Death Valley. It is a dry heat... yea right!! I mean yes it is, you sweat a whole lot but are "dry" which is why attention to hydration is so important. and then you get down to bad water. Then you realize what the real difference is between a couple of percentage points of humidity. Gone is the laughing about dry heat and in are the properly caustic and misery filled complaints of 120+ F temps and just how sweaty you are all of a sudden!
Is it worth it? Oh hell yeah! The natural beauty, the history, the ghosts of the past... it is almost overwhelming! You travel though time to where history had rules, but to those living with them they were mostly "loose guidelines" Scotty and his castle. The rogue miners and their violent (and often very short) lives exist all around you.
And... believe it or not in this incredibly dry natural wonder exists waterfalls. Often not easy to get to and pretty well hidden by both nature and those in the know who don't want to see them overrun by lookiloos. The shock and amazement all those years ago when we found the first one... we spent most of a day carefully looking and photographing it... and at the top, wondering why some one had desecrated the historic ruins above it. Now you know why those in the know are cagey about locations
If you get a chance to go, spend time truly seeing the park. Get out and hike to its points of enchantment. Please leave it a little bit better than you found it because it is the only one we've got and if we destroy it, it is gone forever. Also... prepare and pack properly.You will be in an environment that is extremely harsh and unforgiving. Water, nutrition, sunscreen and proper clothing is essential because if you fail someone will have to find you and rescue you ~ if you're lucky.
Oh by the way, if you do get "out there" say hello to the ghosts. They are still out there mining, searching fighting and carousing! Trust me!
RR