In the evening we go to Las Vegas towards Death Valley (Death Valley). Failing to have been the arrival of night, and our clients departure. In addition, after we had the wrong road we must again return to LV. And actually it's very impressive how we feel the divide between the black desert and this huge city lit dominated by the immense building of the strip (main street). Rolling
night, we hasten to find a spot to bivouac. Top'd be found somewhere a little cooler, because more than 40 degrees in the tent, we did it once and it means.
Luckily, we take the altitude and the temperature begins to drop. When the thermometer reaches 30 degrees, we decided to stop at first little nook. Nikel and we find what we need. While there, you may be saying that I lied but it's super cool, perfect temperature to sleep :-)
Next morning, woken by the sun, yes we has still forgotten to think and to position the tent properly. Breakfast and departure for Death Valley.
Arrival around 11am. We begin with the view Dantes View to see the valley from above. Okay so here we are, in my ignorance I somehow betrayed because I really fancied a flat desert of sight over 360 degrees, but no, it's actually a huge valley that stretches towards NordWest -SouthEast. Well this is still impressive. And then when the temperature ... Then head
Badwater is this time in the middle of this valley. Why this name? Well because at the time, when people trying to live the scene, the water was too salty and so the mules could not refuel. Here, there is the lowest place in the USA in terms of altitude:-85.5m to be exact. Here is a salt desert that ancient lakes have dropped. The ground is white. We walked a little more toward the center of this desert story to go where all the tourists are not going basis to take pictures and shoot a little. Well the heat is overwhelming: a good 53 degrees. To be 200 or 300m we finished a bottle of 1.5l of water. Indeed, in addition to the sun beating down like a mule, there is also reflected rays by salt. Pfff this is an oven.
On the way back, passing through a loop called Artist's Palette where we can see the rock formations of different colors: red, pink, yellow iron, green, purple, violet for mica. Passage also
Ubehebe Crater, which for a visit he inflicts is not really interesting. Then at Scotty's Castle, whose history of its origin is very original (I leave you to find it). And to finish before taking the road to follow, we go to Sand Dunes dune area which is in the middle of desert.
I did not mention our meals around 15h in the shade of a palm tree that was really hard for us not to boil water.
And then casually in 2 days we will have done more than 600km.
short to dusk, we took the road towards Sequoia National Park. But when, in Lone Pine, we realize the huge detour that we're going to do, our plan is questioned. In this park we can see huge redwoods (the most majestic), ok, but it seems there is also south of Yosemite, so good ...
If you look on a map, you will see the valley in which we (the city found there are Lone Pine, Big Pine, Independence, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes ...) and the valley on the other side of the mountain which is west of us (Sequoia National Park, Yosemite National Park, Mount Whitney ...).
So what? Make a detour to get around 280miles to the south and climb this mountain on the Sequoia Park, or stay in this valley and to Mount Whitney, Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake and then go to Yosemite. Ultimately this will be option number 2.
Here we are right next to Mount Whitney, so we decide to bivouac just above "cool" and make a small trail in the morning. As
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