3. Overview of the Walk

Homrich scouting Death Valley prior to his trek.

Situated in the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is famously known as one of the most volatile and extreme places on earth. It is consistently the hottest place on the planet, while nighttime temperatures often fall bellow freezing. It is also one of the driest places on earth, receiving less than two inches of rainfall each year. The park contains nearly three and a half million acres of land and is the largest national park in the contiguous United States.

My walk from the Park’s southern border to its northern boundary covered 225 miles of cross-country travel through numerous mountain ranges, rugged canyons, massive sand dunes, dry lakes and treacherous salt pans. I also walked across the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and climbed to an elevation twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.

Placing a cache in Racetrack Valley.

My route was not a trail in the familiar sense; rather, it was a set of cross-country waypoints that had to be skillfully connected, which made navigation a critical component of the trek. Though not a primary concern, the presence of rattlesnakes, scorpions and mountain lions contributed mentally to this challenge. Much more critical was the management of water, due to the lack of dependable water sources in the desert.  All water was either carried or buried in advance. At over eight pounds per gallon, I often carried more weight in water than the combined weight of everything else in my pack. This is the main reason I chose to carry only a poncho for shelter.

Standing at the mouth of Dedeckera Canyon.

I experienced many challenges along my journey, like descending 700 feet into a pitch-black canyon in the middle of the night. I weathered 50mph sand storms that made both breathing and seeing nearly impossible. I managed the nearly 100 degree swing in temperature by boiling water in bottles and placing them in my sleeping bag for warmth on bitter nights and by moving as many miles as I could by starlight to avoid the day time heat. Whereas the average mileage of a hiker under favorable conditions is eight to ten miles per day, I was forced to travel nearly 30 miles cross-country the day I traversed the lowest and hottest part of the journey, the salt pans of the Badwater Basin.

Homrich at mile 225, CA/NV Border.

On the final day of my journey, I summited Last Chance Mountain, which proved to be Death Valley’s last chance at living up to its fabled name. Forceful winds, elevation and lightweight gear brought the threat of frostbite and hypothermia. These temperatures also left the steep North face of the mountain covered in deep snow. After slowly making the summit, I made a quick glance back over the valley and was immediately forced to move off the mountain. The softening snow caused me to begin ‘post holing’ hip-deep into the snow as I began my slow decent. My only choice then was to glissade about 2,000ft down the mountain, until I was able to regain proper footing.

By the end of the trek, I had walked alone for over two weeks and accumulated 225 miles and nearly 70,000ft of elevation change,  all while crossing paths with people in the backcountry on only one afternoon. 

The Park’s rangers found the fact that I missed my arrival time by only three hours to be one of the most amazing aspects of the journey, as they had assumed a window of three days. As I prepared to leave, a ranger asked me to promise to share these words, “I don’t care if you’ve hiked the whole Pacific Crest Trail (from Mexico to Canada), it doesn’t mean you have the skills required for this place. We just don’t want to make any rescues or recoveries of the inexperienced or unprepared.”

Thus, I pass those words on to you.

Overview map of the 225-mile trek. Direction of travel was south to north.

A detailed version of the route can be found on Backpacker Magazine’s website.  It is referred to there as the Death Valley Traverse (DVT):

http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=275467