This week long trip began here in California where I and the rest of the group go to school. We loaded a rented van and truck with gear and supplies and headed out to our first destination.
Part 1
The Valley of Fire
We arrive at the Valley of Fire late at night and it's a good thing we arrived when we did; I had just been blasting Girl Talk and Katy Perry for all the unfortunate souls that occupied the car with me. As the faithful copilot in the truck we navigated the dirt roads that led to our campsite in the pitch-black darkness. We quickly threw on our head-lamps laid down a tarp and went to sleep under the stars.
When we woke up, we finally saw what we had been missing on the drive in. And we began our hiking.
Our campsite after waking up:
Breakfast time:
Natural Arches:
Hiking:
One thing that immediately sets in is the feeling that the landscape is an infinite expanse. It is a captivating and eerily silent location.
Ancient Petroglyphs:
After we had finished hiking for the day we packed everything back into our truck and van and said goodbye to the Valley of Fire:
The Valley of Fire, in retrospect was a beautifully serene and eerie landscape but I've seen similar and more exhilarating in Utah. It was a leisurely easy hiking day and it was exactly what the doctor ordered post-winter finals.
Coming tomorrow: The Black Canyon River.
Tales of the Black Canyon River
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