Almost Stranded - Death Valley (Mar 2022)

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For the last four months, my sole destination has been Death Valley. This would be my sixth trip to the National Park, and with temperatures warming up elsewhere, likely the last visit of the season.

I couldn't wait. Ever since December, when I'd ventured up Pleasant Canyon and South Park on the Back for More trip with my buddies Mike @Digiratus, Zane @Speedytech7, and Monte @Blackdawg, I'd been trying to get back. I'd planned an entire trip around that loop in early January, but snow levels turned out to be low at the time, and we were forced to change our plans at the last moment - not that exploring a series of talc mines at the southern end of the park was any sort of travesty!

Still, the draw of spending a couple days wandering through the Panamints, following side roads, and exploring the mines more fully continued to simmer in the back of my mind. And so, for the third time, we set out to finish what we'd started. A trip up South Park Canyon - driving the narrows, navigating Chicken Rock, exploring the old Honolulu Tunnel and the Big Horn Workings of the Thorndike Mine, and checking out Briggs Camp along the way. Then, down through Pleasant Canyon and its maze of side roads leading to the remains and workings of the World Beater, Ratcliff Mine, Porter, and Cooper mines.

Alas, the third time isn't always the charm. Quite the contrary - we were Almost Stranded!

 

...For the next 300 yards [the road] squeezes down to a single lane blasted into the rock wall 150 feet above the wash, too narrow to turn around. This may well be the hairiest spot in all of the Panamints. If you slip off the road, it will take nothing short of an Army helicopter to haul out your wreckage.

In November 2002, a long section of the cliff-hugging road just above the bridge collapsed, leaving only 3 to 4 feet of roadway and making the road undrivable. The road has been cleared since then, but it may happen again. If you have passengers, let them out at each rough spot. They can guide you from outside, and in case of an accident fewer people will get injured....

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After a Day of Fun; Disaster! - Stranded #1​

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Keep reading the rest here
After a Day of Fun; Disaster! - Stranded #1​

 

Ah yes, I'm familiar with that narrow shelf road out of Panamint. Views at the top are fantastic, but it is indeed edging into sketchy to cross there, especially with our wider rigs. We did it in our new 2 door Bronco with a LT Taco and LT FJC following behind, I drove it then spotted the other rigs. Often a tire was less than a foot from the drop off. Not for the inexperienced

 

Yeah, the key - as you know - is to get the inside wheel up on the ledge, which feels wrong to most because it puts you off-camber and it seems like you should try to stay off that ledge.

When did you guys visit - the Bronco means that it must have been relatively recently?

 

Theres kind of a little notch in the ledge- tire goes there! LOL. Have to stay high up, but I've seen people in similar situations afraid of an edge or an off camber and compensate too much leading to added lean that just makes things feel even more uncomfortable.
We spent a long weekend down there for Presidents day weekend in Feb. Best weather i've encountered on a DV trip, we've done trips in Feb the last 3 years in a row and late January a few years prior was our first time down there on which it rained the entire 4 days until the final night at the Saline Warm springs camp. Starting to learn the lay of the land and find some of the cooler/more secluded areas off the beaten path which is nice for the peace and quiet. Next I'll have to find some of the fantastic hikes in the canyons like you do regularly.

 

...The first order of business, then, was to take the weight off of the leaf pack by using the hi-lift to raise the rear end of the truck just enough to slide the old bolt out and a new one - pillaged from another location - into position. Naturally, I forgot to photograph this at all.

Then, I realized, the next most important thing was to keep the axle in position relative to the rest of the frame and driveline. This I did with a ratchet strap - one end looped through the hanger at the front of the leaf pack, the other looped around the rear axle housing. Snugged up as tight as I could get it, I hoped that it would hold long enough to get us down the mountain and to a place where we could call a flat bed tow truck, or even better, get ourselves - slowly - to a location where I could rent a trailer to haul the Tacoma home....

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A Stressful Day in Pleasant Canyon - Stranded #2​

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Keep reading the rest here
A Stressful Day in Pleasant Canyon - Stranded #2​