Telescope Peak??

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by MoapaPk » Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:54 pm

fedak wrote:> Today a room at Circus Circus is $20. Palace Station is $17.

Plus the resort fee on both of those I believe.


Also, rooms are usually more expensive on weekends or any popular times. The cheap rooms may be next to elevators, ice machines, etc.

Most of the time I prefer to camp for free on BLM or USFS land. Sadly, that's not always a practical option. Around here, people often park in casino lots, or at Walmart, and sleep in their trucks.

But at times I do enjoy a cheap motel room-- if it's 15F outside, if your gear needs drying, or if you've spent $100 in gas to get to your destination... $50 for a room doesn't seem that bad!

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Cecilrhodes

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by Cecilrhodes » Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:26 pm

Totally do Telescope Peak! Payoff is immense, with views toward Badwater and the High Sierra. Also consider Charleston/Mummy, and consider camping as there are nice campgrounds in close proximity (Hilltop, McWilliams) plus primitive camping options.

On another note, MoapaPk is one of the leading experts on hiking & scrambling in the Las Vegas area (see also Branch Whitney and Courtney Purcell). His advice is gold-plated, and I advise you pm him for info rather than waste time on know-nothing public-forum muppets.

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colinr

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by colinr » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:01 pm

MoapaPk wrote:We've branched a lot in this thread...

There are lots of places one can pull off the road into a secluded area near Charleston Peak -- most are on the Deer Creek Road or Lee Canyon Road. Obviously, I'm not going to mention all of them on a public forum; but the Mack's Canyon Road (in Lee) is a start (2wd gravel for 1st few miles). A lot of "official" campgrounds will be closed this year so the USFS can upgrade plumbing.

Mahogany Campground on the way to Telescope is about 8200'. You won't really acclimate in just one night, but it will give you a feeling for the altitude. From there to Telescope, it's just a trail; at worst, there will be slippery snow spots. The grade is low for most of the trip.

Lots of folks in coastal CA live near sea level, and make the pilgrimage to the Sierra each weekend; yes, some do get high altitude sickness, but most don't.


Good summary^^^. I'm guessing Charleston would be more advisable during the week if wanting to avoid weekend crowds from Vegas and elsewhere.

Most of the suggestions in this link may be negated by a stretch of 115F days, but here is the best DVNP website for those who enjoy activities besides peakbagging: http://www.panamintcity.com/recommendations/deathvalleyhikes.html

After Telescope, if DV is living up to its unpleasant hot season reputation, check out the Sierra (prettier, but snowier and more distant), or rember that you also have an opportunity to meet these folks over near Zion at Water Canyon/Canaan Mountain:

Image
:D

One more tip: top off fuel before leaving Nevada. If you must buy fuel in DVNP, Stovepipe Wells will probably be cheaper than Furnace Creek. Prices are better over in the towns along the Sierra, but not as cheap as near Las Vegas.

This thread is approaching classic, but is a confusing introduction for a new guy. The last time Cecilrhodes came out of the woodwork, he was blasting someone who rarely appears outside of off-route anymore, but he does seem knowledgeable.

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Re: Telescope Peak??

by phydeux » Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:54 pm

If this is your first time, hike Telescope Peak via the trail from Mahogany Flats. The views from the summit down into DV and the rest of the surrounding desert are some of the best you'll ever see from a mountain top. LAte April/May should be warm (but not mid-summer-blast-furnace-hot) in Death Valley, so take a day to see the tourist sites, too (Badwater, Scotty's Castle, Ubehebe Craters, Golden Canyon, the pupfish ponds, etc)

Save the Badwater route for another time. The Badwater route is an 11,000 ft high, 12 mile (?) long off-trail route thats best done with a car shuttle. Pretty epic, but the regular trail will give you a better chance to get to the top and a more enjoyable trip.

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Re: Telescope Peak??

by colinr » Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:41 pm

http://www.climatemps.com/graph/death-valley-california_files/image002.gif

Image









[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRZfU54fofQ[/youtube]





[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r69SSeaSjT0[/youtube]

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by MoapaPk » Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:38 pm

Mattski wrote:
phydeux wrote:If this is your first time, hike Telescope Peak via the trail from Mahogany Flats. The views from the summit down into DV and the rest of the surrounding desert are some of the best you'll ever see from a mountain top. LAte April/May should be warm (but not mid-summer-blast-furnace-hot) in Death Valley, so take a day to see the tourist sites, too (Badwater, Scotty's Castle, Ubehebe Craters, Golden Canyon, the pupfish ponds, etc)

Save the Badwater route for another time. The Badwater route is an 11,000 ft high, 12 mile (?) long off-trail route thats best done with a car shuttle. Pretty epic, but the regular trail will give you a better chance to get to the top and a more enjoyable trip.


Car shuttle? and it is more like 40/50 miles + 13,000+ ft high, that road after you cross the basin is like 12 miles, the dude has 5 days.


Matt, while I appreciate the difficulty of what you did, not everyone wants to be tested to the limits on a recreational vacation. He's starting in May, and if he took more than a day to climb Telescope, he would still have to camp at the springs, or recharge water at the springs, and carry a lot of water. If you are just going from Shorty's Well to the top and then to a car shuttle at Majogany, It's about 11500' of accumulated gain. If you come back the same way, It's more like 11750' accumulated.

