Death Valley Run Nov 20-23 & 24 (bonus day)

Gabex35 said:
I'd like to get in on this if there's still room.
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Just checked and your good to go brotha. I can get you added to the list and if you have any questions, I don't have any answers for you.
Nah j/k, no seriously hit me up about anything, questions etc. no matter what it is if its something you may not have or need I'm sure myself or I know atleast one of us will have it for you.
This is gonna be a bada** trip that's for sure.
To get up to date info and details of the routes and trails we will be taking create an account over at TundraTalk.net
Once you do you wont be able to post until you post on the New Member Introduction Thread... Basically say hi and anything else u want.
After that your good to go.
Then go to "Members Forums" then to "Meet n' Greets" then look for the thread Death Valley Run Nov....and walla your in.

I will go over there now and get you added
And by the way I'm Jeramiah most will just call me Miah
whatever works
 
BrianSD_42 said:
Have you seen this ?

Still reeling from flash floods in Death Valley, Scotty's Castle may be closed a year or more - LA Times

Death valley was basically destroyed last week. Well not exactly but it is pretty messed up right now.

There is a video you can watch at the top of the page.
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Yeah I've seen a couple video's and I have up to date real time feed via DV ranger station network and up to the minute road and trails info. There is only trails still temporarly closed cause no ranger has made there way over to a couple areas hit to verify if the closer still needs to be in effect. Some of the trails that were listed as closed from the rain were reopened cause they got via radio report from some jeep guys out wheeling that made it through with no issues which allowed rangers to post open status.
Just such a large area with very lil man power to cover that much ground fast enough to update trail info.
There is a death valley ranger facebook page that is well updated and some videos of the actual flooding ...some of the videos out there were exagerated/Edited/ angles making things look catastrophic.
Its all good in DV but like I said a couple and one trail on the agenda that was tore up good that we will play by ear, it omnly made a section of the trail a bit more challenging and is open but another good hit may make it unpassable
[MENTION=10950]Brian[/MENTION]SD_42
So you ready to get onboard and make a run of it? Snow is in the air I forsee this being the time for snow ....mmm
 
I can do a Friday, sat, sun trip but the weekday dates you posted (Mon & Tues) just aren't good for me.

If you want to meet up for camp fri night, then camp sat night then drive home sun, ill go. Say meet in Big Pine or Lone Pine by the campsite (gps coord) on the 20th around 6-7pm. Then head home Sunday morning. Or I could leave sun and you guys can go on.

The path starts just at the north entrance to DV off the 395, goes through the forest over towards the hot springs then over to the race track. We could camp the second night near the racetrack.

BTW you can drive most of the park in that time.

I'd like to see the park after these floods. I don't want to drive out solo into the desert trying to find people.

If you are open to the modified dates above, I know a campsite (free) right off the hwy and party that will provide plenty of driving and site seeing. Plus it is stock friendly but still exciting. Death valley isn't like big bear, you can do 90+% of the park in a stock 3rd gen or Tacoma.
 
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2003-4x4runner said:
That sucks :(, I wanted to take a tour of Scotty's Castle. I've driven by the Castle a couple of times but never stopped in to take the tour.
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Well now you can drive over a couple sections of the castle and I will snap some pics as you flex over the peak of the roof!!! It will way better than a tour!!
LOL
And that was an option on the original agenda...bummer.
 
BrianSD_42 said:
I can do a Friday, sat, sun trip but the weekday dates you posted (Mon & Tues) just aren't good for me.

If you want to meet up for camp fri night, then camp sat night then drive home sun, ill go. Say meet in Big Pine or Lone Pine by the campsite (gps coord) on the 20th around 6-7pm. Then head home Sunday morning. Or I could leave sun and you guys can go on.

The path starts just at the north entrance to DV off the 395, goes through the forest over towards the hot springs then over to the race track. We could camp the second night near the racetrack.

BTW you can drive most of the park in that time.

I'd like to see the park after these floods. I don't want to drive out solo into the desert trying to find people.

If you are open to the modified dates above, I know a campsite (free) right off the hwy and party that will provide plenty of driving and site seeing. Plus it is stock friendly but still exciting. Death valley isn't like big bear, you can do 90+% of the park in a stock 3rd gen or Tacoma.
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That's what we are doing fri-sun. There are 10 vehicles going so far 4-4Runners from here, 4 or 5 Tundras and 1 Tacoma as of now officially.
There is a couple of the guys in the group staying(not myself) extra days (Mon/Tues) to do some hiking/trail riding so if others would like to stay and partake they have that option. Also there will be a couple people arriving Sat evening and that will allow them to have a extra day on the trails as well.
I myself am leaving on Sunday whenever we feel like were done.
So nyes you should roll, brotha it's gonna be a trip to see DV after all the flooding devastation and it's transformation which alone will make this trip exciting.
So you rollin now? We can meet wherever We wanna be there Fri morning by 9 no later than 10am.
 
[MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION]

This is all copied and pasted sections from the Tundratalk thread as of now what the plans are for the trip...to give you an idea. See that open spot that's where we insert your name..

Dates for Death Valley
Nov. 20 - 23rd
Plan is to hit Rhyolite Ghost town, Titus Canyon, Marble/Cottonwood Canyon, Goler wash/Mengal pass. Maybe Darwin Falls

Depends on who is going and what people want to visit. There are hotel rooms at Panamint Springs and Stovepipe Wells.
There are dunes at Stovepipe wells and small store with gas.
Panamint Springs has a store, restaurant and gas.
This is more an explore trip - there will be a few spots for high speed but also some slower technical stuff.
I have not put together the route or timeline yet because it will depend on who decides to go and the vehicles going.
Titus canyon can be done in a stock truck
Marble Canyon can be done in a stock truck - a few nice hiking trails
Mengal pass /Goler wash is a bit more technical and will require a modified truck. For those that want to go but don't have a modified truck you can visit a few other spots in the park and still meet up with the group on the other side of the mountain near Badwater or can head home a day early or we can plan to do that part the first day and meet everyone else on Saturday.

Flexible so if your interested please post up so we can work out something so everyone that wants to go can get involved.
Weather should be perfect in the daytime 70's and cool at night 40's

Goler Wash/Mengal pass will be technical. A couple of waterfalls to climb and a rock garden to cross. But 4wd or locker and 35's shouldn't be a problem.

I was thinking of doing this section first and camping right before we get out of the mountains. That way anybody could come from the other side and meet us as the hardest part is at the beginning. Then we can continue from there to Titus and or Marble canyon

Possible Day 1
Goler Wash/Mengel Pass
Day 2
Rhyolite/Titus Canyon to Marble Canyon
Day 3 Explore Marble Canyon and head home
Looking at the maps/routes - the plan is to Camp Friday night at Warm Springs. Warm Springs Camp So anybody that wants to meet up Friday evening can come right up Warm Springs rd and meet us at camp. We will run Titus Canyon on Saturday morning so anybody that wants to go and gets a hotel in Beatty can meet us at Rhyolite Ghost town on Saturday. We will exit and make our way to Stove Pipe Wells if anybody is getting a room there. We will find a safe camp spot a short distance from there up Cottonwood canyon road in Marble Canyon Marble Canyon camp. I plan on getting up early on Sunday and doing a short hike up Marble Canyon and people can head out whenever they want. There may be a couple of us staying another night but not sure until it gets closer.
We normally leave camp by 9-10am
And would like to do group meals- so pick a meal you want to be responsible for cooking and cleanup.
Nice thing about that is you only have to pack for one meal and can relax the others. If we have more people than meals then 2 people can team up on a meal or someone can pack drinks/beer.
Dinner Friday night
Breakfast on Saturday Morning
Dinner Saturday night
Breakfast Sunday Morning

The List so far

1 - Tundra - Craig +3 [MENTION=74015]N2deep[/MENTION] 007 Dinner Friday Night -
2 - Tundra - Alex +1 [MENTION=102596]oside[/MENTION]punker 777 Breakfast Saturday
3 - Tundra - Dragos +1 [MENTION=23651]drago[/MENTION]s28 Dinner Saturday Night #028
4 - 4Runner - (T4R) - Brian [MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION]
5 - 4Runner- (T4R) - Jeramiah/Rosy +1 [MENTION=117408]Oneluv13T4R[/MENTION] 013
6 - Tundra - Anthony +1 [MENTION=47217]scooby[/MENTION] - #017
7 - 4Runner - (T4R) - Spencer [MENTION=128841]Spenny[/MENTION] -
8 - Tacoma - Jose @c-lo
9 - 4Runner - (T4R) - Mike [MENTION=2898]4runner03[/MENTION] #333
10 - 4Runner - (T4R) - Gabe + 1 [MENTION=77370]Gabex35[/MENTION] #357
11 - Tacoma - Rob
 
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We will run Titus Canyon on Saturday morning so anybody that wants to go and gets a hotel in Beatty can meet us at Rhyolite Ghost town on Saturday. We will exit and make our way to Stove Pipe Wells if anybody is getting a room there. We will find a safe camp spot a short distance from there up Cottonwood canyon road in Marble Canyon Marble Canyon camp.
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[MENTION=117408]Oneluv13T4R[/MENTION]
Edit: I just saw this in the text. "The plan is to Camp Friday night at Warm Springs" The soonest I can join the group is Friday night but I'm in. Please put me down for 2 trucks, a 4Runner and a Tacoma.
I don't know if we'll make it to the springs that night, given the time it is doubtful. We'll be coming from the south entrance and may just camp near Rhyolite and meet you there in the morning or noon.

