The sign at Badwater Basin reads 282 Feet below sea level. If you turn around and look up on the hill, about 282 feet higher, there is a line at sea level. That, combined with the 106-degree temperature, in April, makes you feel extremely vulnerable.
Jen decided that we should drive through Death Valley on the way to Joshua Tree. I had never considered coming here because it’s in the middle of nowhere, and, well, there’s no climbing. But, I’m happy we made the detour. This place is like being on another planet. Everything about it says “get out now, before I decide to kill you.”
On the way we stopped at the abandoned town of Rhyolite, as well as the Area 51 Alien Center. I mean, how can you not stop there? Then we drove down hill, steeper than I would have thought for longer than seemed possible given that our starting elevation was not very high, and eventually found ourselves in one of the strangest landscapes I’ve ever been to. It made me feel like I should not shut off the van, for fear that it would never start again.
We walked on sand dunes, checked out the old mining town, and eventually landed at the lowest place in North America. Previous to our arrival, flooding had decimated the area. What was once a pristine salt flat as far as you could see is now a carved-up mess that’s difficult to even walk through. I’m sure Mother Nature will set things right soon enough, but for right now it’s different than it’s been for decades. I was bummed not to see the pristine beauty of the salt flats in Death Valley, but at the same time I felt appreciative to see the power that a single weather event can have on a place that remains basically untouched by moisture year round.
When we drove away an hour before sunset, I was both happy that we came and happy to leave. Whenever I’m climbing, especially in the mountains, I always have an eye on the weather, and I’m trying to listen to what the environment is telling me. This place is just staring you dead in the eyes and saying “If you stay too long, I’m going to kill you.”