I did go from Shorty's Well to the summit in 10 hours, and then descended to Mahogany for a car shuttle. I was happy when the day was done, but it was never a lot of fun; the scenery is kind of crappy on that route. I much more enjoyed just taking the trail 2 years before. Taking the route from true Badwater, and adding 6.7 miles of boring slog across the desert (which may be quite damaging to your feet if there has been a recent rain), is done for bragging rights only. This guy wants to enjoy himself, not put himself near death for other people's amusement. He doesn't have experience with DV (like Darija, who planned your trip), and could easily be flummoxed by the special needs of hiking in the desert. Let's give him a break.

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Re: Telescope Peak??

by colinr » Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:26 am

MoapaPk wrote:
Mattski wrote:
phydeux wrote:If this is your first time, hike Telescope Peak via the trail from Mahogany Flats. The views from the summit down into DV and the rest of the surrounding desert are some of the best you'll ever see from a mountain top. LAte April/May should be warm (but not mid-summer-blast-furnace-hot) in Death Valley, so take a day to see the tourist sites, too (Badwater, Scotty's Castle, Ubehebe Craters, Golden Canyon, the pupfish ponds, etc)

Save the Badwater route for another time. The Badwater route is an 11,000 ft high, 12 mile (?) long off-trail route thats best done with a car shuttle. Pretty epic, but the regular trail will give you a better chance to get to the top and a more enjoyable trip.


Car shuttle? and it is more like 40/50 miles + 13,000+ ft high, that road after you cross the basin is like 12 miles, the dude has 5 days.


Matt, while I appreciate the difficulty of what you did, not everyone wants to be tested to the limits on a recreational vacation. He's starting in May, and if he took more than a day to climb Telescope, he would still have to camp at the springs, or recharge water at the springs, and carry a lot of water. If you are just going from Shorty's Well to the top and then to a car shuttle at Majogany, It's about 11500' of accumulated gain. If you come back the same way, It's more like 11750' accumulated.

I did go from Shorty's Well to the summit in 10 hours, and then descended to Mahogany for a car shuttle. I was happy when the day was done, but it was never a lot of fun; the scenery is kind of crappy on that route. I much more enjoyed just taking the trail 2 years before. Taking the route from true Badwater, and adding 6.7 miles of boring slog across the desert (which may be quite damaging to your feet if there has been a recent rain), is done for bragging rights only. This guy wants to enjoy himself, not put himself near death for other people's amusement. He doesn't have experience with DV (like Darija, who planned your trip), and could easily be flummoxed by the special needs of hiking in the desert. Let's give him a break.


Agreed. Badwater to Telescope is lame, overrated, poor views for the effort (you can see lots of distant brown stuff that is better viewed from closer), and for those needing a challenge to brag about or to test themselves on (nothing wrong with that if that's your bag). I can think of hundreds of better hikes just in CA, NV, UT, and AZ. It is not a hike for beginners, especially outside a narrow season of cool temps down low and melted ice up high (October/November may be best, or April of a year with perfect conditions). I figure mattski just
finds the topic entertaining and easy to troll. The moderate hike (in good conditions) from the charcoal kilns, Thorndike, or Mahogany Flats is worthwhile, but not as scenic as most high Sierra hikes, unless you just want a long view.

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colinr

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by colinr » Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:52 am

.
Last edited by colinr on Thu May 23, 2013 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Telescope Peak??

by colinr » Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:05 am

.
Last edited by colinr on Thu May 23, 2013 7:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Telescope Peak??

by colinr » Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:53 am

I should know that ya gotta quote the Kiwi 'cus he and his gems always get deleted.
Last edited by colinr on Thu May 23, 2013 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by MoapaPk » Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:35 pm

I'm glad this isn't getting too nasty, because the conversation makes for good entertainment! I'm laughing with both Sean and Matt, not at them.

The Bad thing about the Badwater (or Shorty's Well to Telescope) route: it is committing, and if you screw up, you can be in a world of hurt, especially if you are alone. For me, it helped to be very used to that sort of terrain, and to have a "cool" (65F at 3:30AM) start... and to have a GPS. Twice I've been on that route when other teams -- very fit people-- got in trouble because navigational errors wasted a scant 2 hours, and had them run out of water or light.

I don't think this an American thing, so much as the result of being older. I've had the misfortune to take part in rescues that were really body recoveries, so I tend to do more mental risk management, probably too much.

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artirm

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by artirm » Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:41 pm

A mountaineer does not list Marcy as an accomplishment, unless done from Panther gorge. Stop showing off.

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Re: Telescope Peak??

by MoapaPk » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:09 pm

OK. I'll break it into days, too:

day 1) Drive to Mahogany and camp;
day 2) climb Telescope, return to camp, and drive somewhere else;
day 3) do something else.

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fedak

 
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by fedak » Mon Apr 01, 2013 2:19 am

Was out in Kyle Canyon this weekend and the approach to Mummy is already almost completely snow free.
Should be bone dry in May
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Re: Telescope Peak??

by Holsti97 » Mon Apr 01, 2013 4:52 am

We did Telescope Peak in August from the campground in preparation for the Mountaineer's Route on Mt. Whitney. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the scenery, wildflowers and the climb. It was 108 degrees in nearby Stovepipe Wells, but much cooler on the mountain. Here is a link to some photos of our climb:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 56302ffb91

Make sure you stop at the bar in Stovepipe Wells for a large selection of beverages after the climb.

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