#lowtohighroute

[halfwayanywhere]

Lowest to Highest Day 2: I had a terrible night’s sleep last night; it turns out there are still plenty of insects active at night this low in the desert (I didn’t set up my shelter). . I begin the morning in the dark with already-warm temperatures. I’m not using trekking poles and so with my free hands I’ve decided to carry my water (instead of carrying it in my pack). I quickly discover that carrying a water bottle with an attached plastic handle is superior to carrying one with a paper handle attached via stickiness (I hope this description makes sense). The attached-plactic-handle bottle is also more structurally sound (this becomes important later in the day as I’m falling on my water bottle attempting to scramble up scree). . I follow a jeep road up Hanaupah Canyon until I find Hanaupah Spring. There’s a ton of water here and it’s more like a stream than a spring, but I’ll take it. There are signs warning that the water here might be contaminated from runoff from illegal cannabis grows in the area, but I’ve yet to hear from any hikers becoming sick from it. Regardless of the water’s status, I still have plenty of water from my first cache. Still, I fill up a gallon (this turns ou to be way too much) in a bottle just in case I need it. . From the spring the route cuts steeply up to a ridge as it climbs toward Telescope Peak. The climb is steep and I can’t find much in the way of use trails and so most of the climb involves trying to find the least-bad way up the mountain. Many hours of scrambling later, the sun is setting and I’ve yet to reach the top. I can still see where I began my hike last night which is a little sad, but eventually I make it to the ridge below Telescope Peak and collapse in the first sheltered campsite I find (it’s very windy). A full day hiking and just 16.72 mi / 26.91 km to show for it - this route is certainly a challenge (that said, there was 10,548 ft / 3,215 m of mostly off-trail elevation gain). . Day: West Side Road to ridge below Telescope Peak Day’s distance: 16.72 mi / 26.91 km Day’s elevation gain: 10,548 ft / 3,215 m . #LowToHighRoute #DeathValleyNationalPark

[halfwayanywhere]

Lowest to Highest Day 5: The turnoff for the alternate route through Cerro Gordo Ghost Town is just after my campsite and the morning starts with a big climb up an old mining road (and past a bunch of abandoned/destroyed mining structures). . I called ahead and spoke with the guy who looks after Cerro Gordo and he told me that there would be some water cached for me in the town. When I arrive, it’s a bit difficult to find, but I eventually find two gallons (7.57 liters) of water waiting for me. Thank you, Cerro Gordo watcher after - I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you. . After Cerro Gordo, the route rejoins the official Lowest to Highest route and follows yet another jeep road before finally getting back onto some trail. Trail that soon turns into a scree slope that I traverse across before reaching yet another jeep road. The road gains and traces the ridge atop the White Mountains overlooking Highway 395 and the Sierra to the west. There’s no snow in the Sierra (if you’re paying attention, please note that I’m not writing/posting this live), but today is the first day I’ve had any cell reception and it looks like there’s a big storm expected tomorrow. . Along the ridge I find a cabin that looks fairly well maintained with a porch that looks prime for camping on. Unfortunately, I still have more distance to cover (especially if it’s going to snow tomorrow). I reach the point in the route where I depart the jeep road and simply start walking down the mountainside toward Highway 395. There is the occasional cairn and faint hint of a trail, but as the sun sets it becomes increasingly difficult to follow the trail. This, added to the fact that my phone’s battery is dying, that my external battery pack is nearly empty, and that my headlamp is signaling that it’s running out of battery, means it’s time to camp. . I end up cowboy camping on a steep slope against a bush (to keep me from rolling down the hill during the night). My sleeping pad still has a hole and this is arguably the worst campsite I’ve ever chosen for myself. Go me. . Day: Mile 75 to Worst Campsite Ever Day’s distance: 26.03 mi / 41.89 km Day’s elevation gain: 6,509 ft / 1,984 m #LowToHighRoute

[halfwayanywhere]

Lowest to Highest Day 4: Hiking as the sun rises is my favorite. Waking up before the sun rises is the opposite of my favorite (we should have a word in English for this - “least favorite” doesn’t really cut it). . I take an alternate route via Darwin Falls today - the third natural water source of the Lowest to Highest Route (if you count all the springs in Tuber Canyon as a single source - and you manage to find them). I also see my first other person on the trail - a woman staying at Panamint Springs out for an early-morning run. I don’t know that she counts as someone else on the trail, but I’ll take it given the lack of humans (and animals in general) out here. . When I reach Darwin Falls, I am disappointed by the size of it - the photo at the trailhead made it look a lot bigger. That said, it’s still an impressive amount of water for being in literally the middle of the desert. The route apparently continues past Darwin Falls which at first looks impossible given that the falls are at the end of a canyon. However, here is where the falls being not-so-big comes in handy; there’s a not-so-difficult climb up to the left of the falls that allows you to get up further into the canyon behind it. . I continue through the canyon and after a few more scrambles and some simple but semi-exposed climbs, I’ve made it back onto a faint trail that eventually leads to another dirt road to follow. Leaving the canyon, I find China Garden Spring - home to more water (two sources in a day!) and, for some reason, a bunch of fish (goldfish?). I filled up plenty at Panamint Springs, so I don’t have to drink any poopy fish water, but I’m sure it’s delicious. . The route follows a canyon before climbing out onto the rim where I meet my first Joshua Tree (did you know "Joshua Tree" comes from Mormons?). Not long after, I reach my second third water cache crossing Highway 120. . I spend the rest of the day following dirt roads and end up camping near the turnoff for the Cerro Gordo Ghost Town alternate. Tomorrow, I hunt ghosts. . Day: Panamint Springs to Mile 75 Day’s distance: 25.51 mi / 41.05 km Day’s elevation gain: 4,253 ft / 1,296 m #LowToHighRoute #DeathValleyNationalPark