April Fooling Around Death Valley,* sponsored by Anti-Dark

*Technically Panamint Valley, but some fools just don't know where that is.

April 1st, 2nd, & 3rd, 2016 (F, Sa, Su).

Come join the Anti-Dark team -- that's @BeeRadd and myself -- as we explore the boundary between Panamint Valley and Death Valley. We'll be basecamping at the Briggs and Stone Cabins in South Park Canyon, just a hair south of Ballarat. While there, Brad and I will be busy donating some much-needed lighting to the cabins, and installing our famous Anti-Dark Engine Lights on anyone's rig who needs one (for our TacomaWorld-only price of $70, of course).

If all this sounds like a foreign language to you, then you need to join us so you can learn a new language! Also, Google is your friend.

VERY IMPORTANT!!
4x4 and good offroad tires are mandatory. Suspension is EXTREMELY recommended, but not mandatory -- rigs without suspension MUST have an adequate recovery point both front and rear. Full skids are a good idea. If you are not 4wd, but would like to join us anyway, you can park your rig about halfway to the cabins and jump in another truck -- this would be at your own risk!
Before this year's weather, stock 4wd could make it; now it would be a challenge, but not impossible.

Some options on things to do:

• Hike the many canyons in the area, including a through-the-running-creek hike to Panamint City.
• Complete the South Park Canyon - Pleasant Canyon loop (this will require 4x4 and massive bawls......Google "Chicken Rock").
• Visit what's left of Barker Ranch, made (in)famous by Charles Manson. This will also give you the opportunity to climb Goler Wash, a geologically-spectacular 4x4 route.
• Continue further to boulder-strewn Mengel Pass and the famous Geologist's Cabin.
• Stay at the cabins, drinking in the scenery and the beer.
• Target shoot from the cabins (I will personally castrate, with a rusty spoon, anyone who leaves shooter trash behind!!).
• Hike Darwin Falls, in DVNP itself.
• Shoot the shit with Ballarat's only full-time resident, Rock.

A little about the cabins.
These are not your typical Big Bear ski cabins. These are old abandoned mining cabins that have been lovingly restored by volunteers over many years. While they may be constructed of bits and pieces of whatever materials were available or could be hauled up the canyon, they are sturdy, weather tight, *very* clean, comfortable, and full of personality.
Each cabin has:

• Clean, drinkable running water from a nearby spring.
• Water heater, stove, oven, refrigerator, and gas lamps, all powered by BYO propane.
• Wood-burning stove for heat.
• Stereo system, and inter-cabin intercoms.
• Fairly luxurious outhouse. Yes- I put "outhouse" and "luxurious" in the same sentence.
• A well-stocked kitchen with pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, cutlery and utensils, some food staples, some paper goods, and cleaning supplies.
• Bunk beds for at least four people each.
• Lots of room on outside decks.
• Fire pits, charcoal BBQs, seating, and even showers (Briggs also has an outdoor bath......ladies only, of course ).
• Briggs has a very large outdoor area complete with gardens and a horseshoe pit, as well as a decent-sized workshop.
• There is LOTS of parking, including for anyone who wants to deploy a RTT.

Oh. The one glitch. The cabins are first come, first served. Which means there's a chance someone may get there before us. I imagine if we offer to feed them well, they might accommodate us. Or if one of us wants to head up early and deploy the flags so as to claim them, that would be awesome (and may earn you some free food from Anti-Dark!).

So who all is up for a fun weekend filled with some gorgeous scenery in a remote area with some real offroading?

 

Since the entire principle behind the Adopt-A-Cabins is to leave them better -- and better-stocked -- than when we arrived, we as a group will be doing just that. As such, please bring a positive, helpful attitude.

For the cabins, each rig should bring the following items (unused leftovers will remain at the cabins, except the propane):

• One roll of toilet paper
• One roll of paper towels
• A 30# BBQ-sized propane tank
• Lantern mantels
• Matches or lighters
• Charcoal
• Newspaper
• At least one bundle of firewood (two is better)
• Small bottle of liquid dish soap
• Trash bags
• Small cans of food that you would yourself eat (no #10 cans of clam juice)

If you are familiar with the cabins and can think of specific items they might need (say, a BBQ grate, or chairs), you would certainly be a small hero. If you know of specific repairs that need to happen, discuss it here and we can see if there's any interest in adding a little work into this trip. Brad and I will be installing LED lighting in the cabins.

WE PACK OUT ALL TRASH. Also plan on picking up trash -- especially shooter trash -- left by others and taking it with you. This means plan some extra space in your truck.

