We awoke in Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. We were only planning to stay one day in Stovepipe Wells and on this evening we would stay the night in Panamint Springs. In between, we were heading up to the mountains where it was cooler. Dad was going to go climb Telescope Peak, the highest in Death Valley, while Jacqueline, Zyla, and I were going to head up a lesser summit, Wildrose Peak. It was a long drive to get to the trailhead including a long section of dirt road. We had a run in with a jerky guy who would not pull his vehicle to the side as we were going up. We had to back way down the hill to get out of his way even though there was a turnoff not very far from where we were. We dropped Dad off at the trailhead for Telescope Peak and then drove back down to our trailhead at the Charcoal Kilns. I checked out the kilns while Jacqueline gave Z her lunch. The trail started out rather flat with just a slight incline to begin with. We were both moving really well and enjoying the fact that it was in the 80s rather than 100s.
The trail climbed for a bit and then gave us some good views down into Death Valley. We watched the sky wondering what was going to happen with the weather. Some afternoon thunderstorms were building but the temperature was still rather comfortable.
The vegetation, though full of trees now, was still rather sparse as Death Valley is not a place to go check out the plants. There were some bristlecone pines once we got to high elevation.
We were moving great and super confident about making the top until we came around a corner just below the push to the summit. There we were blindsided by rain and heavy wind. So far, little Z had done great sleeping a lot of the hike and was a great companion on the hike.
We were happy to have her with us, but now that we hit this weather, we couldn't subject a 16 month old to these bad of conditions. We looked over to Telescope Peak to see the same sort of weather over there and moving our way. We turned around though the summit was just a few hundred yards away.
Once we got to lower elevation, the weather died down and it was just a bit windy. There was no lightning making it just a high altitude rain event. We cruised down in pretty good time and then got back to the Xterra. We drove up the hill to the trailhead for Telescope Peak again where I hiked out to meet Dad coming down, while Jacqueline gave Zyla a little snack.
Dad had made the summit not allowing the poor weather to turn him around. We hiked the last little bit down as I tried to recall the trail from the time I had hiked to the top of Telescope Peak 9 years earlier. I wondered now if we would have to go back later to finish off this hike to the top of Wildrose Peak.
The trail climbed for a bit and then gave us some good views down into Death Valley. We watched the sky wondering what was going to happen with the weather. Some afternoon thunderstorms were building but the temperature was still rather comfortable.
The vegetation, though full of trees now, was still rather sparse as Death Valley is not a place to go check out the plants. There were some bristlecone pines once we got to high elevation.
We were moving great and super confident about making the top until we came around a corner just below the push to the summit. There we were blindsided by rain and heavy wind. So far, little Z had done great sleeping a lot of the hike and was a great companion on the hike.
We were happy to have her with us, but now that we hit this weather, we couldn't subject a 16 month old to these bad of conditions. We looked over to Telescope Peak to see the same sort of weather over there and moving our way. We turned around though the summit was just a few hundred yards away. 
Once we got to lower elevation, the weather died down and it was just a bit windy. There was no lightning making it just a high altitude rain event. We cruised down in pretty good time and then got back to the Xterra. We drove up the hill to the trailhead for Telescope Peak again where I hiked out to meet Dad coming down, while Jacqueline gave Zyla a little snack.
Dad had made the summit not allowing the poor weather to turn him around. We hiked the last little bit down as I tried to recall the trail from the time I had hiked to the top of Telescope Peak 9 years earlier. I wondered now if we would have to go back later to finish off this hike to the top of Wildrose Peak.
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