— Sunday, December 19, 2021

After a short drive to the Titus Canyon trailhead to cache food and water, we began our hike along Scotty’s Castle Road near its junction with road 19.1, from which a drainage (one of many) climbs 1,100 feet over 3 miles up the alluvial fan to the mouth of Red Wall Canyon. The sun had slipped behind the western mountains by the time we took off; it was down by the time we reached the canyon’s mouth. The remaining few miles of Sunday evening took us another thousand feet up-canyon in the dark to camp at 2,500 feet, about 1 mile into the canyon. On the way up we encountered the 5.6 drywall, slick rock but made much easier by a rope left in place. Overnight it fell to the low 40°s F, but pleasant, without condensation. The full moon rose by 9:30pm above the tall canyon walls around us onto our camp and traced the canyon’s gap the entire remainder of the night, lighting up the walls. What a great place to be.

— Monday, December 20

The following morning after a lazy start we took off on the tremendous climb up onto the crest of the Grapevines, passing the earliest snow at around 5,000 feet and being engulfed in it every step by 6,500. The ensuing traverse took us northeast across a series of unnamed peaks to a saddle, where a southeast-facing notch opens into the highest reaches of Fall Canyon at 7,600 feet. Realizing that riding the entire Grapevine crest around to Titus Canyon was far out of reach for us on that day, we turned down into the notch, hoping to camp in Fall Canyon.

The sun now having set, we struggled 2,500 feet in the dark through dense snowy brush and slick drop offs until finally breaking again below the snow line to end the day at 4,600 feet. It felt wonderful after hours in the snow to finally change out of my wet socks and shoes into dry wool socks and the down booties Danny had lent me. Weather in the low 30s and dry.

— Tuesday, December 21

The following morning after an even lazier start we took off down Fall Canyon, making it several miles downhill in our first two hours until we came upon a problem unknown to us and unexpected: two 12-foot dry falls in sequence with no holds of any sort — only open drops onto a rolled ankle. After a search, Erik found a class 4 route up and over the boulders north of the first fall onto the broad level ground between it and the next fall. Katie and I lowered our packs and, after some debate about what to do, followed in order. This sequence was a bit exposed and good to work without a pack (though Erik scouted it with his). With all of us down, we set off upward and again to the north end over loose scree onto the cliff above the latter fall. Arguably this section was more dangerous, with two narrowly-evaded rolling rocks reminding us of how painful of an inconvenience it would be to screw up here. Carefully we ascended and descended again in sequence, one at a time and minding to remain out of each other’s rockfall zones. After two hours, we made it to the ground below the second canyon.

The frustrating aspect of this episode, and that which threw us off the most, was the omission of this obstacle from Digonnet’s book, with only the passing comment that the upper canyon above the junction to the Titus Canyon side canyon should be a piece of cake. In fact, this was both the most dangerous and technically challenging obstacle we would encounter. Later we would meet another hiker, Aaron, who would remark that he had only heard of people descending it with ropes. The lower dry fall bypass would prove no contest to this unnamed obstacle.

The lower reaches of the canyon proved much easier. We debated turning off along the side canyon to link up to Titus Canyon but decided against it and instead eventually came upon the beautiful Fall Canyon narrows, and behind them the famed 18-foot dry fall with the bypass. There we met Aaron, first contact in 2 days, who enlisted our help dragging his pack up the fall after having scrambled the bypass over the cliff on the east end. Immaculate timing for us all, as a party of three day hikers appeared within minutes to help us lower our own packs.

After some banter, we made our way up and around the (easy) class 3/4 route to the lower canyon, then chatted some more with Aaron, who had driven 9 hours from San Francisco for some canyoneering. He was exploring Fall Canyon and appreciated our word on what was up ahead. He also mentioned the rangers’ weather report, which called for rain on Thursday — just like when we set off. This was good to know, since our intention coming here was hiking, not flash-flood canyoneering, and rains are good to avoid for this.

The lower miles of Fall Canyon were pleasant, as was getting to our cache at the mouth of Titus Canyon a short walk to the east. The weather was fair at the bottom, and we enjoyed a wonderful sunset behind the Cottonwood Mountains across Death Valley. We camped by the trailhead for a well-earned sleep.

— Wednesday, December 22

Another late start — no surprise — and we were off up Titus Canyon for the Leadfield ghost town. Since rain was in the forecast that night, our plan was to make it back down and camp, but we took overnight packs just in case. Today proved the easiest day so far, with a nice walk up the jeep road and a stop at Klare spring and its petroglyphs. It blows my mind to imagine ancient people chasing prey in the washes of these mountains, so long ago the meaning of their writing is lost to us. Who knows how much of the canyon has washed away in the rain since they left their markings?

Up at Leadfield, a lunch stop afforded us the opportunity to become students of history for a moment, as we sat in the ruinous rust reading about the town’s meteoric rise and fall in a short year between 1925 and 1926. It amazes me to imagine them planning to build 93 blocks up in those hills, though I am glad it fell apart and they never did; I feel blessed to enjoy places like this completely alone with my friends. Since the road was closed, we encountered nobody the entire day, save till the end some tourists foraying for a short in-and-out in the narrows by the canyon mouth at dusk. The best day by far, and tomorrow back to the car.

— Thursday, December 23

Some light drizzles overnight, and overcast when we got up, so we just headed across the washes the last 4 miles to the car. And that was it! A great introductory experience to Death Valley, a little more than we expected at the start, but a chance for growth as hikers and as people — what we were really after all along.

Merry Christmas from Palm Springs!

© 2022 Ilyas Taraki