Telescope Peak, Death Valley (DPS)

Day 2 of my desert bonanza. After a very windy night in Mahogany Flats—which I must say, is among the most gorgeous campsites I have yet enjoyed, with views across Badwater Basin to the Black Mountains; a range that defies its name as it blooms red with sunset—we suited up at 4:30AM to start the hike. Temps at the summit were predicted at near zero degrees, and we soon regretted our ambitious start-time, as hiking in the dark only seemed to increase the cold.

We hugged the east flank of Rogers Peak and at last crested the high saddle of Arcane Meadows. Here we committed our second and most grievous error by opting to enjoy the sunrise from the most windswept point of the entire hike. We settled into a bench of rocks, transfixed by the breathtaking play of colors, playing no attention to the breathtaking drop in temperature on the saddle. Gloves came off for only three minutes before our meals were abandoned and the stiff tubes of deadened flesh that had once been our fingers were stuffed back into our mittens. We trundled farther along the trail as fast as possible, trying to build up heat, and the pain in our fingertips as they gradually thawed was indescribable as the sunrise, though markedly less pleasant.

From here the trail sweept to the west of Bennet Peak and ran along the Panamint Crest, with views across Panamint Valley to the Argus Range, and beyond to the always-exceptional Sierra Crest. The views retained their power as we hiked in blessed daylight through tall grass and up a series of switchbacks to the summit. The stacked peaks of the Panamint Range as it extended endlessly south was a sight to behold, and we took a decidedly casual pace on our return, enjoying numerous breaks once out of the wind and a hearty lunch on our return to Mahogany Flats.