LIPPINCOTT PASS--A personal Saga, Death Valley, CA
#1
Posted 20 April 2010 - 04:00 AM
We only had a loose plan though and picked up a back country roads map at one of the ranger stations. Believe me, all of the above mentioned places were unbelievably gorgeous and worth checking out. But what about the places that are a bit more difficult to get to?
Well, the Eureka Dunes were quite a long haul. Hours and hours on rocky dirt roads. Again though, quite worth it. Did I really leave my kidney belt at home? HAHA! We finally made it there though and damn it was so windy we had to wear goggles for quite some time.
But what about the more difficult shortcuts? Well from the Dunes to the Racetrack there is a choice you make. Go alllll the way north again back down the same the dirt roads you took to get to the dunes, then hit the construction on the highways just to wait for pilot cars, then hit more dirt roads. ORRRRRR....take a new adventure with new crazy, twisty, rocky, beautiful dirt roads you never imagined could be so long, like the Saline Valley Road and then a shortcut up to the Racetrack through LIPPINCOTT PASS!!!
Oh but Lippincott Pass. Nothing could have prepared me for this. Seriously. Well, not in a 2WD Toyota Tacoma Prerunner. Sure, we looked at the back country road map that said you should use a 4WD vehicle and NOW we will trust those thick, double, dashed lines.
We started at the bottom of the pass where there are no warning signs, not even a street sign. Only a giant pile of rocks sort of as a road marker. It's just a long dirt road leading to the bottom of the mountain pass. There were tons of rough wash outs which we figured was the reasoning for the 4WD vehicle warning on the map but I mean, depending on the time of year you attempt to drive it, a truck with great tires can get over those with careful maneuvering. We realized later that it seems like most people tend to drive DOWN the Lippincott Pass rather than up. Wonder why?
As we climbed the mountain and hairpin switchbacks it didn't seem too bad, at first. I even got out of the truck at point in flippies to take a picture with a cool old "Entering Death Valley national Monument" sign off the side of the road.
As soon as we got stuck here for a moment or two though
I quickly switched into my boots. I had visions of crawling out of a truck that had tumbled down the side of the mountain. Call me dramatic. YOU drive up Lippincott Pass in what we did! There were times when the "road" was almost completely washed out. Yes. For example, there is a specific hairpin that is forever burned in my brain. Josh hit the gas to get around it and the rear passenger side tire was NOT on the road but off the side of the mountain just spinning. Most of the rest of the time my side of the truck was about a foot or less away from the ledge of several hundred to thousands of foot drops down into canyons. I will publicly congratulate myself for only gasping ONCE. For the entire 5MPH crawl of, sliding, and the truck slipping out of gear more than once, I kept super calm and quite collected. My co-pilot skills rule. Maybe I shall take up rally? HA! Just kidding, I was pretty much fearing for my life the entire time.
So as you can see we finally made it to the top. Oh and LOOK! A warning sign posted at the top of the pass! It seems a lot more serious when you see it here like this than double dashed lines on a map. We agreed that had we seen this sign, we totally would have avoided this pass altogether. We also sort of wished that it was also posted at the BOTTOM of the pass although, having gone through what we did and making it up alive, the truck still in perfect condition (uhm...minus the tires in which this one we had to immediately switch out), I'd have to say that it felt pretty damn good.
We both literally fled from the truck and ran around like wild banshees, veins bursting with adrenaline. You may not find this hard to imagine but within thirty seconds, the driver of this vehicle and my sweet, sweet man had a cold beer in my hand. Best damn beer I ever had!
Damn, a 2WD Toyota Tacoma Prerunner. Pretty foolish but pretty freakin' awesome!!!
Sure do hope to hear your Lippincott chronicles here, as I never knew this pass existed and I've been obsessed with wanting to hear stories of it since we made it through! I'm a newbie as you can see and so far I love this site! So, thanks for having me and I'm lookin' forward to hearing from you all!
Jamie
#2
Posted 20 April 2010 - 04:26 AM
Good thing those pre runners have rear lockers on 'em!
Oh, and welcome.
Sunman2003 Four Wheel Camper -Hawk
2023 All Terrain Camper - Panther 2006 Toyota Tundra Double Cab Limited 4WD
2017 Toyota Tundra Double Cab Limited 4WD
#3
Posted 20 April 2010 - 02:27 PM
2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II 2013 ATC Bobcat SE "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln http://ski3pin.blogspot.com/
#4
Posted 20 April 2010 - 02:50 PM
Welcome and thanks for the great story. Your co-pilot skills do rock. There is no way my wife would even consider going up or down Lippencot. Sounds like you two are ready for the White Rock Rim Trail now!
Ted
"Not all who wander are lost. Except Ted, he's usually lost." Dirty Dog
#5
Posted 20 April 2010 - 03:18 PM
Welcome! I think you will fit in just fine here ,
Then,1995 Toyota T-100 4by with 1984 fwc Fleet
Then,1993 Toyota T-100 longbed 4by with 2002 fwc Ranger
Then, 2002 Toyota Tundra AC 4by with 2002 fwc Ranger
NOW, 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA DOUBLE CAB 4x4 WITH 2001 FWC HAWK EXT
#6
Posted 20 April 2010 - 06:31 PM
Mike
#7
Posted 20 April 2010 - 06:49 PM
Nice write-up.
marc
2016 Sprinter Silver Gray 144 Std. Roof 4x4. 3.0 diesle, Cooper "Dicoverer" ST Maxx 255/85/16
#8
Posted 20 April 2010 - 07:37 PM
https://www.wanderthewest.com/index.php/spot?record=13010
We had a good time there but I probably wouldn't take the truck and camper down it again:
Oh what am I saying - I'll probably do it again
#9
Posted 20 April 2010 - 07:49 PM
#10
Posted 22 April 2010 - 02:02 AM
I see my co-pilot out walking and taking pictures....................
I'm ready to take the 4Runner with the Casita down it.
Patrick
2015 FWC Hawk Flatbed
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