Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

He was a former captain in the Marine Corps who at one time was stationed in 29 Palms so he was familiar with the desert environment.

https://nypost.com/2022/06/16/retired-marine-found-dead-in-death-valley-ran-out-of-gas/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kelleher-52016915

 

Scary!

Ugh, so many without the help they really needed- we really have to treat our Vets better than we have.

 

Who knows if it was related to military service. He got out in 93-94ish and seemed to be successful in his endeavors after the Corps.

 

Ah, bad assumption on my part.

Mixed thoughts though on what i’d expect from training at 29 Palms - my wife did archaeology surveys on the base during summer with a coworker crew in their 30’s and some 40’s, and the two young marines from the base that were sent to escort her crew to watch out for UXO and other hazards came with very little water or food- they pooped out and had to be brought back early. Not very well prepared for the heat at all.

 

Even on a good day with plenty of water and good diet, driving a manual after a day of crack climbing makes pushing down the clutch nearly impossible! I can't imagine mundane motor function while being compromised from dehydration and real cramping...

 

Just heard about that. A local guy to me. Another case of very poor planning and a series of mistakes. Then there they are walking in the extreme heat with no water which doesn't end well unless he or she is rescued very quickly from that situation. So sad.

 

Damn


dude. Ouch.

 

A friend recommended this book. Anyone here who’s checked it out and would suggest adding it to one’s library?

$32 A Natural History of the Mojave Desert

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Hist...1&sa-no-redirect=1&pldnSite=1#customerReviews

 

And here’s another recommendation from the same friend:

$26 The California Deserts: An Ecological Rediscovery

https://www.amazon.com/California-D...&pd_rd_r=c0f97051-5189-4d7d-ac5f-3952fbf89131

 

I couldn't believe the number of people I saw on the 190 4th of July weekend, a car every few minutes!

Even saw a couple jogging in 117-degree heat for what reason I do not know.

 

Do you feel a 4x4 Tacoma with good A/T tires and lowered tire pressure can navigate this deep sand trail? I have seen some bad stuck photos but it has always been cars/CUV's with all-seasons aired up.

 

Its not sand. It’s the nastiest silt bed I’ve ever been in. It literally ruins your truck for the rest of the trip. You will not be able to get close to your truck without getting extremely dirty for the rest of your trip. I did it in 2wd unlocked aired down on 35’s. If you decide to do it. Bring a new air filter and cabin filter. Be ready to have dust come out of your vents even after you change the filter until you can clean out the area between your windshield and the engine firewall as it will be filled with silt. As you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed it.

https://youtu.be/xIMcybKedtg

https://youtu.be/eBM44KqITaY

 

And if you have a full set of skids, I recommend NOT cleaning them on your driveway. Mine collected probably 200 lb of that silt. Took forever to wash away

 

Wow, that's nuts! Thanks for sharing, I can't believe people attempt this in normal passenger cars- obviously doesn't work out well.

 

In the Rally world, they call it fesh fesh.

 

I think the Badwater ultra run might have been going on. They run from Badwater to Whitney Portal (it used to go all the way to Mt Whitney peak til the Park Service got stupid)
Something like a 135 mile run.

 

idk. I don't think the Park Service got stupid so much as they don't allow for competitions in the park. I've also heard they don't want to be party to the potential lawsuits either.

 

The race does take place partially in the park. I think the Mt Whitney summit section, which is in National Forest, was probably dropped because of the whole wilderness permit, wag bag etc situation that was probably too hard to enforce. But that’s just a guess. I’ve been in DVNP once in summer, on a motorcycle. I may have walked 20 feet from my bike to the cashier at Stovepipe Wells to pay for gas (before pay at the pump). That was enough of a workout.

 

I've been through the park and the shoulder season on a bike and I'm just glad the range is 300 miles so I could keep going...

But the Park Service does have an aversion to dangerous events which is strange because you're allowed to climb but not hang glide or parachute/base jump/wingsuit--which happens anyway. I think that whole Badwater run thing took like 4 days to complete--Badwater to the top of Whitney. Longer for the slower peeps.

 

Well, I do think it is stupid. The race does start in a National Park, so that is not a valid reason to not have it part of another National Park.
Looks like the USFS has issues about it as well. The race did go to the top pre wag bags.
Looks like it was 7/11-13 this year and the record is sub 22 hours.
Back to real DVNP issues.