Death Valley 2022/23

[Beardilocks]

And with that, it is time I bid the Valley of Death adieu for the 2022/23 winter season.  It's been a helluva ride but it's getting hot here.  I'm not sure about "The Hottest Place on Earth" but it's certainly warm enough for a dirtbag living in a 30 year old Land Cruiser. 

A few stats: (all numbers rounded because I'm too lazy to split hairs)

Time in the Region:  *If NPS asks I was in the park exactly 29 days this winter*
~75 Hikes in the park
~400mi hiked
~60,000ft gained
~265 hours hiking time
~7,000mi driven (in the park and resupply runs only)

6 Peaks Summited (hey, I'm new to this kind of special torture)
7 Canyons with zero known trip reports
Somewhere btw 9-19 Natural Bridges depending on how you count/define them
3 Rattlesnake Encounters
4 Bighorn Skulls
21 Petroglyph Sites
9 Pictograph sites
9 Rock Alignments 
5 Projectile Points
Innumerable hunting blinds, habitation sites, caves, and ancient pathways.

Favorite Hike:  All of them.  
Most Epic Hike:  Tucki Bridge
Most Remote Hike:  Lost Lake
Best View: I don't think there was a bad view in 4mo.

And with all that under my belt what is there left to know about DEVA?  Everything.  Every minute I've spent hiking in DEVA has inspired an hour of other things I want to experience here.  Every piece of knowledge discovered creates 10 more questions.  I wish NPS would be a bit more enthusiastic about sharing that knowledge and answering those questions.

Top historic mystery I want to unravel:  Confirmation of Mother Wood's Saloon in written or picture form. 
Top prehistoric mystery:  Location of a mysterious hab site in southern Greenwater Valley.  

See y'all next winter if the creek don't rise.