OAUSA Net - May 26, 2016 - Panamint City Adventure

[DaveK]

The net this week will deal with an adventure to Panamint City. The pictures below will be used for reference during the net. The area is now in Death Valley and managed by the National Park Service, who says this about it:

Panamint City was called the toughest, rawest, most hard-boiled little hellhole that ever passed for a civilized town. Its founders were outlaws who, while hiding from the law in the Panamint Mountains, found silver in Surprise Canyon and gave up their life of crime. In 1874 the town was at the height of its boom with a population of 2,000 citizens. By the fall of 1875 the boom was over, and in 1876 a flash flood destroyed most of the town. The chimney of the smelter is the most prominent remnant of the town's heyday. The site of Panamint City is accessible via a 5 mile hike from Chris Wicht’s Camp, which is located 6 miles northeast of the ghost town of Ballarat. Mining in the area continued on a sporadic basis up until recent times. The ruins of old Panamint City were added to Death Valley National Park in October of 1994. ( https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyc ... -towns.htm )

Some of the most fascinating points of interest along the way to Panamint City will also be included in the discussion.

1. Ballarat plaque contribution by the groups who like to share history with everyone. Theft of these plaques have become a problem, help report vandalism and theft so that they continue to provide a looking glass into the past.

Panamint 01.JPG (140.78 KiB) Viewed 915 times

2. The ghosts of the desert...until they bray at the moon and you are zipped up tight in your sleeping bag late at night and it is echoes through the canyon like some eerie sound effect from a horror movie.

Panamint 02.JPG (112.49 KiB) Viewed 915 times

3. Remnants of another time...they say the Manson family left graffiti on some of these artifacts.

Panamint 03.JPG (92.2 KiB) Viewed 915 times

4. Ballarat Jail as seen from the driver's seat of the old Power Wagon.

Panamint 04.JPG (69.87 KiB) Viewed 915 times

5. I would think staying in this jail during any of the extreme weather conditions of the desert would be reason enough to stay out of trouble.

Panamint 05.JPG (101.17 KiB) Viewed 915 times

6. The General Store during a get together that just happened to be going on during our visit. You may only find one or two cans of beans and weenies, some Ramien and a propane canister...so, hopefully they have what you "need" but I doubt it.

Panamint 06.JPG (81.66 KiB) Viewed 915 times

7. Chris Wicht's Camp and trailhead parking as seen from above.

Panamint 07.JPG (99.41 KiB) Viewed 915 times

8. This place is supernatural at night when you wake up and look across it with all the snags seeming to reach up at the star studded sky.

Panamint 08.JPG (124.36 KiB) Viewed 915 times

9. A living museum and testament to others who dared to brave the desert in search of fortune.

Panamint 09.JPG (122.61 KiB) Viewed 915 times

10. The water wheel long gone but another example of desert dweller ingenuity.

Panamint 10.JPG (168.62 KiB) Viewed 915 times

[KK6GFF]

Online checkin pls.

KK6GFF Roger

[KAP]

Dave,
Check me in.

KK6DGL
Kevin

[DaveK]

Next Batch, by the numbers:

11. The is trip provides an amazing contrast to the mostly arid landscape. With a steady flow of water in the area the flora and fauna in this canyon are an environmental treasure.

Panamint 11.JPG (70.93 KiB) Viewed 886 times

12. There are several falls, although small, that also show signs of a time when anchor points for winching over them was commonplace. Those days are long passed and the only way in now is by foot or four-legged ride.

Panamint 12.JPG (125.82 KiB) Viewed 886 times

13. Another example of life along a desert riparian creek.

Panamint 13.JPG (96.11 KiB) Viewed 886 times

14. Coming out of the "tunnel" where there is probably lots of food crisscrossing, we noticed this guy waiting on his next meal.

Panamint 14.JPG (148.17 KiB) Viewed 886 times

15. These are two of the ghosts that walk the valley and the ones that so rudely woke us up at zero-dark-thirty as they brayed for who knows what reason. Because this is a tight canyon, their clamoring echoed all around us.

Panamint 15.JPG (115.53 KiB) Viewed 886 times

16. A collared spotted lizard.

Panamint 16.JPG (131.11 KiB) Viewed 886 times

17. A little Panamint City history in paragraph form.

Panamint 17.JPG (137.19 KiB) Viewed 886 times

18. This is a tight canyon as viewed from above the smelter stack with lots of out buildings and cabins. There is plenty to explore so an extended stay for more than 24 hours might be well worth your time.

Panamint 18.JPG (126.94 KiB) Viewed 886 times

19. An example of the still, very intact cabins that are present. A hazard and potentially a blessing depending on the circumstance.

Panamint 19.JPG (145.7 KiB) Viewed 886 times

20. Artifact art. A lot of "funky" stuff that sometimes makes sense and other times is odd and requires a big imagination.

Panamint 20.JPG (129 KiB) Viewed 886 times

[DaveK]

Last batch, also by the numbers:

21. An ore cart built to stand the test of time. The weather in this canyon, much like the rest of the park, can be brutal so it is a wonder any of this is still standing.

Panamint 21.JPG (135.21 KiB) Viewed 884 times

22. "The Panamint Hilton" as it is known, the largest of the many cabins at the site. Some other cabin names include, "Overflow Hippie Cabin" and "The Castle." We slept on the porch of the "Hilton" and there was a pesky packrat that kept running back and forth and the pitter-patter of feet was kind of annoying.

Panamint 22.JPG (122.57 KiB) Viewed 884 times

23. Headwaters of Limekiln Spring covered with a substantial amount of what kind of vegetation? Those that have been there give the others a chance to answer. Another spring, Brewery Spring, was named after the brewery that once stood there and provided the city with beer.

Panamint 23.JPG (184.66 KiB) Viewed 884 times

24. Lots of vegetation.

Panamint 24.JPG (193.66 KiB) Viewed 884 times

25. Some of the vegetation blankets the valley floor.

Panamint 25.JPG (108.48 KiB) Viewed 884 times

26. What's an adventure in a mining area without running into an old wreck? It's not a Power Wagon but it will do.

Panamint 26.JPG (149.39 KiB) Viewed 884 times

27. Making our way out and on to hike Yosemite's Half Dome but quite honestly the solitude of Panamint City, the sights, sounds and the oddities of the area remain in an adventure class of its own and lives up to and exceeds the expectations of any desert traveler.

Panamint 27.JPG (171.32 KiB) Viewed 884 times

[KK6DYO]

Please check me in for tonight. Thanks.

[NotAMog]

Please check in KN6VL and KD6GCO


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[lrsrngr]

DV NPS Home Page: https://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

Alerts: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Park Map: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/maps.htm

Roads: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/ ... ds-Map.pdf