January 19, 2014 Palmer Canyon, Death Valley

How fitting that we should hike Palmer canyon. It is named after T.S Palmer who was a naturalist, author and  ornithologist who studied  in Death Valley in 1891. But it could have been named after us! Judy made a utube video of our hike if you are interested. http://tinyurl.com/PALMERCYN

After hiking a mile or so on a trail around the cliffs we had to cross the cauldron. It really has no official name but in the hiking description we read the author called it the cauldron, in another description they called it the hell hole. It was a lot of up and down in really spectacular scenery. Here are Judy and John starting to drop into the first wash. This is the cauldron from the other side,  it is easier to photograph from there, on our way in we could not see much of it.

At the bottom of the cauldron is an arch, and a very narrow pretty canyon.

Looking up at the cauldron side. Very convoluted brightly colored rock layers in this area. The mouth of Palmer Canyon.

The Palmer sister’s in Palmer Canyon. John heading up it. The beginning was a long section of very steep narrows with the colored rock layers tilted up almost vertical. Very beautiful.

Water worked rocks. Very beautiful canyon.

Judy even higher up.

 

Looking up the canyon. It widened out higher up and you could see that even the peaks surrounding it have pretty chaotic layers too.

Another bridge. We stopped for lunch and eventually turned around where John took this photo of the Palmer sisters in Palmer Canyon with Palmer peak in the background. We decided to not go up the last mile and 600 feet vertical since in the end we hiked 10 miles, 2000 + vertical and we barely made it back to the car by dark.

The bridge on the way back. There are tiny arches in these rocks at the sky line.

John helping Judy down the rock fall. It was an about 8 foot drop, with an overhang. We got up ok,  by teetering on a rock and getting good handholds to pull up, but coming down blind was harder, John is so wonderful guiding our feet to the right footholds.  Canyon going down.

John heading down.

Judy coming down. Even the rocks above us were chaotic.

Near the mouth of the canyon, looking into Death Valley

Judy  hiking up and over so  we could drop into the cauldron, with a close up of the rocks.

My shadow creatively disguised looking into the cauldron. The canyon at the bottom of the cauldron.

Looking back at the cauldron and some rusted looking rocks and a seed head.

The sky was on fire on our drive back.