Q1 - Do you think you'll be at Rhyolite by 10am~ish to start the trail? I'm thinking you guys will probably arrive at Rhyolite about noon since it is a good distance, at least 1.5hrs from the springs, mostly on dirt roads that are pretty bumpy.

Q2 - Can you post the campsite name for Saturday night? (I'd like to put it on my GPS)


GPS and Mapping

Why is GPS mapping software when used with a phone or tablet useful?
* Allows you to see where the F#$K you are at, any time, anywhere and to see easily where you are going relative to your target destination.
* Don't see the trail anymore? Are you even on the trail? Using this data you can easily see.
* My Nexus 7 tablet has a GPS and with the map data already downloaded it does not need any WIFI or 3G/4G connection (no data) to fully operate on the trail.
* Shows a cursor of your truck location, layered over the high resolution maps, and it moves as you approach the waypoints you created.
* Includes built in search functionality so you can literally type "grapevine canyon" or 3N16 and the software will center the cursor over the targeted area based on name. You can then see your position relative to the target.
* Create a custom nav point by clicking the screen or manually typing in the location? Say you know XXXX,YYYY on paper but have no idea where that actually is. Well put it in the software and you can see it on the map relative to your location.

This has worked great for me in Big Bear, Death Valley, Canyon Lands, Moab, Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego, and Idylwild.


Here is my GPS .gpx file from the last death valley trip.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz...zhIQjVlZ3pWajM3Z1dzbVdZ/view?usp=docslist_api

I use BackCountry Navigator Pro (there is also a free version) for Android with the free CalTopo US 24K multi-layer map.

If any of you download the GPS I provided you can see the areas in the north where I visited and dropped waypoints. Everyone I created has a symbol of some kind. The ones I have on the map marked with a purple or BLACK circle are spots that I never visited but were "notable" on a website I looked at.


Steps:

1. Download the GPX file to your Android or Apple device

2. Download BackCountry Navigator Pro for Android or similar for IOS

3. Import the GPX file

4. While at home connected to WIFI load BackCountry Navigator Pro by CritterMap Software.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crittermap.backcountrynavigator.license&hl=en

4A Zoom over the area of big bear, switch maps to the free CalTopo US 24K or the US Forest Service Map (which has trail names) then zoom out so that a few miles of trail are visible.

4B. Choose "select areas for download" and select the area, then download the map data over WIFI.

4C. Switch to your 2nd backup map (I listed 2 good options above) and then also download a wide area for that map.

The download may take an hour or more and can range from 100MB to 1GB depending on the map data size. These are 16 layer (free) maps.

Now once everything is downloaded you can switch your tablet into AirPlane mode to simulate being on the trail and the maps should fully work.

If you do not download the map data then it will only work in your home, not the trail.

My GPS nav points mark the beginning, intersection and end of popular trails. Once you get used to the mapping software you can create your own.
​
Click to expand...

Youtube - Backcountry Navigator Pro - The Best GPS for Off Trail?
https://youtu.be/kQXBGJZeaV4?t=2m7s



Other thoughts:

* Ham Radios - Just in case some of you are new to DV like I was the first time, for most of death valley there is absolutely no cell signal and even HAM is line of sight. If we don't have a very specific time and location meetup we probably won't find each other on day 2.

* Does anyone else have a HAM radio? I have a small line of sight handheld HAM that works pretty good. We can use non-repeater channels to talk. If anyone wants to get a similar radio (trust me it works about 100x clearer than CB) you can buy it here for $50. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CNYPZJC

* Pics from last year
1. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1951280-post478.html
2. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1951282-post479.html
3. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1951283-post480.html

I don't think I've been on any of the trails you mentioned so this will be exciting for me. It Sounds like a good trip!
 
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[MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION]

Q1 - Yes 10am is the plan

Q2 - I will get that info for you

Lot of good info and details you posted up, thanx brotha
I will copy that over to TundraTalk as it may be helpful.
 
[MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION]

Oh and the Baofeng Handhelds are what we used doing the Mojave Run I know most of those guys have CB's and Ham handhelds running both including myself just in case someone only has one or the other, but we used Ham the whole time and worked perfect never lost touch.

Alright so I got you in (2 vehicles added) and copied all info over to the other site for there viewing and possible interest and usefulness.

What's your buddy's name with the Tacoma?
 
Rob - 08 Tacoma 4WD. Stock w/ Locker

In addition to Saturday's campsite question, Just curious what route are you guys planning to take to get from Warm Springs over to the Rhyolite ghost town? It looks like there are few ways you could go.

Last time I went up over the Mtn pass and down into the Racetrack but that takes several hours.
 
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You guys better call ahead I just saw that half of the roads are washed out. Granted you are in your 4runners but the park might be outright closed to the public from what I just saw on the news.
 
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