Death Valley, Jan or Feb?

Just wondering, who would be up for a weekend in Death Valley sometime between Mid-Jan and the end of Feb?

There are some great public use cabins complete with fridge, beds, furnace, etc. One of them is haunted...I have proof. Expect snow at the top of the ridge, and lots of it probably! These are pics from Nov 2004:








...it's gorgeous out there, some fun trails to explore including some hardcore stuff to keep the more experienced guys entertained! Anyone feel like a trip out there?? I haven't been out there since I sold my Montero (the brown one)!

xL8 APEKSx said:

Just wondering, who would be up for a weekend in Death Valley sometime between Mid-Jan and the end of Feb?

There are some great public use cabins complete with fridge, beds, furnace, etc. One of them is haunted...I have proof. Expect snow at the top of the ridge, and lots of it probably! These are pics from Nov 2004:

...it's gorgeous out there, some fun trails to explore including some hardcore stuff to keep the more experienced guys entertained! Anyone feel like a trip out there?? I haven't been out there since I sold my Montero (the brown one)!

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Death Valley? Cabins? Whatever happened to good ol' fashioned camping in the desert?

I'm in.......SANTA

Heck... if Santa is in...

Let's get a date... I wanna see this.

My heep is down for a while, but if you want info on the Argus, Panamints or surrounding areas I know it pretty well and will gladly chip in some destinations etc.

hmm interested in late feb

i would want to go as well, but it would need to be on my weekend off, so if it was jan it woul dnee to be like middle month, and feb near the last weekend, or i simply couldn't make it. thanks for the idea brother

peace
ted

xL8 APEKSx said:

Just wondering, who would be up for a weekend in Death Valley sometime between Mid-Jan and the end of Feb?

There are some great public use cabins complete with fridge, beds, furnace, etc. One of them is haunted...I have proof. Expect snow at the top of the ridge, and lots of it probably!

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It sounds like you're describing Briggs Cabin but, which one is haunted? I've been all through there and am curious. Are you going up Goler wash or one of the other canyons?---------Hans

Oatmeal said:

It sounds like you're describing Briggs Cabin

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Briggs Cabin.


The back yard is done up real purdy like.




Minnetta Mine Cabin.




And then there's this one, but you might not want to stay here.


I was up in Panamint Valley for Thanksgiving a few years ago.


Andy

Briggs and Stone Cabins are right next to each other...we had something freaky and inexplicable happen to us at Briggs. (cue spooky music!).

Is Goler Wash the trail that passes by Briggs? I love that nasty off-camber rock ledge on the cliff above the cabin, held together by chain link fencing. It leans you out over the 80-or-so foot drop off and I damn near pooped my pants. Then there's the wooden bridge before you drop back down into the canyon and reach the cabins, but it was rebuilt so it doesn't look sketchy anymore.

Anyway, that trail was fun! We also found one that had obviously changed drastically since our trail guide was last printed. lol. 3/4 of a mile of trail took us 12 hours of cussing, stacking and winching. I turned back, but the red Montero in the pic above made it (35, lockers, etc etc etc). It was a pretty gnarly trail!

You may have to organize the trip however, as I took a temporary job opportunity in central CA that only gives me Mon, Tues, and sometimes Wed off...from Jan 7 to April 6. So unless it was a weekday trip, I'd have to pass. I know most people actually work real jobs, so the trips are usually over a weekend. Have fun though! I'll have to organize one after I get back to SoCal for the stragglers who miss this one. hehe.

Yes this is not realy Death Valley in Panamint Valley .And the cabin's are above Ballarat in Pleasant Canyon.

xL8 APEKSx said:

.......Is Goler Wash the trail that passes by Briggs?........

