

The key to dust lights is amber light. It cuts right through the dust far better than white lights or even the red of your brake lights. Invaluable in a group but seldom used elsewhere.

 

The higher the better.

 

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Well looks like it is going to be interesting times for my trip starting Monday! I had been considering either Grand Staircase Escalante or northwest Death Valley. Looks like Death Valley is going to be the winner. Hope to spend almost the entire time up along White Top Mountain Road doing hikes in the area. Had originally planned to do back in April but that trip didn't happen. Forecast is extremely uncertain on the track for the most moisture but hopefully it stays mostly to the south east as predicted in the figure above. On the plus side unseasonably cool temperatures, on the down side probably pretty windy. And of course some of the roads could disappear...

 

Oooff. Yeah, keeping to the NW sector looks like a good plan.

But should provide some nice dramatic sky photo ops....

 

Hope to see some awesome photography...read a report you're in the Cottonwoods and significant wx was sighted in Saline moving east.

 

These rumors one hears on the internet!

Anyway, does this count? Good enough for a trip report teaser photo I think...

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Wonderful stuff!

 

Groovy, baby. Keep em coming.

 

Hidden Valley, DVNP - Day 1
October 2018

Finally the desert camping season is opening! For this trip I planned on exploring the area around Hidden Valley in northwest Death Valley National Park. If the temperatures were on the high side I'd head up White Top Mountain Road to gain elevation into the western Cottonwood Mountains. If the temps were on the low side I'd explore Lost Burro Gap, Hidden Valley and Ulida Flat which run north to south just west of the Cottonwoods and still at a comfortable 5,000 foot elevation for this time of year.

As my trip began the remnants of a hurricane were sweeping south of the area with the potential for significant precipitation. Just after that a low pressure system was coming from the Pacific and could upset things more! So I planned to be flexible and just see what would come.

I flew into Vegas late on Sunday and hoped to get an early start on Monday. Alas things went a bit slowly Monday morning with work interfering by phone and email but finally I was headed out of Vegas by 11AM. Originally I planned to enter the backcountry from Ubehebe Crater but on a whim I decided to drain more of the old gas in the tank from storage by driving to Panamint Springs before filling up and entering via Saline Valley Road.

I had thought about eating a late lunch at Panamint Springs but oh my goodness was the place completely overrun with two huge tour buses in the parking lot. They now have a giant tent setup with endless tables under it to handle the crowds. I guess I'm happy the place is doing good business but I decided to eat a snack up at Father Crowley Point in peace and quiet instead. Well relative peace and quiet since Father Crowley Point overlooks "Star Wars Canyon" (actually Rainbow Canyon). Always worth hanging out for a bit to see what flies by. Or rather what flies below. I was too lazy to get out a camera but my phone was handy...

Panamint Valley Bird Watching
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So far there was no rain and the weather forecast had changed midday with greatly reduced probabilities and quantities of precipitation forecast for the area. There was however plenty of wind and quite a few clouds. The cloud line was mostly ending right over the Panamints which was potentially going to setup a great sunset with clear skies to the west to provide nice illumination of the storm clouds.

Crossing Lee Flat I paused to check out a composition I've been waiting years to shoot but it still didn't seem like the right time as the wind was just punishing making it impossible to keep a twilight shot steady. Besides which I was worried a storm could dump a lot of rain on Hunter Mountain making it impassible. While there though I did notice a C-17 make an impressive dive into Panamint Valley in the distance.

Continuing on I reached North Pass which hosts perhaps my favorite view of Panamint Valley. I've taken a number of shots from here and none have completely satisfied. The wind was absolutely screaming through the pass so this was not going to be a good time to setup a twilight shot and I was still in a hurry to get over Hunter. Nonetheless the afternoon light was raking the valley nicely and the clouds were to die for. With plenty of wind and no precipitation yet there was a fair bit of haze in the air compromising the view. So I took out my IR converted camera which cuts nicely through haze and often does interesting things to clouds.