Each rig should bring the following items for its own use (in addition to the obvious, like food and underwear and a camera):

• Water. Never, ever go anywhere in the desert without at least 5 extra gallons of drinking water. Never rely exclusively on known or reported springs.
• Fuel. Plan on carrying at least two 5-gallon cans. Your last gas will be in Ridgecrest or Trona......unless you want to pay $6 for gas at PSR, which often runs out anyway.
• Recovery strap. If you are on stock suspension, this is mandatory.
• An extra change of underwear if you're going over Chicken Rock. Two if you're going to try to make it all the way to Suitcase Mine. Also a crowbar to pry the seat out of your ass.
• You will be airing down. The courteous thing to do is bring your own means of airing back up. Yes, you can be That Guy who borrows everyone else's air, just make sure you bring extra beer.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Shovel.
• CB and/or 2-meter radio.

Please ensure your rig is ready for action. Don't get halfway up the trail, break something, and then explain about how you've been meaning to get to that sometime -- if you know it needs attention, take care of it before the trip. Don't be That Guy.

 

"Dude, Shane, you're killing me with this 'must be 4x4!' and 'you're going to break shit!' and 'you're all going to diiiiieeeee!!!!' How hard is this, really? And do we HAVE to go on the hard stuff? Can't we just chill at Ballarat? (And isn't Ballarat in Australia??)"

Well, first off, yes, you're all going to die. Some time. Just probably not for many, many more years.

And secondly, yes, Ballarat is in Australia. But the ghost town of Ballarat is in California. One was named after the other.

Of the entire area, South Park Canyon is perhaps the most difficult stretch of trail. But it's not insane (assuming the weather hasn't made it so). It's easier than TOTW in Moab, and that was successfully run by a 2wd 2nd Gen.
Just wait, you. I know I said 4x4 required. And I just said it's easier than a trail a 2wd ran.
TOTW is not loose and crumbly. And it has a bypass for the 2wd guys. South Park Canyon starts off climbing an alluvial fan (brush up on your geology), with some pretty gnarly switchbacks that are getting increasingly eroded. It's basically a bunch of rocks and gravel loosely held together by dust, all at an incline of at least 8%. Once we conquer the alluvial fan, it switches to a very narrow, very steep canyon with ledges and dry falls. And there are no bypasses.

No, you don't HAVE to go on the hard stuff. But if you're going to hang out with everyone at the cabins, there's really no other way.* If there are enough who would rather camp at Ballarat, or the wide spot halfway to the cabins, that's perfectly fine. But most of us are headed to the cabins.



*If you take the "normal" direction for the Pleasant Canyon - South Park Canyon loop, you can make it to the cabins a little more easily. And the way down South Park Canyon is easier than the way up. But you need to cross Chicken Rock (pucker factor 44,000), and you'll need to add a day to your time.

 

Well, crap. I needed to reserve one more space. Dammit.

I'm in! Not missing this!

Sponsor) @Mach375
Sponsor) @BeeRadd

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2) @Jetblack3s
3) @Willbeck
4) @CaliDevilDoc
5) @ryanjboutin
6) @Samaritan
7) @w3tw0rks
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We will meet up at points along the way. This will allow people coming from different directions to jump in as we pass through. This will also allow those running behind to catch up.

First Meet-Up: 08:00 Rancho Cucamonga, at the Bass Pro Shops. South side of building.
Second Meet-Up: 09:30 Top of Cajon Pass, across from the Pilot truckstop, on the south side, large dirt lot.
Third Meet-Up: 10:30-ish Kramer Junction (US-395 & CA-58). Across from the Pilot, in the parking lot between the Roadhouse restaurant and the Burger King.
Fourth Meet-Up: 11:30-ish Ridgecrest, at the WalMart. This will be an extended stop for lunch, fuel, and final supplies. Except for Trona, you'll say goodbye to civilization at this point.
Fifth and Final Meet-Up: 13:30-ish Ballarat, at the General Store. This will be a roughly 30 to 45 minute stop as we air down, grab a drink, chat with Rock, and check out the ghost town. If you don't make it by this point, you better know where the trailhead is (it's not the easiest to find). 14:30 is the absolute last possible second we roll out.

Obviously this route is for those coming from SoCal. If you are coming from elsewhere, research and adjust your times accordingly. If you think you might be running late, I highly suggest researching how to find the trailhead for South Park Canyon off Wingate Road (about 3.5 miles south of the General Store. You'll know you have the right trail if you pass by the remains of an old gate......a post on either side of the trail......about 1/4 mile after you leave Wingate Road).

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

I am an off road newb. Would it be ill-advised to cut my teeth on a trip like this?

Nope. This would be a very good starter trip. It will certainly be an intense one, as starters go. Bonus points: You get to brag that your first offroad trip was up South Park Canyon -- trust me, that will instantly put you in high regards with old hands.

Is a hitch mounted D-ring count as a rear recovery point?

Yes! In fact, that's what I had in mind when I typed that. And that's the recovery point I ran for years before getting my bumper.

