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Archive 2015 · Badwater, Death Valley

  
 
andrew perkins
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Badwater, Death Valley


Hi all and happy new year!!!

Last week I finally had the pleasure of visiting Death Valley for the first time and now I'm hooked on it and will head back in a couple weeks. Think I'm going to make it a point to visit monthly (well, maybe aside from the summer months!). There is just so much to explore, it really is unbelievable. The reason for this post is regarding Badwater Basin. I was a bit surprised and disappointed to find the salt flats looked like a war zone. In a way, it was awesome as it looked much darker and moodier than I was expecting, but at the same time I really wanted to see some of those awesome patterns! The photo below is an unedited shot of what I was surrounded by (can't wait to process this one).



Starting about 1.5 hours before sunrise, I parked at the Badwater lot and pretty much walked straight out projecting west from the main path. As far as I could tell, it was essentially much the same conditions as far west as I could see - so I saw no purpose in walking any further. On leaving, it looked like the areas further north and south appeared much drier and lighter in color. Those areas actually looked like white, dried salt. We had to check out that morning so I didn't have time to go and check things out. Below is a rough idea of what I found, the red dot is about where I shot the photo above.



I want to try either the area to the north or south next time, but I'm wondering in which direction I might have a better chance of seeing some cleaner patterns. Or am I way off? Things also looked quite dry way further north. For any of you who have experience with the area and want to share, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance!



Jan 02, 2015 at 02:01 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Badwater, Death Valley


Not everyone understands that the salt flats are a truly dynamic landscape. At one end of the spectrum we have those times when the area is underwater. At the other end are times when the playa hasn't flooded recently, and when the forces of drying salt, heat and cold, and wind and sand storms have had their effects on the landscape.

It is more about when you go than about going to any specific spot on the flats. If you want white and "perfect" polygons, you need to return at a time just long enough after a soaking cycle has gone far enough through the drying and polygon-formation forming cycle.

Since you are planning to go back often — excellent idea! — you'll eventually figure this stuff out as you see the place over time and as you explore more.

Dan



Jan 02, 2015 at 03:54 PM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Badwater, Death Valley


The salt pan of DV is surprisingly complex. Beneath the thin layer of seasonal brine lays a variety of exotic evaporites. The salt textures at any location will be influenced by this foundation to some degree.

Here's a very good book you might want to buy.

https://books.google.com/books?id=rD5zh9zfI38C&lpg=PP1&pg=PA36#v=onepage&q&f=false

I don't know that precise salt-pan 'forecasts' are practical, at least for someone not living or working in the area. Since exploring is at least half the fun, I'd suggest you just tromp out from a few locations N and S of Badwater, and maybe try the western shore if West Side Road is passable.

Just wait 'till you discover some of the neat canyons! If you're staying at Furnace, you might start with Gower Gulch. As with most northern Black Mountain canyons, it's colorful, rugged, yet reasonably easy to reach and hike. If it doesn't hook you...



Jan 02, 2015 at 04:26 PM
andrew perkins
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Badwater, Death Valley


Thank you Dan and Greg!

Dan, my first thought when I saw the flats were they must have got hit by the rains from a few weeks ago. The base was dark and dried salt was scarce. I have to assume some of our storms in Southern California ended up there. I definitely see what you're saying about timing and the cycles.

Thanks Greg, I'm going to start reading thru that book. I will try heading north of Badwater my next stop in. Man, I truly had no idea there were so many interesting features in the park and how each area really is worthy of exploring. And I've driven by it some 20 times driving to Vegas We didn't even have time to check out the canyons but I will get there!



Jan 02, 2015 at 05:19 PM
DougVaughn
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Badwater, Death Valley


I haven't been to Death Valley since getting more serious about my photography a few years ago, so I've never had a camera there. I'm on a waiting list for a workshop there the first week of February and crossing my fingers I get in. If not, I may still go and explore on my own, but I will be completely guessing on the best locations.


