TELESCOPE PEAK-DEATH VALLEY

I spent four days in Death Valley and on the last day I hiked to Telescope Peak with a few friends. Driving on the road to Mahoganny campground requires a high clearance vehicle. The weather forecast was a high of 50-degrees with wind gusts up to 45-50 mph at the summit. 

It was a beautiful, maintained trail with spectacular views. On the ascent, the wind was calm but it was very windy at the saddle and after the last two miles of the switchbacks which was the toughest part of the trail.

This was a training hike for Whitney. (I got my permit and am looking forward to a successful summit in September.) So, I was very proud of myself for not getting elevation sickness. This was my highest elevation hike of the year so far. 

Anyways, the summit views were breathtaking. I found two benchmarks and there was a register. We sat behind a rock wall and ate lunch. In my opinion, the wind chill was tolerable at the summit.

We hung out for almost an hour at the peak but later regretted it. As we descended the peak, the winds really picked up. I was freezing. The wind was so strong, and I felt as if it might knock me down. Even though I was prepared for the cold weather, it wasn't enough. We tried our best to hurry back but it was a long way to our cars and the wind never stopped.

Our plans to bag Bennet or Rogers peak on the return quickly came to a halt due to the freezing cold wind. Anyways, I really enjoyed hiking to Telescope but next time I'll wait for better weather conditions.

Stats: 16 miles, 3300' gain

                       

WILDROSE PEAK-DEATH VALLEY

I spent four days in Death Valley. On day two we hiked to Wildrose Peak which stands tall at 9,064 feet. This was a beautifully maintained trail but it was a tough 4.2 miles one way. The trail has a few areas where you can soak in the views of the entire valley below. The weather was nice, a little chilly at the summit but we had spectacular views of the snow-capped Eastern Sierras.

The trail head is also known for its Charcoal Kilns. They were all neatly spaced in a linear path along the parking area. 

A bit of history: they were built in 1877 and produced charcoal. Workers filled the stone kilns with pinon pine logs and fired them. Burning reduced wood charcoal took 6-8 days and cooling took 5 days. Wagons then hauled charcoal to the furnace smelter where it was burned to extract silver and lead.

The kilns were pretty cool. We went inside to look around and they make a good place for shelter. 

Stats: 9 miles, 2200' gain