Death Valley "Road Trip" and hikes (4-5 days): "Leaderless" trip?

OK, I can't make it this year, so I'm posting this to see if others want to go without me. There have been a few people who've expressed interest in helping to "lead" the trip.

So, read carefully before you RSVP.

Jeff and Digne have volunteered to be informal leaders for the Roadtrip. Jeff must leave at sunset Sunday, but Digne will carry on.

If you are going and will be there even if it's just you, go ahead and RSVP--but leave a comment about your level of participation.

If you'd like to go but only if a decent enough group of people sign up, and/or only if a few people step forward as leaders, leave a comment saying such in the comment section.

Remember, leave comments and questions in the comment section to help others know your plans/flexibility.

Time for our 5th annual Death Valley New Years road trip (see reviews/photos from 2009 (https://www.meetup.com/SF-Bay-Area-Geology-Hiking/calendar/11478922) or 2010 (https://www.meetup.com/SF-Bay-Area-Geology-Hiking/events/14854782/), 2011 (https://www.meetup.com/SF-Bay-Area-Geology-Hiking/events/32069372/), or 2012 (https://www.meetup.com/SF-Bay-Area-Geology-Hiking/events/46703322/)).

Bottom lines for this trip:

To get to hikes, you will be likely driving 50-150 miles each day within the park (it's a big park). Generally we will have at least one hike each day (most hikes have options for shorter--1 mile--and longer hikes--up to five miles). Some days we will have both morning and afternoon hikes. You will see many amazing sites around the park, both geologically and culturally. You'll return home with many wonderful photos to show your friends. You will meet many nice people http://img2.meetupstatic.com/981263258369601089/img/smileys/smile.gif, and enjoy campfire evenings (hotel stayers are invited to join us around the campfire). While members are encouraged to join us for all events, everyone is free to opt out of any given event to seem something they want to see that is not on this year's itinerary. Important: Meet on our "official" full hiking day, Sunday, in front of the Furnace Creek Ranch store, at 8:45 AM. There you can buy lunch stuff if you need to. We plan to leave by 9:15 am. Jeff will be leading a full-day hike Saturday as well for those interested who can travel to the park Friday. That hike meets up at the Furnace Creek Ranch store at 8:30 am.

Here's the tentative plan:

Friday, Dec 27 OR Sat Dec 28: Leave the Bay Area early, arriving at Death Valley late afternoon/early evening Fri or Sat. People can either camp (Texas Spring (http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/camping.htm)) or stay in a hotel ( Furnace Creek Ranch (http://www.furnacecreekresort.com/furnace-creek-ranch-1223.html)) or motels in Beatty or Amargosa, Nev. BOOK NOW before they fill up! Depending on how when you leave and how fast you drive, you will get there late afternoon or after sunset (about 4:39). Sat, Dec 28: Meet at Furnace Creek Ranch store 8:30 am. For those who arrived Friday, Jeff will leading a 4-5 hr hike up the "secret" Kaleidoscope Canyon in the southern Black Mountains. Details available for those who sign up. Sun Dec 29: 9:00 am - 3:00 or so. Meet a Furnace Creek Ranch store 8:45 for "Land Behind the Rocks" hike behind Monte Blanco up a gorge tributary to 20 Mule Team Canyon. Examine Furnace Creek and Artist Drive Formations. Bring lunch, water. Jeff has prepared a geologic map for attendees. http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/c/c/6/event_312491462.jpeg

Mon Dec 30:North end of valley: Lots of options: Rhyolite Ghost Town, Titus Canyon. Scottie's Castle (ticketed) Tour, Ubehebe Crater. Sunset at Dante's View? Eureka Sand Dunes (overnight camping) with Digne. http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/2/6/0/event_314836992.jpeg
Tues Dec 31:South end of valley: Morning: Artists Canyon, Ventifact Ridge, Badwater.Lunch on the road. Afternoon: Open. Perhaps a hike up Willow Canyon to see the waterfalls (or maybe a hike down the canyon from the top. Evening: Dinner at Furnace Creek Ranch restaurant for those who desire. Wed Jan 1: Drive home. This group may decide to travel to hot springs on the way home, or other trip-lengthening detours, but that's up to those in each car/carpool (and depends on the amount of snow in the mountains, which can make the duration of this drive essentially impossible to do in a day). Details:

At nights, we'll be staying in the Furnace Creek area, which has both camping (it will be cold at night) and motel rooms at the Furnace Creek Ranch (Furnace Creek Inn is just down the street for those who want more luxury). Each morning we'll carpool to our hikes--we'll aim for a moderate hiking pace, but leave no one behind--this is a hiking group, so I'll assume everyone understands that this is not just car-touringhttp://img2.meetupstatic.com/981263258369601089/img/smileys/smile.gif. I'll be posting some files (camping, park map, etc.) below for people to look at, or you can visit the Death Valley National Park web site (http://www.nps.gov/deva/).