Panamint Valley Vista
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This worked out very nicely and I think I finally have this particular viewpoint "bagged" as it were! The rest of the trip over Hunter was uneventful but beautiful with raking late afternoon light and clouds throwing patchy shadows over the landscape. I made good time through the valleys on the other side in a rush to try to setup a twilight shot of Hidden Valley with the storm clouds behind it. I got there just barely in time huffing and puffing to get to the summit of a low peak a few minutes before sunset. Things went just as I had hoped with the high sweeping cirrus leading the storms catching pink light while the lower clouds in shadow turned a steel blue.

Hidden Valley Sunset
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I stayed on the peak a bit too long and made a stumbling descent in deep twilight. Given the predictions of strong winds and potential rain through the night I left the Flip-Pac closed and slept diagonally on the raised floor. I made a neat discovery that if I set both Action Packers on the tailgate they are the perfect height that the door can close right above them! If I wanted to grab food all I had to do was open the rear door, pop the lid off and grab what I needed.

So far the skies had been remarkably agreeable and my luck continued as unexpectedly a huge clear window of sky opened above me so I could enjoy some moon free binocular stargazing. I'm always stunned by what simple binoculars can do in a deep dark sky. I was more tired than hungry and had a small snack instead of dinner. I finally dozed off very happy with my first day and still wondering what exactly the weather and myself would do the next day.

 

Hidden Valley, DVNP - Day 2
October 2018

Tuesday dawned with unsettled weather. It had not rained at all during the night but there were fast moving clouds everywhere and the crest of the Cottonwoods was completely obscured. The forecast was uncertain with a good chance for rain or thunderstorms during the day but the temperatures were quite nice for hiking. I decided to hike from Lost Burro Gap up to Lost Burro Peak and then descend through Lost Burro Mine and return the to truck by walking down the roads back to the gap. This route gets a couple of paragraphs mention in Digonnet's book. I planned to take my time but figured I'd still have the afternoon to do something else since it was only about six miles and 1,600 feet for the loop.

Lost Burro Gap is the narrow wash the road from Teakettle Junction passes through on the way to Hidden Valley and eventually up Hunter Mountain. It is a beautiful spot with awesome slanting strata on both sides of the road. A small canyon exits the gap to the south and I've always stopped here to take the very short walk to see its impressive dry fall and numerous tiny holes and windows in the canyon walls.

Canyon Mouth in Lost Burro Gap
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I started into the canyon just a little bit after 9AM packing a bit over 1.75L of water, snacks and a lunch since I expected to take my time. The sky was mostly cloudy with small blue patches appearing here and there. Previously I'd only ever gone in far enough to see the 25 ft dry fall which quickly blocks the way. I'd never bothered to bypass the fall and see what lies above but today not only would I do that but continue all the way up to the head of the canyon and then up a ridge to Lost Burro Peak. In no time at all I hit the first fall.

Dry Fall
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Indications were that a bypass to the left side of the canyon would get around the fall without too much trouble. I think the easiest grade would be to go back to the mouth and start up the ridge to the left (east) but being a bit lazy I climbed up a slanting slab just a little ways below the 25 ft fall right above a 6 ft fall that proceeds it. This rock was really sharp which was good for traction but not so great for the hands! Being out of shape and the slope being steep I didn't rush it but still made it up the mixture of slab and talus to a point where a rather short descent brought me back to the canyon floor. From there a short but beautiful slot led after a few turns back to the top of the fall.

Lost Burro Slot
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I wasted some time here taking pictures and enjoying the shady confines of the canyon. Digonnet makes little mention of the rest of the canyon other than to say it widens at one point and eventually a "short steep" climb takes you to the ridge below the peak. His trail guides are usually exceptionally detailed but this route was just a passing suggestion at the end of his section on the Lost Burro Mine. Turns out there were some details left out but likely on purpose as these kinds of routes he usually leaves to the reader to explore on their own...

