Death Valley

[RichardK]

We visited Death Valley last week just in time for the valley floor to hit 100. So, we went to the Panamints and hiked the old jeep road that leads from Emigrant Pass to Pinto Peak. I was in the middle of a mega dose of steroids for a medical issue. Not wanting to push it too hard, we stopped at point 7073 about 6 miles from the trailhead. I also carried an ACR ResQLink PLB just in case.

From the Emigrant Pass sign on Wildrose Road, hike NNW to the top of a hill. The old road is faint at first, but then becomes obvious. You can follow it on Google Earth.

Emigrant Pass at sunrise



The road bed winds along a rolling ridge





We enjoyed nice views of Telescope Peak all day





The road drops into a valley where is gets faint again. However, you can see it on the hillside ahead.



You can see the dirt road leading to Harrisburg Flats and Aguereberry Point right of center



Point 7073 offered a nice view to the north

[davantalus]

Great views. Thanks for sharing.

Are you still allowed to drive up those trails or are they protected now?

I wonder what SAR thinks about the ResQLink vs. SPOT? Think the additional radio transmitter helps them?

[RichardK]

Are you still allowed to drive up those trails or are they protected now?

I wonder what SAR thinks about the ResQLink vs. SPOT? Think the additional radio transmitter helps them?

The road has been closed for some years. I don't know when it was last driven, 1940's? 1950's? Tracks last a long, long time in the desert.

There is a good discussion about PLB vs. SPOT here:

http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=4066

The bottom line is this:

SPOT MAY work.

PLB WILL work.

Which one do you want to bet your life on?

[davantalus]

PLB WILL work.

That's a pretty strong "will". I can think of a few conditions which would cause both to fail similarly. A subset of those conditions are unfortunately typical use patterns for me.