DEATH VALLEY: TO THE EXTREMES
April 3-6, 2008
$350

At sunset, Badwater at 282 feet below sea level, sits literally in the shadow of Telescope Peak, thrust out of the arid playa to more than 11,000 feet above. Within a 24 hour span, the valley floor can reach temperatures well into three digits, and Dante's View a mile above, will be dusted with snow. Separated by less than a mile are fields often covered in a carpet of golden wildflowers, and alkali-encrusted seeps where no living thing can survive.

Such is the dichotomy of Death Valley. Regardless of its physical realities, it is a land that invites exploration, both internal and external, spiritual and photographic. Join us as we wander its heights and depths, and the impact our species has manifested on both its past and future. We will visit the dunes at Stovepipe Wells, the contemporary ruins of Rhyolite, Harmony and Wildrose, the natural anomalies of Golden Canyon, Zabrisikie Point and Devil's Golf Course. Our experience will conclude with - what else! - a Sunday buffet brunch at the historic Furnace Creek Inn, included in the tuition. We will likely be based in Beatty, Nevada; much less expensive than the park accommodations, yet no further from many of our field locations.