After a wonderful trip in the Northern Grapevines, Malcolm was tired, but I was hungry for more. We spent a relaxing afternoon at Emigrant, and then a relaxing day up at the Mahogany Flats Campground, high in the Panamints overlooking Death Valley. I was getting restless, so after climbing Wildrose Peak together, I set off on my own, with a plan to meet at Stovepipe Wells in a day and a half time.
The hiking went relatively quickly, some cross country and some dirt roads. I summited Tucki Mtn on the second afternoon, seeing my friend Not A Chance in the summit register from over a year prior, and only one hiker in between us. So many motorists pass by on 190 a vertical mile below, but so few venture up to Tucki Mtn.
The descent was gradual at first, but then steepened considerably. I followed big horn sheep trails down to a dry spring. I thought I was in the clear, as Digonnet had made it up here from Mosaic Canyon.
The temperature climbed sharply as I descended. The next mile was quite scary, entering the canyon was extremely loose and sketchy and then there were multiple dryfalls in the canyon that were dicey to downclimb.
Finally I was grateful to see many tourists food steps. Mosaic Canyon is one of the more famous short hikes in Death Valley, and I was extremely lucky to get to see it at golden hour with no other people around. Having threaded the needle down Tucki Mtn to get here, surely helped me appreciate the canyon even more.
I glided down the canyon, on smooth trails now, and reached the mouth just as the sun dipped beneath the Cottonwoods. I began to jog down the alluvial fan, filled with energy, fear and awe from Death Valley’s massive landscape.
For years I had wanted to traverse the Panamints, I had stared up at Tucki Mountain longingly on so many different trips, and now at last I had done it, not all at once, but over four different trips, I had pieced together a full traverse of the Panamints. Walking those last few steps on the pavement into Stovepipe Wells felt damn good.
Anthony Ottati 