BigJ
FRF Addict
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2010
- Posts
- 5,448
- Reaction score
- 1,560
Alrighty guys, its time to plan the next DV trip! The last one (aka the first one) was a great time, and you can read all about it here: http://www.svtoffroad.com/f30/death-valley-oct-21-23-2011-trip-report-awesome-4577/
(in Titus canyon; don't they look like toys?)
This time we're looking at around 325 miles off road spread over 3 days and 2 nights of Raptor friendly fun. This is definitely a trip both beginner 4x4ers and experts alike can enjoy. The idea here is to get out and away for a weekend, see some stunning stuff and enjoy the heck out of your daily driver 4x4.
***DISCLAIMER TIME: Without getting into a huge legal ass-covering diatribe, the bottom line here is I'm going on this trip on these dates at these times. If you want to meet up and head out in the same direction at the same time, great! But if you do, you understand that you are 100% responsible for yourself and your truck. This is not an "official" SVTO event and I am no pro nor am I a guide. If you do this you are 100% responsible for any/all damage or injury as a result. If you're looking for a professionally guided tour, this IS NOT the trip for you. Instead, look up the Outlaw Raptor guys and one of their incredible Raptor Runs. If you reply to this thread and/or meet us out there, you are "signing" on the X, agreeing to these terms and accepting full responsibility for yourself, all those with you, and all your gear. Ok? Ok! (hooray gold digging lawyers!).***
Route:
Click this --> DV 111125-27 - Google Maps
The yellow pins show locations along our path. The first number is the day, and the second number is the part on that day's path. So for example, yellow pin 2.10 shows that we'll be at Scotty's Castle on day 2, at part 10 along our route that day.
The green pins are POIs along the way, in plain text. If your GPS supports it, download the KML and import it so you have those points. They should help add to the enjoyment since they'll provide a bit of history or info for that spot.
Download this route's GPX/KML it to your GPS. Print it out and bring a copy. Email it to your family and friends so they know where you are and where you're supposed to be. Print it out and give them a hard copy. Get your own map(s) and bring them with you. Basically do what you need to do so you can know where you are at any given time, how to get to safety should the need arise, and others can know where to look for you should you not show up back home when expected. Don't depend on anyone else in the group, or technology. Be prepared to rely on yourself out there, and have your friends on notice to send the helicopters if you don't check in on time.
Who's going:
If you want to come, please reply to this thread with the following info: how many people you're bringing, how many tent spots you'll need and what 4x4 you'll be driving. THIS IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. Spots may be limited (see below) so if you want in, say so now.
1 - BigJ & JoyJoy in our Raptor for all 3 days, 1 tent spot
2 - lvdesertdawg for Saturday only in his Raptor, 0 tent spots (meet in Rhyolite)
3 - bstoner59 for all 3 days in his Raptor, 1 tent spot
4 - OUTCAST + 1 for all 3 days in his Raptor, 1 tent spot
5 - MagicMtnDan + 1 for all 3 days in his Raptor, 1 tent spot
6 - MMD's daughter + 1 for all 3 days in their Ford 4x4, 1 tent spot
7 - MarkT for Saturday only in his Raptor, 0 tent spots (meet in Rhyolite)
8 - ??
Day 1:
I'll head out from Denny's in Ridgecrest, CA 8am on Friday morning. I will be in the parking lot starting 730am. Anyone who's joining for all three days will need to meet there around 730am for a M&G and radio check. We will hit the trail no later than 8am, so don't be late!
We'll enjoy around 100miles of sightseeing that has us cross paths with the ghost town of Ballarat, what's left of Barker Ranch (the spot where Charles Manson was finally caught), Stella's Cabin in Butte Valley, the world "famous", "clothing optional" Warm Springs, Devil's Golf Course flats and more.
As of right now, Furnace Creek Campground is booked full! There is no room for us. So as you can see on the map, I'm planning to head into the "Eye of the Needle" / Echo Canyon area (point 1.12) and seek out a campsite there somewhere. This will be primative camping at its best; no running water, no toilet, barely cleared spots for tents... I plan to bring a shovel to scrape some ground for my tent (only ground previously disturbed of course), and to use a fire pit already built by someone else. Plan to do the same, or make other arrangement's. Furnace Creek is close by and has a couple other lodging choices, and the FC Campground does offer day-of walkups, but we may not get into camp early enough to try. If you do plan to stay somewhere else, we'll make plans before splitting up for the night for meeting up in Furnace Creek the next morning.
If anyone has a better campsite/spot idea for tonite, please offer it up!
Day 2:
Furnace Creek is easily accessible and provides a great spot to join up if you can only make it out for Saturday and Sunday. I plan to be in front of the Furnace Creek Campground around 830am, so that's where to meet if you're coming in that morning, or staying elsewhere in town. Please let me know beforehand though, so we know to stop and look for you. If you don't, we're not going to stop and you'll get left behind!
