The Death Valley Encounter (long)
zx Nick Warhol (nwarhol@mscorp.kla.com)
Mon, 28 Oct 96 16:31:00 PST
Karen Chaton asked some questions about the Death Valley Encounter
multi-day ride coming up after Christmas. Judy and I have been down
there for the past three years, and have enjoyed most of the rides. (no
fault of the rides- those miserable injuries!) I crewed for her the
first two times, and rode it last year. The DVE has to be one of the most
scenic rides in existence, especially if you like the southwest. The
ride is always an adventure, but well worth the effort involved. And it
requires a big effort!
Yes, you need a crew, or at the very least a driver. The DVE is a point
to point ride, where the start and finish is in a different place every
day. The crew does a TON of driving, and a lot of it is up and down some
serious mountain passes. Bring a strong truck. It is a 9 hour drive
from the Bay Area to Ridgecrest (where the Bumgartners live), so we
always drive down 2 days before the ride. We camp at their ranch the
first night, and let the horses recover and rest the next day. Then in
the afternoon before the first day, it is a 2.5 hour or so drive out to
the start at Panament Springs. Nice campground with lots of water,
showers, a restaurant, and gas station. (EXPENSIVE! Fill up in
ridgecrest, or Trona) The first day goes out through a great canyon, to
a sort of ghost town with people, and across the desert a whole bunch.
Nice Dez, though. The ride ends at 6500 feet in a place in the boonies
with NO SERVICES of any kind- you need to bring everything except horse
water. (bring that to be safe) On the last 2 years there has been a
bunch of snow on the ground, like a foot or better in places. The dirt
roads you ride on at the end of the day can be slippery from Ice in the
late afternoon- watch that. It got down to 24 degrees last year up here-
I know, because I was up at 2:00 feeding the horses, and it was COLD.
Day 2 usually continues on up over a huge mountain pass, down into Death
Valley itself, and ends up at the incredible Ubehebe Crater, near
Scotty's Castle. The last two years the snow was too deep to get over
the pass, so the ride re-traced itself back the way it came on the first
day. Still fun, but bring that heavy jacket and warm tights for the
start. After day 2, you either trailer (about 45 minutes) from the
finish at the crater, or more recently from Panament Springs (about 2
hrs), over to Furnace Creek. This is the only real town in Death
Valley, and they have restaurants, hotels, and swimming pools. Watch out
for the low clearance awning at the gas station- it took out the luggage
rack on my camper. day three starts here, and does a really cool loop up
through some hills, then goes out to the longest road on earth. 35 miles
or so right down the middle of the valley. One road, no turns, no
ribbons, nothing but road. Be sure to notice the Nick Warhol memorial
monument which marks Johnson Valley. This is where my young horse
spooked last year, twisted, and injured his suspensory ligament. I would
not mind so much, but that stupid monument is the only thing for hours to
even look at! The finish of day 3 is also out in the middle of nowhere-
bring everything again. The crews need to drive about 8 or so miles on a
washboard dirt road- yuck with a camper. Day four is the big mac. It is
about 60 miles, and is tough. You climb right out of the valley, over a
couple of mountain passes, and down to the smelly town of Trona. Don't
feel bad if you are a crew- you will be driving for about 6 hours to get
to the finish. From the desert to Mormon Point, past Badwater, back
though Furnace Creek, through Stovepipe wells, up the monster grade,
back down near Panament Springs, turn left and drive all the way to
Trona. Carry some water for your horse if you can on day four- sometimes
there is not much out there. Judy carried a camelback with good results.
Some hints- PLan for every weather condition there is- last year I
started day 2 in the snow, and started day 3 in 70 degrees in a tee
shirt. There are rocks out there. I used pads all around and was not
sorry. Judy's horse Warpaint wore his rear shoes as thin as paper after
3 days. Lucky for her Jim Bumgardner is a farrier. They did 4 shoes by
a coleman lantern, and WP finished sixth the next and final day. Bring
lots of horse food. You won't find any out there. Change your saddle
pads every day, and keep that beast clean. We noticed a huge amount of
salts and other deposits on the horses back and legs. Watch out for
those darn F-15 fighter jets! They use the area of the first and second
day for maneuvers, and although it is fun to watch them, they tend to
"buzz" the horses and camps when they get a chance. They are LOUD, and
lots of horses go bezerk when they come by at 500 feet at mach 1 or
whatever. I highly recommend a four wheel drive truck. Why? Because
in the 3 years I have been down there, I have used mine about 5 times.
I can't speak highly enough about the ride management or the ride
itself. Jim and Jackie are great people, and put on a ride which is a
real adventure. The vet is the infamous Dave Nicholson, or also known as
the Duck. He knows what he is doing, but he also makes sure the rider is
in control of his or her own horse. You have to be prepared for the
desert- it is not very forgiving out there. You are really responsible
for yourself, and you won't see any Seven Eleven stores anywhere. Carry
basic survival stuff like matches, warm cloths, food, and lots of water.
If you get separated from your horse, stay on the course! You will be
found, but if you wander off into the desert, it could be trouble. It is
a big desert, and it is possible to get lost.
Sound like Fun? It is! I hope to get down there agan this year, but
Judy won't be riding Warpaint due to his Tevis injury. I am not sure if
I will be riding my horse, or crewing, or what.
Nick Warhol
Hayward, Ca.
Shatta (who is all better now, thank you)
Rowan (who is retired, and happy)