A few weeks back I got to visit Death Valley with James Brandon and Mike Mezeul and five other wonderful folk. We had a blast, only one flat (on the way to the Racetrack). I got to break the window of a Jeep with a tire wrench and I only had one scorpion fall on my head while in the shower!
I flew out a day before our workshop was scheduled to start, hoping to get some images from areas of the Death Valley National Park that we were not planning to visit as a group.
I'd heard of Darwin Falls in Death Valley but never been there on previous visits so decided this was the time. The falls cascade year round though the flow varies with the seasons. From the parking lot to the falls is about a mile hike. Only the last 100 yards or so requires criss-crossing the stream below the falls and there was only one short section of perhaps six-feet where I felt the need to maintain a 3-point contact with the canyon wall to scramble around an outcrop of rock.
The hike, which also got cooler in the shade of the trees and canyon walls, was rewarded with this wonderful view of the falls and the clear green pool below them. However, since this is the water source for Panamint Springs, one needs to be careful to not foul the water.
I plan on positing more of my images from the Death Valley workshop over the next few posts.