Today has us traveling roughly 130miles over which we'll see the ghost town of Rhyolite, travel thru Titus Canyon, hit Scotty's Castle, Ubehehe Crater and the Racetrack Playa. We'll finish the day and settle down for the night at Homestake Camp. This is another primitive, first come first served campsite however it does have spots enough to support probably 10 tents already cleared. It also has 3 firepits already set up, and a chemical toilet (which you'll want to stay wayfaraway from
)
Day 3:
We've got around 60miles to go before hitting pavement today at the intersection of Saline Valley Rd and HWY 190 (point 3.10). Last time we broke camp around 830 and hit 190 at around 1230. We'll travel thru Hidden Valley, over Hunter Mountain, Panamint Valley and the south end of Saline Valley over that time. This is definitely a sightseeing highlight of the trip. Once we hit HWY 190, we'll stop and air back up and say our goodbyes!
What to bring:
You MUST bring an FRS radio capable of channels in the 12-22 range. If you don't have a radio, ask here and maybe someone can bring one for you. I consider this an essential piece of safety gear, and you should too.
I strongly suggest you also carry a first aid kit, extra fuel (10 gals+), plenty of water (10 gals), basic recovery gear (gloves, shovel, straps, winch/power puller & accessories) firewood for 2x nights campsite, and various other camping related stuffs (shelter, sleeping bag, cooking stuffs, food for 3+ days etc). Don't forget that full sized shovel since we may need reclear our camp some. I suggest packing cold weather gear as well as your shorts and sunscreen since temps can vary dramatically out there this time of year; figure high 20s low 30s at night, and mid 70s+ in the day. Oh and don't forget your camera and binoculars too if you've got 'em.
Got questions about what to bring? By all means ask them here!
Etiquette:
I aint here to tell you how to behave or treat others out in the wild. But if we're going to do this together as a group, there's pretty much one rule that we all must agree to follow: you are responsible for the guy behind you. If we're "commuting" between points, and you lose track of him or her in your rearview, you screwed up. Don't let that happen. But if by some act of God you do, stop and wait for them. If everyone up the line follows this rule, no one will get left behind since the guy ahead of him will always be there.
And when it comes to camp, many of us do this stuff to get out and away from city noise. So we tend to be respectful of the quiet and calm camping out in a place like this invites. Its never been a problem, but keep the noise down; no blasting radios, no loud DVD players for the kids, no crazy barking dogs... just sayin.
What else:
What'd I miss?
So... ya in???
(in Titus canyon; don't they look like toys?)
This time we're looking at around 325 miles off road spread over 3 days and 2 nights of Raptor friendly fun. This is definitely a trip both beginner 4x4ers and experts alike can enjoy. The idea here is to get out and away for a weekend, see some stunning stuff and enjoy the heck out of your daily driver 4x4.
***DISCLAIMER TIME: Without getting into a huge legal ass-covering diatribe, the bottom line here is I'm going on this trip on these dates at these times. If you want to meet up and head out in the same direction at the same time, great! But if you do, you understand that you are 100% responsible for yourself and your truck. This is not an "official" SVTO event and I am no pro nor am I a guide. If you do this you are 100% responsible for any/all damage or injury as a result. If you're looking for a professionally guided tour, this IS NOT the trip for you. Instead, look up the Outlaw Raptor guys and one of their incredible Raptor Runs. If you reply to this thread and/or meet us out there, you are "signing" on the X, agreeing to these terms and accepting full responsibility for yourself, all those with you, and all your gear. Ok? Ok! (hooray gold digging lawyers!).***
Route:
Click this --> DV 111125-27 - Google Maps
The yellow pins show locations along our path. The first number is the day, and the second number is the part on that day's path. So for example, yellow pin 2.10 shows that we'll be at Scotty's Castle on day 2, at part 10 along our route that day.
The green pins are POIs along the way, in plain text. If your GPS supports it, download the KML and import it so you have those points. They should help add to the enjoyment since they'll provide a bit of history or info for that spot.
Download this route's GPX/KML it to your GPS. Print it out and bring a copy. Email it to your family and friends so they know where you are and where you're supposed to be. Print it out and give them a hard copy. Get your own map(s) and bring them with you. Basically do what you need to do so you can know where you are at any given time, how to get to safety should the need arise, and others can know where to look for you should you not show up back home when expected. Don't depend on anyone else in the group, or technology. Be prepared to rely on yourself out there, and have your friends on notice to send the helicopters if you don't check in on time.
Who's going:
If you want to come, please reply to this thread with the following info: how many people you're bringing, how many tent spots you'll need and what 4x4 you'll be driving. THIS IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. Spots may be limited (see below) so if you want in, say so now.