The first check was a 12 foot dry fall but there was a very easy class 4 climb immediately to the left. A bit further on another 12-15 foot dry fall blocked the way. While polished smooth there were some large gaps at reasonable spacing to act as foot holds. To the right however was what appeared to be an easier class 4 climb which I opted for. Indeed it was quite straightforward except that at the top I discovered I'd need to make an awkward move with my feet to step onto the lip of the fall. Instead I opted to basically flop on my stomach into the top of the chute and drag my legs up. I felt like a seal hauling out on an ice flow. Ugly, but it worked. I don't think I'd attempt to downclimb this fall but there was clearly a reasonable bypass on the left (east) side of the canyon should I need to double back. Climbing the fall was just a short cut.

Soon after the canyon did open up into a wide wash with Joshua trees above the banks. The walking was easy but I was happy to be doing it on a cool day with patchy clouds. Eventually the wash narrowed again and steepened. Digonnet mentions exiting to the ridge where the wash makes a pronounced U bend which he shows on his map. The same bend was on my topo and the canyon really seemed to be ending but the GPS showed me not to this bend yet...

Eventually I came to a huge 80 ft or taller dry fall with a large alcove at its base. No mention of this fairly significant obstacle in the book. I stopped to have a snack and a drink while I considered what to do. The fall was in many stages with the lower portion potentially bypassed in a steep crevice to the left. The upper portion though appeared to have an overhang at the lip though perhaps with a class 4 route to the side. It look very intimidating. Potential wider bypasses to the sides didn't look particularly inviting either. I explored climbing in the crevice to the left but quickly decided that was not a good option. Besides which I couldn't see above the top of this fall and had no idea what lay above it. There was a good chance I could get trapped between falls.

So I started to try a bypass to the left. Well this really sucked. It was extremely steep and the rock quite crumbly on the ridges and the talus in the chutes sliding. I started my bypass just a few hundred feet down canyon from the fall but it isn't clear to me starting further down canyon would help much either. You basically have to trade crappy ridge climbing for crappy talus scrambling. Most of it was just the annoying kind of suck and there was only one point I considered scary. I had to choose between a more challenging climb with less exposure and a more trivial climb with more exposure. I chose the later because it was so short but in the process discovered the rock was much more crumbly than I expected and the talus right above it very prone to sliding. It all took less than 30 seconds but I finished it shaking a bit and thinking what a stupid thing it was to have done while solo.

Above that point more crappy talus and eventually a descent of maybe 50 feet back into the canyon floor. It was extremely exhausting as I'm not in great shape compared to my younger days when I hiked all the time. Curious I walked back down canyon a bit to discover another 20 ft completely impassible dry fall lives just above the huge one I saw from below. Indeed had I even managed to get above the 80 ft fall I would have been trapped there.

Shortly past this point the U bend appeared and I scrambled up to the ridge. More talus but far more tame than the bypass had been. The wind was screaming through the saddle at the top and I trudged on higher to reach the peak. Exhausted I was rewarded with quite the view.

View west from Lost Burro Peak
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The eastern and southern sides drop shear into Hidden Valley and the canyon of Lost Burro Mine. It is hard to get a 360 degree view from one spot but the above photo shows about 270. To the far left is Racetrack Playa with the Nelson Range and Inyo Ranges rising in the background from south to north. In the middle foreground is Teakettle Junction with the Last Chance Range rising behind it. The western edge of Saline Valley can be seen peeking from behind the crests. The bajada rising from Teakettle to the north is bounded by the Last Chance Range and the northern extreme of the Cottonwoods - the road to Ubehebe Crater runs up this slope. The whole scene was constantly changing as the fast moving patchy clouds cast ever shifting shadows across the landscape. It was a delightful lunch spot on the lee side of the peak out of the wind.