Jan 03, 2015 at 10:07 PM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Badwater, Death Valley


DougVaughn wrote:
I haven't been to Death Valley since getting more serious about my photography a few years ago, so I've never had a camera there. I'm on a waiting list for a workshop there the first week of February and crossing my fingers I get in. If not, I may still go and explore on my own, but I will be completely guessing on the best locations.


Don't worry about the 'best' locations. (Not to say you shouldn't see it, but does the world really need yet another Zabriskie Sunrise shot?) Schedule 2 or 3 days so you have time to immerse yourself in the vastness. (Given the distances involved, just getting from A to B takes time.) Get a good guide book, read up, and pick a few places that sound interesting. (Follow your Bliss, and all that! Personally, I find the exploratory approach vastly more fun than trudging along with a bleeping workshop mob.) The Digonnet hiking book is, IMO, one of the better guides to the area. Google Earth is also a decent research tool; enable the photo layer to see what others find interesting...

Edited on Jan 04, 2015 at 04:05 PM · View previous versions



Jan 04, 2015 at 02:51 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Badwater, Death Valley


^^^

Plus one!

DEVA is a great place for simply exploring, with lots of potential for getting off the beaten track and discovering things. Especially if you are in a position to go back frequently, follow your eyes and your heart there.



Jan 04, 2015 at 09:46 AM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Badwater, Death Valley


Doug, if you're completely at sea, just search for DV photo guides. There are plenty on line, the vast majority of which depict the standard 'best' places.

http://oldtrailmaster.wordpress.com/photo-guide/
http://macdanzigphotography.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/death-valley-national-park-a-photography-guide/
etc.

Or buy a dedicated book:
http://www.amazon.com/Death-Valley-Photographers-Guide-Suzio/dp/0984641505

The DV Visitors' Center has a good selection of reading material. May as well buy there and support the park.



Jan 04, 2015 at 04:05 PM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Badwater, Death Valley


Andrew, the summer months can be survived, and even enjoyed, if you head for high ground. The Panamint Mountains south of 190 offer several interesting destinations and campgrounds that are a mile, even two, above the baking salt flats below.

If the road is passable, Mahogany Flat campground makes a nice base for hiking Rogers and Telescope peak. There are picturesque Bristlecone Pine trees, wildflowers, and other worthy subjects. Nearby are the charcoal kilns, Skidoo, Aguereberry Point, and more. The western segment of Wildrose-Emigrant Rd is rugged and picturesque.

Descend in the pre-dawn hours to hike the Stovepipe Dunes, or even explore a canyon or two if the moon is bright. Sunrise in the Red Pass area, along Titus Canyon Road, can be lovely. Etc.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/maps.htm



Jan 04, 2015 at 04:41 PM
JimFox
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Badwater, Death Valley


gdanmitchell wrote:
^^^

Plus one!

DEVA is a great place for simply exploring, with lots of potential for getting off the beaten track and discovering things. Especially if you are in a position to go back frequently, follow your eyes and your heart there.


Just be careful. While DV is a fun place to explore, it can also be a very dangerous place with people dying evey year out there while simply hiking... So if you do not have experience there, please do your research, and definitely stop at the Visitor Center and discuss your plans with them. Be sure to be knowledgable in desert survival techniques also.

Please do not take the danger any wilderness area can bring lightly. In today's magic DSLR world we have so many city folk hiking off Into the wilderness totally oblivious to the danger. They saw a great shot from photographer "X" and assume since he did, that they can too. Never taking into account photographer "X"s prior wilderness experience. Between TV and movies, the wilderness all sea like one big playground. It's not... It's filled with danger, and the reports of deaths and tales of very close calls are abundant.

So let's be careful before we send are fellow photographers off exploring without also giving them warnings of the dangers...

Jim



Jan 04, 2015 at 09:22 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Badwater, Death Valley


...let's be careful before we send are fellow photographers off exploring without also giving them warnings of the dangers...

Well, yes, but...