I'm on 5100's w/ OME 885x and rear TSB w/ firestone riderite bags on the rear for suspension. Can that handle this trail?

Absolutely. The air bags will help if you carry lots of gear. The rest of your suspension would be fine, as well.

For armor, all I got are kick out sliders. Is that ok?

Sliders are over-rated. Rarely needed for most trails. Certainly not needed for this trail.
I typically recommend front skid be the very first armor on a truck, followed by mid and rear skids...then sliders.

I'm getting a USoffroad winch bumper soon so that will have my winch and front recovery points in the front.

No winch needed this trip. You will be glad to have the bumper, though.

What radio channels are we running?

CB will be 16, because 4x4 (see what I did there?)
2-meter will be 152.525, because look at your keypad.

What if I don't have a radio? Or a Ham license?

You're going to be missing out on a lot of fun BSing.
Just get one. Seriously.
You can pick up a good handheld Baofeng for $30 off Amazon. Add an external antenna and a 12v plug and you've got a decent in-cab 2-meter for less than $100, that's also portable.
You're clearly not aware just how simplisticly easy it is to get your Ham license. You can study for free with a variety of apps, and the test itself costs between $10 and $25. Good for 10 years. And I'm not going to get into operating illegally without a license.

 

Bump for Shane!

 

The one weekend I was hoping you would pick for this and you did just that! I'm in, Shane and I'll gladly take a vacation day from work for this one. Bringing my girl and all the supplies you mentioned. Great write up by the way. I'm game for meeting at Bass Pro, Cleghorn, or Pilot. 0900? Heck, why so late? haha. Sounds good. And, why yes - I will take one of your fine Anti-Dark setups. @Spencer , What's up? Get your ass to the dance.

Greg

 

Just curious...is target shooting legal inside DVNP?

 

Negative. If caught, firearms get confiscated and you receive a fine. Use BLM, USFS land for that.

 

I think this might be BLM land but you still can't transport firearms through the National Park.

 

The cabins are just outside the NP boundaries.
If you go to Darwin Falls, past Goler Wash, or all of the PC-SPC loop, you will be crossing the boundary. With that said, the loop skirts the boundary, and the only access is via the loop, which starts and ends outside the park -- that is to say, there is a .01% chance of coming across a ranger on the loop.

 

I only mentioned target shooting because the cabins are a VERY popular place for such.
Personally, I would be exuberant if no one brought a single firearm for the trip. I would rather have it be a firearm-free trip.
But I know I'm in the minority, and I know the cabins are very popular for shooting, so I just assume it's going to be the case. No point in fighting the inevitable.

 

The cabins are not inside the DVNP boundary, yet! One day Feinstein and Boxer may get their dream come true and close these by enveloping them inside the park boundary. Please take care of them during your visit. They are treasures and should be respected as such. It only takes one small mistake and these great places are lost and/or closed. Barker Ranch is a great example.

While I'd like to see some lighting enhancements done I'm curious if you have contacted Friends Of Briggs to see if they are ok with this as they are the primary caretakers of the cabins. I've never communicated with them but have heard sometimes it is difficult to get in contact with them.

I do believe the firearms inside a national park regulations have been changed recently. You'd have to look it up.

As far as a 2WD making it, I'm sure you could by why would you want to beat the hell out of your rig just to say you made it. This is a knarly trail. Lines and spotters for a stock 4WD is necessary. I'm certainly glad I had ATRAC to get up and over one dry fall. Without it I was just spinning wheels no matter what line I took. YMMV.

There is tons to do in western Death Valley/Panamint Valley. Have a good trip and be safe.

 

Questions:

I am an off road newb. Would it be ill-advised to cut my teeth on a trip like this?

Is a hitch mounted D-ring count as a rear recovery point?

I'm on 5100's w/ OME 885x and rear TSB w/ firestone riderite bags on the rear for suspension. Can that handle this trail?

For armor, all I got are kick out sliders. Is that ok?

I'm getting a USoffroad winch bumper soon so that will have my winch and front recovery points in the front.

 

You should be fine without a winch. Your suspension is fine too. I only have the stock thin "armor" and even though it is beat up, it still helps. Just go slow. If this group pans out you will be fine. Sliders are always a good idea.

 

Damn you Shane! Sounds like an awesome trip and I wish I could participate. Who knows? Maybe I can. I'll see what I can do.

 

Actually you can as of Feb 22, 2010. http://www.nps.gov/appa/learn/management/questions-and-answers.htm Transport and possess, according to state law, and in Cali you are good to go.

 

Man, I so wish my truck was ready to go!!! This would be perfect timing but there's no way I want to take on terrain like this without sliders! Crapola!

 

Thanks meng. I'm very interested in this trip.