1 - BigJ & JoyJoy in our Raptor for all 3 days, 1 tent spot
2 - lvdesertdawg for Saturday only in his Raptor, 0 tent spots (meet in Rhyolite)
3 - bstoner59 for all 3 days in his Raptor, 1 tent spot
4 - OUTCAST + 1 for all 3 days in his Raptor, 1 tent spot
5 - MagicMtnDan + 1 for all 3 days in his Raptor, 1 tent spot
6 - MMD's daughter + 1 for all 3 days in their Ford 4x4, 1 tent spot
7 - MarkT for Saturday only in his Raptor, 0 tent spots (meet in Rhyolite)
8 - ??
Day 1:
I'll head out from Denny's in Ridgecrest, CA 8am on Friday morning. I will be in the parking lot starting 730am. Anyone who's joining for all three days will need to meet there around 730am for a M&G and radio check. We will hit the trail no later than 8am, so don't be late!
We'll enjoy around 100miles of sightseeing that has us cross paths with the ghost town of Ballarat, what's left of Barker Ranch (the spot where Charles Manson was finally caught), Stella's Cabin in Butte Valley, the world "famous", "clothing optional" Warm Springs, Devil's Golf Course flats and more.
As of right now, Furnace Creek Campground is booked full! There is no room for us. So as you can see on the map, I'm planning to head into the "Eye of the Needle" / Echo Canyon area (point 1.12) and seek out a campsite there somewhere. This will be primative camping at its best; no running water, no toilet, barely cleared spots for tents... I plan to bring a shovel to scrape some ground for my tent (only ground previously disturbed of course), and to use a fire pit already built by someone else. Plan to do the same, or make other arrangement's. Furnace Creek is close by and has a couple other lodging choices, and the FC Campground does offer day-of walkups, but we may not get into camp early enough to try. If you do plan to stay somewhere else, we'll make plans before splitting up for the night for meeting up in Furnace Creek the next morning.
If anyone has a better campsite/spot idea for tonite, please offer it up!
Day 2:
Furnace Creek is easily accessible and provides a great spot to join up if you can only make it out for Saturday and Sunday. I plan to be in front of the Furnace Creek Campground around 830am, so that's where to meet if you're coming in that morning, or staying elsewhere in town. Please let me know beforehand though, so we know to stop and look for you. If you don't, we're not going to stop and you'll get left behind!
Today has us traveling roughly 130miles over which we'll see the ghost town of Rhyolite, travel thru Titus Canyon, hit Scotty's Castle, Ubehehe Crater and the Racetrack Playa. We'll finish the day and settle down for the night at Homestake Camp. This is another primitive, first come first served campsite however it does have spots enough to support probably 10 tents already cleared. It also has 3 firepits already set up, and a chemical toilet (which you'll want to stay wayfaraway from
)Day 3:
We've got around 60miles to go before hitting pavement today at the intersection of Saline Valley Rd and HWY 190 (point 3.10). Last time we broke camp around 830 and hit 190 at around 1230. We'll travel thru Hidden Valley, over Hunter Mountain, Panamint Valley and the south end of Saline Valley over that time. This is definitely a sightseeing highlight of the trip. Once we hit HWY 190, we'll stop and air back up and say our goodbyes!
What to bring:
You MUST bring an FRS radio capable of channels in the 12-22 range. If you don't have a radio, ask here and maybe someone can bring one for you. I consider this an essential piece of safety gear, and you should too.
I strongly suggest you also carry a first aid kit, extra fuel (10 gals+), plenty of water (10 gals), basic recovery gear (gloves, shovel, straps, winch/power puller & accessories) firewood for 2x nights campsite, and various other camping related stuffs (shelter, sleeping bag, cooking stuffs, food for 3+ days etc). Don't forget that full sized shovel since we may need reclear our camp some. I suggest packing cold weather gear as well as your shorts and sunscreen since temps can vary dramatically out there this time of year; figure high 20s low 30s at night, and mid 70s+ in the day. Oh and don't forget your camera and binoculars too if you've got 'em.
Got questions about what to bring? By all means ask them here!
Etiquette:
I aint here to tell you how to behave or treat others out in the wild. But if we're going to do this together as a group, there's pretty much one rule that we all must agree to follow: you are responsible for the guy behind you. If we're "commuting" between points, and you lose track of him or her in your rearview, you screwed up. Don't let that happen. But if by some act of God you do, stop and wait for them. If everyone up the line follows this rule, no one will get left behind since the guy ahead of him will always be there.
And when it comes to camp, many of us do this stuff to get out and away from city noise. So we tend to be respectful of the quiet and calm camping out in a place like this invites. Its never been a problem, but keep the noise down; no blasting radios, no loud DVD players for the kids, no crazy barking dogs... just sayin.
What else:
What'd I miss?
So... ya in???
