Feb 10-12, 2012
I've hoped to join this annual tradition by the Tullamore Dew Running Club for the past 3 years, but injury stopped me in '09, conflict with the Route 66 Photo Workshop in '10, and a calf injury in '11. This year my fortunes changed, and the Santa Cruz Track Club too was going to make a strong showing. It turned into THE classic of all trail running adventures.
This first set of photos I generated from raw photos kindly given to me on DVD by Robert. I picked through and found what I liked the best and polished them in photoshop...
Lone figure amid an expanse of sand |
Sand People (not these Sand People) |
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More sand-foolery |
at the Amargosa Opera House |
President Larry is mighty impressed with the utility meter at Scotty's Castle |
Larry and Tisch do a recon of the end of Saturday's big marathon, at the bottom of Titus Canyon |
Larry and Robert getting pumped, for the upcoming marathon. |
It's Friday, and re-inforcements have arrived. Me, Dave, Diane, Joyce, Nancy explore Mosaic Canyon |
I spent the night before we left, Thursday night, at the observatory. I like the cold, the utter darkness, the quiet, and the ability to read my favorite books while imaging through the big 12", and then sleep soundly. Got up at 2:50am, and drove to Dave and Di's by 3:30am to meet with Nancy and Jim who would be driving the our little gang to Death Valley.
Automotive difficulties... cheer up, Peter - it's not serious! |
Dave and Roger, happy to be in the Valley at last. |
Jim-bo, Nancy, Joyce, me, and Dave at the entrance to Mosaic Canyon |
Let the hiking begin... |
800 million year old sedimentary rocks from when the ocean and shallow seas occupied the western US, contorted and metamorphized by heat and pressure into what we see now. |
Shadow people. A primal scene in a primal place. |
Diane, where the going got a bit slower and more technical... |
Robert joined us as we got to the narrows. Time to head back. He, Dave, and I decided to cross-country run back to Stovepipe Wells, 4 miles across the desert, according to GoogleEarth. |
Dave's out ahead, and me with my Lawrence-of-Mosaic-Canyon hat behind
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Those tiny white things in the distance; that's Stovepipe Wells. I stayed on the alluvial fan. You won't find scenery or surfaces like this in Santa Cruz - I had a blast running all the way down! |
Stay tuned - more pix to come. It's a work in progress....
Elevation drop is 4140 ft from Red Pass (5,280 ft) to the bottom of Titus Canyon (940 ft)
Other gallery pages...
Linda's from Mosaic Canyon
Linda's from the Titus Canyon Run
Linda's from Fossil Falls
Ian McFadyn's photos
