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Del's old Jeep, DV Sally,
negotiates the rock ledge of South Canyon
Park Bridge, built by volunteers and restricted
to a 6,000-pound weight limit.
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Nestled in the trees high
up in Pleasant Canyon, Rita's Cabin makes
a great lunch stop. Always treat cabins
and any historical structures with respect
and care -- we want them there for a long
time.
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Boilers, like this one at
Clair Camp in Pleasant Canyon, are common
sights in many old Death Valley mining camps.
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| In
Death Valley National Park, in the Panamint Mountains
of eastern California, is a canyon loop road that takes
four-wheelers through a harshly beautiful landscape and
150 years of pioneer history. Del Albright lets some air
out of his tires and heads down the trail. |
Movement caught his eye. A slight desert breeze
cooled the air on this high mountain pass. The Indian and
his son stood motionless, squinting across the vast desert
in the bright sun. Then the sun glared off something moving,
something shiny and out of place, way off across the distant
valley. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this.
The young boy looked up and asked his father what was coming
toward them. "White men," was all he said.
It was the middle of the 1800s and the Death
Valley '49ers were headed for fame and fortune in the California
gold fields. More than 150 years later, I got to spend a few
nights around a campfire with Dugan Hansen, the grandson of
the young Shoshone Indian boy who witnessed the first white
men coming down Furnace Creek Wash into Death Valley. By the
time I met Dugan, his weathered Native American face sported
a bright smile, and his eyes told tales his lips couldn't
repeat. Probably in his 80s at the time, Dugan had lived in
the desert most all of his life. He never ran out of stories
or of tales of his grandfather.
You can drive to the place where the Indian stood to watch
the first white travelers in Death Valley. Today we call it
Rogers Pass, and it sits at the top of Pleasant Canyon in
the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley National Park, in eastern
California. The pass comes about midway around a four-wheel-drive
loop, a daylong drive through the Panamint Mountains, and
it's worth every inch of the trip that traverses up Pleasant
Canyon and down South Park Canyon. On our first late-winter
trip through this loop, we experienced pleasure, pressure,
prettiness and pucker.
The loop begins at the ghost town of Ballarat
in Panamint Valley; you'll find it south of Panamint Springs,
north of Trona, off State Highway 178. Signs point the way
once you get close. Be sure to check local conditions with
the National
Park Service or with the Maturango
Museum in Ridgecrest before starting your trip. Road conditions
change often and these desert mountains can take their toll
on any trail at any time.
Our trip began with a look-see at the Ballarat
General Store. Lightfoot Louie was the caretaker on our first
trip through (he's long gone), and there's no gas and not
a lot left of this once-thriving mining town. We started our
trip just south of the store, where it is easy to spot the
road heading east up into Pleasant Canyon. This is the air-down
point. Drop your tire pressure to something safe, but less
than pavement pressure. I recommend around 20 pounds for most
SUVs. You'll love the difference in your ride -- and your
kidneys will thank you.
Once you start climbing up Pleasant Canyon, you'll
see the remains of gold mines that date from the turn of the
20th century, when hopes were high in the Panamints. Henry
Ratcliff called his famous 1896 mine the "Never Give
Up" claim. That same year, the Montgomery brothers opened
the "World Beater" mine. Money was flowing. Well,
perhaps what mostly flowed was sweat and blood.
Most of the mines are abandoned and somewhat
vandalized now, but gold still fires men's imaginations. Around
that campfire years ago were a few local desert rats and miners
still trying to make a living from the rocks. The firelight
twinkled in the eyes of these old-timers as they laughed aloud
at tales of themselves and their (mostly fruitless) search
for gold. My guide at the time, John Hofstetter, better known
as Ol' Saline, had spent 40 years exploring the desert. He
quoted the old saying about Death Valley: More money went
into the ground than ever came out. Most miners went broke,
died or disappeared into the desert, and their ghosts still
haunt the Panamints on the Pleasant Canyon Loop.
As you drive further up Pleasant Canyon you'll
come to Rita's Cabin, just off to your right, in the trees
not far from the top. It's a great place for lunch. When we
were there, the smell of the pinyon pines drifted in the air.
At the top of Pleasant Canyon you'll find a wonderful metal
plaque marking Rogers Pass. This is the spot where the Indian
and his son stood; it is also the spot where John Rogers and
William Manly crossed the mountains to rescue two families
who had become lost in Death Valley in 1849. I have been there
several times over many years and each time, my mind's eye
takes me back to the time when the struggles to tame this
great land were met with death at every turn. Yet man prevails.
At Rogers Pass you turn right (south) and head
for Middle Park, which in turn makes its way to South Park
Canyon for the trip down off the mountain. The route is easy
to follow if you stay tuned into your surroundings and follow
directions, but keep your guidebook and map handy.
The road down South Park is where the pucker
comes in. About two-thirds the way down the canyon, you'll
have to traverse a very precarious bridge along a rock ledge
that has quite a drop-off next to your passenger door. It's
scary but, boy, it is fun! The bridge was built by the "Friends
of Briggs Cabin," part of the Bureau of Land Management's
Adopt-a-Cabin program, and has a weight limit of 6,000 pounds!
The cabin lies below the bridge and awaits you once you descend
and start breathing again.
This old road has a lot of history to it. Built
by the folks who started the Thorndike Mine (located above
the bridge), it was the route the mules used to haul ore down
the mountain into Panamint Valley. The South Park road does
some twisty switchbacks toward the end, but it's basically
a safe trip back to the valley. You'll end up a few miles
south of Ballarat when you hit level ground once again.
The loop road can be traveled all year long,
but do be prepared for snow on top of the Panamints during
winter. Ice flows are likely in very cold weather along the
Pleasant Canyon watercourses as well. Use your 4x4, carry
the right gear and be prepared to hang out if needed. It's
worth it!
Del
Albright
1/4/08
