Death Valley is one of our favorite places to visit. We have had many adventures within the National Park. They include such epics as, backpacking cross-county up sheep canyon, driving miles of 4×4 trails, entering the park from almost every direction, including the infamous Titus Canyon, and who can forget the flat tire fiasco of 2018? Death Valley has always been a place of wild exploration, where we could lose sight of civilization, get a little lost, a little dehydrated, and make some awesome memories.
Death Valley as a couple is romantic and wild, Death Valley with a baby… just as wild, with a bit less romance. At the spry age of 6 months Emma is no stranger to the joys of desert camping, she already had two nights under her little belt, but this would be her first multi-night trip. Luckily, we were meeting family out there, and Emma would have her two big cousins to show her the ropes.
Having a baby along for the trip forces you to slow down. Hikes are punctuated with milk breaks, or in my case, a good arm workout. We hit up all of the must see sites, most involving a short hike. It was good to stretch our legs, and let the girls burn some energy. The best part of the trip was the time we spent at camp, cooking and lounging under the desert sky. Emma didn’t need much to be entertained, just sit her on a blanket, the alien landscape surrounding our camp was enough to keep her occupied.
This Death Valley trip may have looked different than our previous ones. Exploring with a baby forced us to slow down and check out the scenery in areas we may have otherwise breezed by. This slowing down may have been caused by a blow out, but it was worth it.
Photos by me and Diana Sherrock.
Bit of Betsy 