This place appears rarely visited. The peak log had three parties from the past spring but then nothing until 2015. The log placed in the middle 1990's had less than forty entries. Three of those were from the same guy who seems to keep coming back! Finally fed, watered and feeling a bit recovered from the nasty last parts of the canyon below I continued on my way. The plan was to follow the ridge line to the southwest hitting two more peaks along the way before descending to Lost Burro Mine. Before descending to the saddle I checked out the extreme south of this peak which ends at a precipitous drop into the canyon where the Lost Burro Mine sits. The clouds were just doing amazing things to the sky and the land today.

Lost Burro Mine from Lost Burro Peak
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Down to the saddle and then following sheep trails up the gentle slope to the next peak - more of a high point on a ridge than a true peak really. The whole time the views in every direction were incredibly dynamic as peaks and playas were alternatively cast in deep shadow or blinding light. I was quite tired as the canyon and bypasses had taken way longer than I expected and I had decided to not rush things and take my time. It was already almost 3PM in the afternoon but who could rush the walk along this amazing ridge in some of the rarest light you'll ever find in a desert? Too fatigued to keep taking the camera out I eventually just started using my phone, but it did an admirable job all the same.

Windy Ridge
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More threatening weather started to build to the south of Hunter Mountain and over the Nelson Range. Eventually I could see sheets of rain coming down behind Ubehebe Peak in the southern end of Saline Valley. I made the third peak overlooking Racetrack Playa now quite worn out and buffeted by strong winds. I took shelter behind a small ridge and had another snack. Checking my water it was getting quite low given the whole hike had been much more exhausting than expected but it was all downhill from here over familiar terrain and most of the way along roads.

Given the worsening weather and low water I decided I did need to finally descend away from this amazing ridge. On the way down I could hear thunder rumbling from the storm behind Ubehebe. The clouds, the light and the land continued to put on a show and I had to concentrate on keeping my eyes on my feet during the descent and to stop taking out the phone so often to take pictures. I was now under some thick dark clouds making it seem much later than the 3:30PM it was. In the distance bright afternoon light was lighting up clouds and other parts of the desert.

Storm clouds bring evening light early
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I was glad I was familiar with the Lost Burro Mine workings as it is a little confusing to thread the various paths to make it off the ridge most efficiently. As I neared the cabin spots of rain started to fall. I sat on the front step and cleaned out my shoes and socks and took a well earned rest. I was really worn out. I had forgotten just what a true cross country desert peak climb can be like despite the relatively low miles and elevation change viewed on paper. Fortunately all that was left was a bit less than three miles downhill on dirt roads.

The rain disappeared in a few minutes having barely gotten anything even damp. I was down to a few swigs of water and figured it was really time to get back to the truck. Despite being fatigued the walk down the roads was positively delightful. The wind was not too bad, just enough to keep me nice and cool but not enough to blow off my hat. The clouds and ridges provided shade nearly the whole way. As the road began its slow turn into the gap I could see that some serious weather had developed further north. The tops of thunderheads poked up over the ridge ahead of me.

Storms to the north
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Finally a bit before 5PM the truck came into view and my "half day" hike had come to an end. I finished the hike with zero water which is not the way to finish a hike. I had poorly estimated the time and effort involved. I recalled making a similar error over 15 years ago and I guess I needed another reminder to plan more conservatively. I was fortunate it had been a very pleasant day as far as temperatures and humidity went.

The forecast was now for a dry but windy evening and so I headed to what I hoped was a sheltered site between Hidden Valley and Ulida Flat where I could put up the Flip Pac and have more room to spread out. It was a pretty quick drive and after opening up the Flip Pac I collapsed for a half an hour or so. Sunset be damned, I was tired and had enough nice photos for a day. I eventually got hungry and had hot dogs for dinner before finally going to bed early. It had been an awesome if exhausting day.

 

You did nail it. That is a beautiful photo of Panamint Valley.

 

What a great adventure. There is something about being alone in the desert that most people do not comprehend.

 

Great photos and write up. I'm so out of tune with my surroundings, I didn't learn of the hurricane that was affecting my weather until I read about it in your thread. ROFL!