Trip Report
2014-02 Winter Break Eastern Sierra + Death Valley
Tuesday October 25, 2016 2:17am
So much experience in such a short time... will try to keep it as condensed as possible. A few of these pics I shared before, but not many.

DAY 1 (drive from SF Bay, around the southern horn- Tehachapi- to Alabama Hills)

Red Cliffs Natural Preserve, California (not the place near Vegas)

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Alabama Hills night session after long drive from SF Bay. This was after a 1 hour dig-out getting buried up to axles in sand while looking for Mungeclimber, Dave Daly, and gang:
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DAY 2

Morning in A-hills camp:
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Munge puttin' up a new route:
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Kids seeing what there is to be done:
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DAY 3

Whitney Portal side trip

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Sometimes the car trips are boring as heck, but there are bright spots too

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Nice sunset from the big grocery store in Bishop, stocking up on food for next few days:
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A late dinner BBQ somewhere out in the high plains. Sunset comes early in the winter:
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DAY 4

Glorious sunrise:

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It's freezing.
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Is it wrong that my heart bursts with pride seeing my daughter not caring in her flip-flops?
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Weather's getting more interesting

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Mystery bite? We kept an eye on that one... nothing came of it in the last few years that we know about.
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Splorin'

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I think we might have stayed with Auntie Em that night to hide from a storm?

DAY 5

Stretch break en route to some more splorin'
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Modern kids with these new-fangled contraptions. In my day...
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Maybe some of this picture taking obsession is rubbing off?

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I think we chilled with Em again. Thanks Em!




DAY 6



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What is that there hole?
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Let's go see.
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I don't think we got much deeper than this before I got the heebie-jeebies.

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Eastern Sierra makes Yosemite seem small. Death Valley makes Eastern Sierra seem small.

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It is a primeval place. If there is any shred of latent geologist in you, this place brings it screaming to the surface.

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Had to stop for this cool lookin' thing
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We were all getting stir crazy after so much time cooped up in the car. Had a little family melt-down somewhere around here... emotional and physical low point for all of us:

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But we rallied for dinner on the side of the road
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Then it really took a turn for the awesome on a night hike in the dunes. Good strategy to leave the food behind, just a jug of water and sleeping gear. We all enjoyed this part quite a lot. Maybe a highlight of the trip.



DAY 7


Rise and shine!

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Just soaking it all in.
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I don't know if I'm overindulging with the shares here. Just so much beauty everywhere.
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Of course we need to do some barrel rolls. I tell you what, that got sand everywhere.
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Just a drop of water in an endless sea.
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Rest break
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This was a beefy one.
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The tougher the climb, the more glorious the descent (find the people specks). This is our chance to be Laird Hamilton
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Where to draw the line? I am fatiguing of this effort to document it all in even a summary fashion.
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This about sums up the feeling!
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There is still more adventure before this day is out, with the Wild Rose Canyon survival, Trona, and Wagon Wheel at sunset, and back to SF Bay that night! That will have to be added in here later.

Let's just wrap it up by saying this was the most action packed and varied experience I've had in a week. I'm tired thinking of it all now, but very glad we did it.

  Trip Report Views: 1,779
NutAgain!
About the Author
NutAgain! is a trad climber from South Pasadena, CA.

Comments
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
  Oct 25, 2016 - 03:25am PT
Yee Ha! Awesome sauce! No it is not wrong your kiddlets Rock!
Thnx fer puttin in the time to share
Father of the year award can't be far off if you keep up that sort of stoke . . . yup!
Your hart shows.
Scary desolation
that bite too
Scary stuff.....

All in all wow!
I'm gonna shame my wife into a camping trip with this!
Teenagers now I'm not the daf dad you are, thanks for a road map!




and the packed in the Prius laughing at a wide eye'd Nut selfie . . . . who farted ?
yanqui

climber
Balcarce, Argentina
  Oct 25, 2016 - 05:31am PT
Adventure!
Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
  Oct 25, 2016 - 10:53am PT
Great dads do cool things with their kids.....BTW it's a safe investment that pays you well when they're long gone. Nothing like family reunions in the wild places they've grown up to love, good on you NA.
lars johansen

Trad climber
West Marin, CA
  Oct 25, 2016 - 06:22am PT
Nice to see the kids out there Nut. They will remember this for the rest of their lives. Best-lars
Larry Nelson

Social climber
  Oct 25, 2016 - 07:21am PT
Overindulge as much as you want ;-)
This was fun to read with great photos and a warm family feel.
Great looking kids, TFPU
High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber
  Oct 25, 2016 - 12:26pm PT
So many layers to reality, eh NutAgain?

Thanks for the memories. I may have checked out that same mine bitd. Beautiful pics and beautiful family. Fun stuff!
Jon Beck

Trad climber
Oceanside
  Oct 25, 2016 - 12:55pm PT
Awesome, gotta love the eastside. Love the picture of the tent on the dunes.

TFPU
Bascuela

Trad climber
Fresno, CA
  Oct 25, 2016 - 01:03pm PT
My wife is due in February (twins!).... so looking forward to car camping trips to the east side with them!

Thanks for sharing your trip.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Oct 25, 2016 - 01:10pm PT
I agree with Kingtut. Your kids are lucky to have you as their dad, Scott. Introducing my daughters to the mountains keeps paying dividends for me. My older daughter is due to give birth in three weeks. Both she and her younger sister (29 and still single, by the way) keep telling me that I need to stay in shape so that I can teach their children-to-be how to climb and enjoy the mountains.

Thanks for a wonderful TR.

John
i-b-goB

Big Wall climber
Nutty
  Oct 25, 2016 - 01:24pm PT
Nice days!
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
  Oct 25, 2016 - 04:41pm PT
Good stuff, Nut. That's home for me and the wife. You and the kids are lucky. Keep gettin' after it.

BAd
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Oct 25, 2016 - 05:46pm PT
That was a fun trip! Great seeing the other pics from the rest of your trip! TFPU!

Auntie Em is the best!
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