Jen goes 'walk-about' along the Golden Canyon.
Over the years, we have spent an increasing amount of time in deserts. We remember when ‘desert’, never dessert’, had a negative connotation. Today, the roles are reversed because desserts are mostly unhealthy but still delicious while deserts do wonders for one’s condition. We do qualify our statement by recognizing we choose periods outside the summer months, whenever possible, to visit the supposedly barren wastelands. Of course, they are neither barren nor wastelands. This is our third visit to Death Valley but our first to the full trail of the Golden Canyon with all its additions, basically, the ‘bells and whistles’. Truth be told, the rugged beauty in forms of mountains, valleys, arroyos, canyons, mounds in hues of orange, brown, red, yellow, gold supported with gray, white, pink and black created a day in which we hiked in awe. It was a period when we hiked up, over and down again along narrow and sometimes, slippery edges, always with views that made us exclaim, “Do you see that? Is it possible to be so attractive, so amazing?”. These were just two of our many outbursts of glee. In the distance, the surrounding mountains were snow-capped, adding to the mesmerizing scenes. By the time we reached the top of Red Cathedral, a slightly tricky ascent, we knew this was indeed a unique place and hike.
We had left Eastern Arizona when the cold and winds became intense and headed for the western part of the state. We stopped for a few days in Bullhead City, along the Colorado River, and then selected this area which reaches temperatures that are up there with the hottest places in the world. However, being winter, it made sense or so we thought. We arrived in Beatty, Nevada, after visiting special friends, Gill and Clive Midgen, recently transplanted from Seattle now living in greater Las Vegas. To say it was a very special afternoon with them would be an understatement. After departing reluctantly, we travelled in very windy conditions and arrived in Beatty during a snowstorm. At 22 degrees F, our escape from Flagstaff, where we had intended climbing Mount Humphrey, appeared to be a disaster. The following morning, sunshine greeted us but our car was covered in snow. By the middle of the hike, the temperature was close to perfection for hiking, mid-60’s.
It was another day in which one could feel grateful for experiences that touch deep inside, perhaps, the soul.
We arrived in the United States thirty years ago to the day—February 11th. In the early days, we would take our children and now grandchildren to Chucky-E-Cheese, advertised as a place where a ‘kid can be a kid’. In Death Valley, despite the harsh name and all, together with Mesquite Flats dunes, we believe an adult too can be a kid. It’s a good life—we suggest you try it.
"What's in a name?"
Toward the end of the hike, we get rid of excess energy by going off-trail and experiencing the magnificence of this massive national park..
Overwhelmed.
On top of the world...sort of.
Jen stands on the edge.
Not quite a stumble in the wrong place.
Standing just below the Red Cathedral.
A particularly slippery place on the way up to Red Cathedral. The woman below Jenni left her husband lower down when he got the chills about reaching these heights. She thought better of it and returned to him.
We should stop there as it's only an introduction.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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