Telescope, Rogers, and Bennett Peaks
This was my 1st trip ever to
Death Valley National Park. I was really looking forward to it. The day before, on Thanksgiving day, I had climbed
Moapa Peak which has an exhilarating knife edge.
Driving from Las Vegas
sierragator and I left early. It was a clear day, as we could see Telescope Peak from a good distance away after passing over Daylight Pass. We then drove along the valley floor passed Stovepipe Wells at sea level. The views of the sand dunes were awesome. Right before arriving at the trailhead at Mohagony Flat we drove by the kilns.
The sign at the trailhead says Telescope Peak is 7 miles, though it was only about 6.20 miles. It was a very windy day, with temperatures around 25 or so. The wind was chilly to the bone. There was a group of young people that were wearing shorts and long sleeve shirts that made it all the way to Telescope. They had to have been freezing.
At the saddle between Rogers and Bennett I stopped to enjoy the views. In one direction was the Sierras with
Mount Whitney and in the other direction was Death Valley. It was awesome seeing both the lowest and highest point in the lower 48 from the same location.
On the summit the views were great. It was just downright windy and cold. After getting some good photos and signing the summit register it was time to get of the summit with it’s exposure and head for
Bennett. Next to the ridge before Bennett was nice to get out of the wind. After a brief rest on Bennett we headed down to the saddle and then up
Rogers. There was no summit register, so I placed one up there. We then waited a little bit in one of the buildings to warm up and watch the Full Moon come up over the Spring Mountains to the East. It was hazy though and we decided to start heading off the mountain to get out of the cold and wind. On the ridge down back to the trailhead the sun was setting and Moon was rising providing some of the best views I’d seen all year. The total trip was 12.14 miles. Not too bad for a 3 peak day.
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