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Goler wash is further up. It's pretty cool, you're in a narrow canyon that has high verticle walls, a few rocky stair steps (sometimes with water running down the center) and alot of old mining equipment scattered here and there with a couple of more (primitive) cabins along the way and there's a turn off that takes you to the Barker Ranch, where Charles Manson hid out. There's a cabin (more like a house) there that you can stay in, as well (not me though......has an uncomfortable aura about it). Further on up you climb the Mengal pass and drop into the Striped Butte Valley (you'll see how it got it's name when you see the big striped butte...duh!). There are a few more really nice cabins (houses) there, as well (one of them has a neat hill you can climb to a couple of lawn chairs that give you a really good view of the night sky above Grooms Dry Lake (Area 51) where you can watch some really weird lights in the distance) . From there you can keep going all the way to "Bad Water" at the far side of the park with more historical structures along the way.....there's one place that has several buildings and a series of swimming pools but, I can't remember what it's called. Hmmm, I might have to try and make this trip with you guys--------Hans

Oatmeal said:

Goler wash is further up. It's pretty cool, you're in a narrow canyon that has high verticle walls, a few rocky stair steps (sometimes with water running down the center) and alot of old mining equipment scattered here and there with a couple of more (primitive) cabins along the way and there's a turn off that takes you to the Barker Ranch, where Charles Manson hid out. There's a cabin (more like a house) there that you can stay in, as well (not me though......has an uncomfortable aura about it). Further on up you climb the Mengal pass and drop into the Striped Butte Valley (you'll see how it got it's name when you see the big striped butte...duh!). There are a few more really nice cabins (houses) there, as well (one of them has a neat hill you can climb to a couple of lawn chairs that give you a really good view of the night sky above Grooms Dry Lake (Area 51) where you can watch some really weird lights in the distance) . From there you can keep going all the way to "Bad Water" at the far side of the park with more historical structures along the way.....there's one place that has several buildings and a series of swimming pools but, I can't remember what it's called. Hmmm, I might have to try and make this trip with you guys--------Hans

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Hans, do you have any GPS coords of this route? The exact trip you describe sounds fun and I'd love to get a map of it! Do any popular guide books talk about the route you described? Hanging out watching the weird lights, Manson's old hideout...awesome weekend of adventure!

I'd be up for it, me thinks. I'll be more definite when there's a date set.

I so want to do DV.

I gotta look up more info on the area. Is it possible to stay in a nearby hotel and meet up for day runs?

xL8 APEKSx said:

Hans, do you have any GPS coords of this route? The exact trip you describe sounds fun and I'd love to get a map of it! Do any popular guide books talk about the route you described? Hanging out watching the weird lights, Manson's old hideout...awesome weekend of adventure!

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I don't (I'm pretty techno challenged) but, a friend of mine that is really DV savy might (he's an FJ Cruiser/Tacoma guy) however, you really don't need a GPS to find Goler Wash it's pretty well marked. If you guys get a date set, I'll see if he would be interested in coming along......he really knows the area. And yes, information should be readily available, I read about it in Roger Mitchell's "Death Valley Jeep Trails" over fifteen years ago! I'll see what I can dig up-------Hans

Here's something: http://www.totalescape.com/active/wheelz/roads/goler.html but, Google "Goler Wash" and a ton of info comes up. Man, now I'm really looking forward to this!----------Hans

88trailcrawler said:

I so want to do DV.

I gotta look up more info on the area. Is it possible to stay in a nearby hotel and meet up for day runs?

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The closest place with decent lodging would probably be Ridgecrest, Trona (where Roger Mitchell was from) is closer but, I'm not sure what kind of accommodations they have there......there's not much of anything there except Borax mining!------Hans

Oatmeal said:

.there's one place that has several buildings and a series of swimming pools but, I can't remember what it's called.

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Warm Springs, A lady ran it, headquarters to the mine just below it and the huge open pit mine farther down.

I Dig that area.
It is a blast ,with a lot of history

One time ,some friends and I were camping at Barker ranch,it was the frist time for them, So, they wanted to sleep in the cabin ( I slept outside been their done that)
Well needless to say I had to get up in the middle of the night, to relive the radiator.
I thought I should go and bang on the building. to scare the crap out of them (some friend I am??) but I remembered my friend slept with a gun.So, I blew out that joke,
To wake up the next morning,and ask them how they slept (cause they looked liked they were hungover)
Well I should say the wind was blowing pretty good that night, and the doors were moving and creaking,and the wind made the smoke stack howl all night long.
It was so funny to hear them tell how they slept with 1 eye opened all nite long.( I think they pissed themselfs LOL.
I bet ya any odds they won't sleep in there anymore.

Any how you will have a blast up goler wash it sooooooo fun even if one has been up it 100 times it's still fun!!!1