Map: Here's a Google map showing the camping/hotel area, as well as some hikes we may make: http://tinyurl.com/deathvalleygeologyhike

Hikes: Hikes are always tentative: Road conditions, number of 4WD's available, etc. may change our plans. We may decide on longer hikes, or multiple shorter hikes, driving between them (there are many 1-2 hour hikes in the park). If we have cars with "high clearance," we can get down a few roads that are a bit too bumpy for most cars; but we'll probably not go down 4-wheel drive roads (unless everyone has 4WD, and even then we'll likely avoid the really rough ones).

Camping: Camp sites hold up to 8 people and 2 cars--some are "pull through" others are "walk-in, tent only". Last two years we stayed in Texas Spring, which is nicer than Furnace Creek--but right near it. Texas Spring has water, sinks, and flush toilets, but no showers. Furnace Creek Ranch offers shower and pool access for $5/day. Camping is first-come, first served (non-reservable), so we'll ask the first person to arrive to reserve two campsites (probably some of us staying at Red Rock Canyon can reserve good spaces--then all campers will reimburse a portion of the fees). If, for some reason, we get there too late and can't get a reservation, Furnace Creek has 135 sites and won't sell out, so we won't be left without a site. Bring a sturdy tent: Last year in a daytime windstorm several tents got blown around.

Motel: If you want to stay in the Furnace Creek Ranch or the FC Inn (a pricier resort, also in the area), make your own reservations now (http://www.furnacecreekresort.com/furnace-creek-ranch-1223.html) Furnace Creek does sell out! If you want to share a room, leave a comment below stating your desires/preferences. Other alternative: Stovepipe Wells Village is a bit less expensive, and only about 30 miles from Furnace Creek area. Another much less expensive motel option is to stay in Beatty, Nevada. This is about 45 miles away (in 2009 a couple people stayed here), but the roads are mostly straight, but you do pass through a mountain pass. Google Maps estimates the drive at 1 hour 13 minutes, which I suspect is a bit longer than needed.

Food: Plan on having at least your own lunches that you can take with you on hikes (we may coordinate breakfasts and dinners, for those who are interested-, but everyone is welcome to just bring their own). There is a restaurant at Furnace Creek for those inclined to dine in.

Weather: Cold at nights; may have some rain but not likely too much. http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/weather.htm Regardless, be ready for cold, and be ready for rain.

Cost: Each participant will be responsible for:

their own transportation cost, or helping with gas if they carpool camping ($18/site/night) or motel (2 queen=$169/night) entrance fee ($20/car) their own food (some may be shared). Cell phone reception: Is getting better, although most coverage maps I've seen show a big dead spot in Death Valley. In 2012 most of us could make calls/text messages from Texas Spring/Furnace Creek, but there are no guarantees how good it will be. Hopefully it's improving every year.

Notes:

I love Racetrack Playa, but it's a long drive down a serious washboard road. If you want to do this, mention it in the comments section and see if others agree. Please don't RSVP until you know you can make it. The trip won't fill up, so you don't have to worry about beating others to get a space. Other links

Road conditions (http://www.nps.gov/deva/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=439529) (some backroads are closed now, but we'll want to check this before we leave just in case there are any washouts or other closures). Hikes in Death Valley (http://www.deathvalley.com/exploring/hiking.shtml) From Trails.com: Rhyolite, Nevada Rhyolite is an eerie-looking ghost town set in the barren desert of western Nevada. In 1904, gold was found in the nearby hills, and Rhyolite boomed and busted in 1910. This famously photographed ghost town is a National Historic Site and has been featured in many western films. Rhyolite makes a great day trip from either Las Vegas or Death Valley National Park, and visitors can tour several remains of the boom days, including the old train depot, bank, jail and the Bottle House, which was fully restored for Paramount Pictures' film "The Air Mail." Read more at Trails.com: Ghosts of Christmas Past: Ghost Towns to Visit this Winter | Trails.com (http://www.trails.com/list_20122_ghost-towns-visit-this-winter.html#ixzz16yDjQkYD).