My extended DV stay

[netllama]

Great photos (as always)!

How'd you come upon that rattlesnake? Did you hear it before you saw it?

That mud pit has become infamous. NPS had a post recently which included a photo warning people to stop trying to drive through it, as they had to rescue multiple vehicles.

[Brice]

Great photos (as always)!

How'd you come upon that rattlesnake?  Did you hear it before you saw it?

I was walking up the left side of a two-track mine road and it was just outside the right track.  I wouldn't have seen it had it not made noise.  I'm thankful I wasn't walking on the right side or I may have had to return to the vehicle for a change of pants.

[Brice]

It's getting pretty hot around here for a tramp like me, so I'm marking the end of the winter/spring season. I thought I'd summarize what I've been up to with some awards and statistics. 

Easiest Hike
Mars hill
459 feet, 1m 26s car to car.  I could have wandered around a bit, but I had places to be and this one needed to be checked off my list.

Most Strenuous Hike
Sugarloaf n'Friends
4 summits, 20.3 miles, 6100 feet of elevation gain, 10h 28m.  This one also gets the runner-up award for most remote spot reached, with peak 4465 being 7.1 miles from the nearest drivable road.

Most Remote Hike
Owlhead benchmark.  7.7 miles from the nearest drivable road and according to this page, 1.5 miles from the most remote point in the park.

Least Enjoyable Hike
Mesquite high dune.  Everything that is wonderful about big dune hiking is missing here due to the high foot traffic.  Though I did see some adorable kit fox tracks, so that's something at least.

Most Enjoyable Hike
Motley canyon (unofficial name).  Loads of stuff to look at.  Several fun dryfalls and boulder jams to conquer, but none that are too difficult or dangerous. It's only real drawback is being somewhat difficult to reach.  The mouth is 4 miles from the nearest road. Beardilocks has photos of this one over in his thread.

Best view
Borax Benchmark.  This photo only shows half of the amazing view, and the colors in the photo aren't as vibrant as they are in person.



The numbers...

Miles hiked: 699
Hours: 352
Pairs of shoes utterly trashed: 2
High points reached: 115
Summits remaining on NPS 200 list: 89
Canyon hikes without summiting anything: 38
Bighorn seen: 0


It's been fun!

[Kauri]

Very impressive statistics, congrats!

My only question, that may likely be on others' minds as well:
What hiking shoes do you use?

699 miles in DV and only destroying two pairs of shoes I believe is very impressive, especially on the kinds of terrain you've been hiking.
I am going to "decline to state" my statistics of destroying shoes in DV...

[Brice]

My only question, that may likely be on others' minds as well:
What hiking shoes do you use?

I strongly prefer to hike in trail running shoes because they are lightweight, keep my feet cool, and dry quickly when wet.

The downside is that they aren't very tough.  So I wear out a pair of shoes every 2 months or so.  Usually I can get 300-350 miles out of a pair but it depends on the terrain and how much bushwacking I'm doing. Shoe-goo helps me extend their usefulness to 350 miles.

Since I go through them so frequently I try to buy the cheapest pair of trail running shoes I can find.  The expensive ones don't last any longer than the cheaper pairs.  I'm pretty happy when I can get a pair for ~$50.

[netllama]

My only question, that may likely be on others' minds as well:
What hiking shoes do you use?

I strongly prefer to hike in trail running shoes because they are lightweight, keep my feet cool, and dry quickly when wet.

The downside is that they aren't very tough.  So I wear out a pair of shoes every 2 months or so.  Usually I can get 300-350 miles out of a pair but it depends on the terrain and how much bushwacking I'm doing. Shoe-goo helps me extend their usefulness to 350 miles.

Since I go through them so frequently I try to buy the cheapest pair of trail running shoes I can find.  The expensive ones don't last any longer than the cheaper pairs.  I'm pretty happy when I can get a pair for ~$50.

Are we talking random Chinese made Walmart/Target low end shoes, or something name brand, yet low end?

[Brice]

Are we talking random Chinese made Walmart/Target low end shoes, or something name brand, yet low end?

The latter.  Usually from Big5. I hadn't considered  looking at a store like Walmart. I might check it out.  Though, once Big5 had a no-name pair for $24 that technically fit, but felt so uncomfortable I couldn't convince myself to buy them.  Maybe that is comparable to what I'd find at Walmart?

[Daymoth]

Aw man im going to be sad not living vicariously through your and Beardy,'s adventures.

Where is the wind taking you next?

[DAW89446]

Brice and Beardilocks left behind a written and photographic legacy that we can read and re-read 

[Brice]

Aw man im going to be sad not living vicariously through your and Beardy,'s adventures.

Where is the wind taking you next?

North.   Though I have a date with Mt. Whitney in mid- July so I'll be back in the area in a couple months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the huge snowpack doesn't ruin those plans. It would be just my luck to win the permit lottery and then not be able to complete the dayhike.