As the summer draws near and the temperatures keeps rising, the chances for (somewhat sane) adventures in Death Valley, one of my favorite parks, become closer to off-limits. Having a free weekend to myself, I wanted to take the chance to explore a different part of the park before it became to hot, so I decided to hike out to the Panamint Dunes on the western side of the park. 

 

Getting to the dunes is fairly simple. The are located just north east of Panamint Springs in a valley right off 190. From 190, you take a somewhat washboardy dirt road about five miles until you get to a makeshift parking lot. I was able to make it down the dirt road in my MINI Cooper, but I had to take it very slowly at points and would suggest a car with higher clearance if possible. That being said, if a smaller car is all you've got, it's doable.

 

The view of the valley and the dunes from 190.

 

 I got to Panamint Springs in the early afternoon and at that point the temperature was flirting with the mid eighties. Panamint Springs is a "town" that consists of a gas station, a hotel and a restaurant with a great beer selection and decent, albeit, expensive food. Regardless, it was a good place to seek refuge until making the drive out to the trailhead. My plan was to wait until a couple hours before sunset when the temp would drop to a more reasonable hiking temp. The restaurant has a large outdoor patio that wraps around three sides which offer nice views and shade that makes sitting outside in 85º weather quite lovely. 

 

Around 4:30PM, I grew restless and decided to make the trek out. I took my time driving, avoiding the potholes and big rocks on the dirt road. As I went out, the temperature kept rising degree by degree into the mid nineties. I couldn't help but laugh at different scenarios that kept popping up in my head of various friends calling me crazy for doing this, but that drove me to continue. 

     

Some old rusted out cars covered in bullet holes that you pass on the way out.

 

I arrived at the makeshift parking lot sometime between 5 and 6PM and relaxed in my somewhat cool car for twenty or thirty minutes and then packed my bag for the evening and made my way. I tend to overpack because I am a slight masochist and enjoy the workout from carrying extra weight. That being said, on top of three camera lenses (unnecessary), I had all my camping gear, 140oz of water, some snacks, sandals, and a jacket. Luckily, the 90º heat was offset by a nice breeze coming from the west and a patch of clouds that blocked the sun for most of the way out to the dunes.

  

The view from the trailhead.

The hike, or as I like to refer to things like this, the walk, out to the dunes is fairly straightforward. For about 100 feet there is a light trail of footsteps that soon disappears to a build your own adventure i.e. the trail goes away very quickly. It seems not a lot of people make the trek out to these dunes or at least not enough for there to be one defined trail. That being said, the destination is unmistakeable and you just walk towards the dunes until you get there which is about four miles give or take.

 

  

   

Intriguing patterns of some distant mountains that I caught with the Sony 100-400 GM.

  

It took a little over an hour to get out to the dunes. Although there is a slight incline the entire way, it goes fairly unnoticed until near the end where the hard desert floor gradually gives way to sand which slips beneath your every step. 

 

As I arrived to the base of the dunes, the sun had began to set and as I scrambled around to find some nice angles for pictures, I couldn't help be acknowledge the powerful feeling of being alone in the desert with not a human for miles. It was awe inspiring to say the least.  

  

Warm sky. Warm sand.

  

I find the stark contrast between opposites sides of the ridge of the dune extremely intriguing.

  

  

The view south down the valley from where I came. 

 

As the colors in the sky faded and I got my fix of picture taking, I had one more thing to do for the evening and that was setup camp. The wind had died, the temp had dropped and I had the entire place to myself. I found a nice flat spot in the sand to pitch my tent that might offer some nice compositions under the stars and then "cooked" a freeze dried meal and napped until around 3AM when the milky way was high in the sky.