Sand to Snow 80th Birthday March 23, 2025
My journey began in Death Valley. I took the Westside-Badwater road north from Baker Ca on I-15. Toured the beautiful but faded Death Valley Oasis Inn, (built into a hillside), pilgrimaged to Zabriskie Point, and coyote camped with the nomads at Slabs CG. Next was a difficult four-day solo backpacking adventure through the rugged Marble-Cottonwood Slot Canyon loop. I was seeking a band of wild palominos, but I missed them again. Temps got into the 90s plus, and then the exit road was washed out. It became a challenge. But why not?
Afterward, I healed in a tranquil but very remote hot springs. Made friends with the desert denizens and backcountry nomads. Lots of laughter in the pools and campfire stories. Next, I caught up to my trail buddy, Mike. Together we encountered a fierce Sierra blizzard at Mammoth and hunkered down in the lodge for 3 days. We escaped altitude down to Pleasant Valley BLM pit camp. Mike split and I thawed by soaking for hours in glorious old Keogh hot springs near Bishop town. I camped again below the Whitney crest in unforgettable starlight and took the long slow Mojave backroad home.
It was an incredible journey. I witnessed raw nature’s awe-inspiring transformations. Blistering desert heat to freezing mountain cold. I laughed with friends and reveled in the incredible landscapes of the Great Basin and Eastern Sierra Nevada. The mountains and desert were so alive. My journey was full of wonders and left me in a living dream. Thank you for all your good wishes; be well, have many joys, and thrive like crazy.