While there are dangers in any natural area (bears in some parks, high water in some, rockslides, bad cafeteria food, overpriced tourist concessions... ;-), and the risks should not be ignored, we don't need to hype the experience up into a death-defying act of danger or heroism. :-)

Regarding Death Valley, a few decent generalizations:

- Most people will enjoy the cooler half of the year a lot more than the hotter half. If you don't know what you are doing in the desert and you do go in the hot season, stick to the well-traveled areas. While you'll read stories of folks doing all sorts of crazy things "out there" in the summer heat, be aware that some of them are just "telling stories."

- During the hot season (which I think of as extending from some time in April on into the beginning part of November in Death Valley), there are real risks if you get stranded, get hurt, or run out of water. While the risks are a lot smaller along the main roads (where some one will come along soon), venturing out on backroads increases the risks considerably. Depending upon where you go, you may not encounter another traveler for some time, so you must be prepared to function on your own in an emergency. (It can be safer to travel in groups.)

- There are a lot of back roads in Death Valley NP that can take you into virtual wilderness, many hours from civilization. The conditions of these roads can vary from quite decent to abominable — and the conditions can change in response to weather and washouts and so on. If you have not traveled into such areas before, start with a nice short drive on a good road where others travel — perhaps one of the short spur roads off the main highway in the Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, Badwater vicinity. Save the big, long, back-country travels for a future time when you have proven to yourself that you are competent in such places.

- It is true... always carry water and food and other necessities. Almost everyone I know has a story from early in their DEVA adventures about being less than careful about this and regretting it.

- Consider carefully your driving experience and the vehicle you are using before heading off into the most remote and difficult areas. There are roads that are just barely possible to drive in suburban vehicles — and I see terrified people driving them from time to time — where doing so is pushing your luck.

- When you hear about (and see) some yahoos driving at 50 mph on gravel backroads, don't model your own driving on that! If you want to bust an axle, loose a tire, spin out into the desert, roll your car... that is a great way to get there quicker! Most experienced drivers take it relatively slow and easy in this terrain.

- Concerning the cool season... First of all, it can get hot even during the supposedly cool period. I've experienced mid-90 temperatures in the first half of April. (In fact, my own personal "wish I had more water" story comes from an early April hike many years ago.) Secondly, the travel situation can be a bit less reliable, since snow blocks some high areas and some roads can be temporarily closed. Third — and perhaps most surprising — it can be extremely cold in parts of the park in the winter... to the point that the cold can become a danger if you are not prepared for it.

Death Valley is a beautiful and astonishing place of huge spaces and deep quiet, and it grows on you more and more as you come back many times. If you are making a quick, one-time visit, head for the deservedly popular spots that are easily accessible. If you are fortunate enough to be able to develop a relationship with the place over time, take it slowly, savor the experience, and learn the ways of the desert as you do so.

Good luck!

Dan



Jan 05, 2015 at 11:37 AM
JimFox
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Badwater, Death Valley


gdanmitchell wrote:
Well, yes, but...

While there are dangers in any natural area (bears in some parks, high water in some, rockslides, bad cafeteria food, overpriced tourist concessions... ;-), and the risks should not be ignored, we don't need to hype the experience up into a death-defying act of danger or heroism. :-)

Dan


Dan,

I don't recall hyping the experience into a death-defying act of danger... All I did was to remind everyone that some wisdom should be used by people here giving advice here. To blindly just encourage someone to "go out and explore" is not wise advice in a wilderness location. Caution should be given, as there are real dangers no matter what time of year one goes.

Perhaps if we didn't have so many people trying to impress others with their supposed knowledge, more sane advice would be given. It can be quite odd to see people act like they are experts on locations they have only visited themselves once or twice at best.

Jim



Jan 05, 2015 at 02:47 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Badwater, Death Valley


JimFox wrote:
Dan,

I don't recall hyping the experience into a death-defying act of danger... All I did was to remind everyone that some wisdom should be used by people here giving advice here. To blindly just encourage someone to "go out and explore" is not wise advice in a wilderness location. Caution should be given, as there are real dangers no matter what time of year one goes.

