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About this event
Mahogany Flat Hike Fest and Car Camp
Halloween Weekend (optional 3-day) in Death Valley including a Ghost Town!
October 29-November 1, 2010
A new UberAdventure from Klaus Gerhart!
Trip Fee: $45 .. includes 4 days and 3 nights of camping and welcome tea!
Howdy folks!
This 3-day weekend car camp is all about solitude, exploration, bagging a peak and some strenuous hiking! Join me on Halloween Weekend for a car camp at Death Valley’s Mahogany Flat Campground (or Thorndike or Wildrose if Mahogany Flat is full or unreachable, or if we have lots of peeps!)
Our Campsite
At 8,133’, Mahogany Flat is located on the crest of the Panamint Range up Wildrose Canyon. It has 10 sites and there is no water (tho water is available at Wildrose Campground at the base of the mountain). Overflow camping will be a little ways down the mountain at Thorndike which has 6 sites with no water. (Accessing Mahogany Flat or Thorndike Campgrounds in a standard automobile is not recommended due to the rutted, rocky, steep, switchback dirt road!) RV’s and low clearance vehicles that can’t make it up the mountain should camp at Wildrose Campground which has 23 sites and water. All 3 campgrounds have tables, firepits and nicely maintained pit toilets. There is no fuel or telephone anywhere close, so come very well prepared. (Those with high-clearance or 4-wheel drive vehicles will have to shuttle people from the other campsite to the Telescope Peak trailhead on Saturday morning, and we’ll have to figure out what to do for the ‘tea’ and the potluck.)
The Hiking
Saturday: Telescope Peak (11,049’) is the highest point in Death Valley NP. The peak is so named because ‘you could see no further with a telescope.’ From Telescope Peak you can see the lowest point in the western hemisphere, Badwater (-282’), and on a clear day, the highest point in the contiguous 48, Mt Whitney (14,505’). The trail starts at Mahogany Flat campground. Distance is 7ish miles one-way. Grade is steep for the last mile of ascent. So, the round-trip mileage is around 14 miles with an accumulated elevation gain of +3,254’. (If the trailhead is unreachable by car, we’ll park at the Charcoal Kilns parking area and follow the road on foot, adding 1+ miles each way and more than a thousand feet of gain!) 16mi, 4254’ gain, Very Strenuous.
Sunday: The difficult 14 mile rt hike up Surprise Canyon to the infamous ghost town of Panamint City follows a year-round canyon stream through a lengthy, dramatic canyon. Contemporary mining activity mingles with the historic in this remote Panamint Mountain location. 14mi, 3440’ gain, strenuous.
Mosaic Canyon is aptly named for the colorful polished rock lining its narrow slots. Millennia of rainfall and floods sculpted this unique geologic amalgam, resulting in an uncommonly colorful and polished finish. Some portions are so tight that people barely fit through them. Requires some scrambling. 4mi, 814’ gain, Easy.
Darwin Falls is a delightful moist microclimate with multitiered, idyllic waterfalls, tucked away in a constricted, scenic, overgrown canyon. This is a locale that few would imagine exists in Death Valley NP. 3mi, moderate gain, easy to lower falls; strenuous to overlook (tho AWESOME!)
Itinerary
Friday: Arrive anytime (earlier the better to secure Mahogany Flat Campsites!)
2:00pm Mosaic Canyon Hike(?) Explore for those arriving early
6:00pm Welcome Tea at Mahogany Flat host campsite (?)
(dinner on your own)
8:00pm Campfire at Mahogany Flat host campsite (?)
Saturday:
7:00am Breakfast on your own (Figure out shuttle to trailhead!)
8:00am Start Telescope Peak hike (bring lunch)
4:00-5:00pm return from hike
6:00pm Potluck at Mahogany Flat host campsite (?)
8:00pm Campfire at Mahogany Flat host campsite
Sunday:
8:00am Breakfast on your own
9:00am Drive to the Wicht Camp (trailhead)
9:30am Panamint City hike (13 mi! .. bring lunch)
3:00-4:00pm return from hike
(some will head home now)
6:00pm Drive to Furnace Creek for Dinner (and shower if available)
9:00pm Campfire or Games or Crash!
Monday:
9:00am Breakfast on your own and break camp
10:30am Drive to explore Darwin Falls on way out of park
1:00pm Head home
Carpooling
Campsites hold 2 cars maximum; 3-4 tents each. Dirt road requires a high-clearance or 4-wheel drive vehicle. I’ll facilitate carpool assignments (2-3/car).
Tips
This is a National Park .. while we won’t be driving through a checkpoint, don’t be surprised to have to pay an Entrance Fee or show your annual National Parks Pass.
Average Temperatures in Oct/Nov 76-92 highs; 62-48 Lows. (it'll be cool/cold and windy in the evening!)
That’s a huge variation in possible temperatures; bring a huge variation in layers to wear!
There are no showers or running water at camp .. so plan on driving for more than an hour and paying for a shower or bring a solar camp shower and enough water to fill it.
Bring 3 liters of water for each day of hiking. Bring enough water to cook and clean utensils with.
Gas Up at Trona, I think it’s the last gas you’ll see till Furnace Creek or Panamint Springs.
Bring some cash for dinner at Furnace Creek (it ain’t cheap!)
Bring one bundle of firewood per person
Bring one potluck item per person which will serve 4-6 people, and serving utensil for it.
Bring Cup/Bowl/Plate/Knife/Fork/Spoon/Napkin etc etc
Trail Shoes/Boots, Daypack, Hydration Bladder, Sun Protection, Warm Layer, Dry Socks, Headlamp, TP, Snacks, Bug Spray, etc will make your hike more comfortable and safe.
I’ll be supplying some snacks and sodas for Tea, feel free to bring wine or beer.
Considering how much time we’ll be spending away from camp, it’s not reasonable to bring pets.
If we encounter excessive snow on any hike, we’ll turn around and pick hikes in the valley.
The Nitty Gritty
This trip is being offered to Gay Outdoors members, Great Outdoors members and my personal list of awesome outdoors buddies. Just because there are no sign-ups on the site, doesn't mean no one is signed-up!
Registration, Waiver and Payment are due before the trip. If you have questions, e-mail me, contact me through Gay Outdoors or sign-up for the trip and I'll contact YOU.
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