Perhaps if we didn't have so many people trying to impress others with their supposed knowledge, more sane advice would be given. It can be quite odd to see people act like they are experts
...Show more

Always good to be cautious about information from suspect sources, and my use of the terms "death-defying act of danger" was intentional hyperbole and obviously not quoting anything from your post. You will also note that I included some important warnings and so forth as the main point of my post.

For the record, while there are folks whose knowledge of DEVA is greater than mine, I do have a great deal of experience in the park, having visited once or twice annually on photographic and other visits for the past 15+ years. Anyone who stays at Stovepipe Wells will be sleeping in a room with a couple of my photographs of the park. (Not my best work, but that's what they chose.) And a popular guidebook sold in the park features on of my photographs of Mesquite Dunes on the cover and includes more from other areas of the park inside. (The book also features beautiful work by a range of other photographers.)

I've seen my share of problems in the park. Some are, in fact, caused when people get themselves stuck in places they weren't quite ready for — usually simply costing them a ton of money, causing some discomfort, and burdening others with helping them out... and rarely leading to something worse. So care, of the sort I described in my message, is warranted.

A more visible and, in some ways, more pervasive problem in the park (and other parks) comes from folks who don't respect the landscape whose austere beauty drew them there. One reason that I seldom mention specific places, especially odd little out of the way spots, is that while there are plenty of well-known places worth visiting, some of these would be ruined by too many of the wrong kind of visitors.

For people like our OP, who does apparently have the time and the inclination to discover the park more thoroughly, I always encourage embarking on a process of discovery. Among other things, this allows people to have an experience that I so greatly cherish, namely coming to know the park in my own particular and personal way over time. For such folks, I also encourage them to start with the easier to access and popular places, to do a lot of reading, to speak to park rangers and others who know more about the park, and to gradually and thoughtfully expand the sphere of their knowledge and experience.

Happy shooting!

Dan

Edited on Jan 07, 2015 at 03:09 PM · View previous versions



Jan 05, 2015 at 03:21 PM
DougVaughn
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Badwater, Death Valley


Thanks guys. I wasn't about to head off into the deep wilderness alone. I haven't been there in the winter but spent a week there in the summer three straight years, which gave me an appreciation for how HOT hot can be.

I used to work for Hi-Tec Sports (hiking boots) quite a few years ago, and we sponsored the "Badwater 146" race where participants (crazy if you ask me) ran from Badwater to the top of Whitney in July. I volunteered as support staff for the race those three years, shuttling water, ice, and whatever else back and forth across the miles of desert. Such an interesting place.

Thanks for the recommendations on guide books!



Jan 05, 2015 at 03:25 PM
Greg Campbell
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Badwater, Death Valley


Didn't they discontinue the Badwater race a few years back due to NPS liability worries or some such nonsense?


Jan 05, 2015 at 03:53 PM
andrew perkins
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Badwater, Death Valley


haha good lord, a race in Death Valley in the middle of summer? I walked about 5 miles in the dunes in 40 to 50 degree weather, a mile or two of that prior to sunrise, and couldn't believe how incredibly dry it was.

Thanks for the input guys. Hopefully most of us understand our individual limits and plan enough in advance to avoid getting into big trouble. I can see it's definitely important to bring a level of respect to this park.

Hmmm now to decide on my next sunrise/sunset locations. Mesquite Dunes, Cottonball, Badwater but can only choose two... decisions decisions



Jan 05, 2015 at 05:01 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Badwater, Death Valley


DougVaughn wrote:
we sponsored the "Badwater 146" race where participants (crazy if you ask me) ran from Badwater to the top of Whitney in July.


I've been too both places, and have driven between Badwater and the Whitney trailhead, but I can barely imagine that race. Though I do have a friend who could do it. ;-)

Good luck with your further DEVA adventures. Perhaps we'll run into one another there sometime. I'll likely be there a couple times in the next couple of months.

Dan



Jan 05, 2015 at 05:38 PM





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