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Trips Death Valley Winter Camping | Jan 2021

Closing out on the Nadeau Trail | Day 3

The last day and it's bittersweet.

A sleepy boy standing in a cabin living room.
Waking up in the cabin.

The last morning at the Minnietta Mine Cabin was a slow one. Nobody was in a rush. We ate breakfast, packed up our things, and made sure we left the place in better shape than we found it. The plan for the day was loose: hike the mine workings behind the cabin, finish out the Nadeau Trail, and eventually point the rigs toward home.

The second room in the cabin.
The second room in the cabin.
The primary room in the cabin.
The primary room in the cabin.
The kitchen in view from the primary room.
The kitchen in view from the primary room.
View of the cabin from the workings on the hill behind it.
View of the cabin from the workings on the hill behind it.
Three men walking on a pile of dirt and rocks with ruins of mining in view.
Top of the workings behind the cabin.
Two boys walking out of a mineshaft.
One of the open mine shafts we explored.

We spent an hour or two hiking the workings behind the cabin. There were multiple open mine shafts, and we ventured into the earth much further than we probably should have. Old timber supports, rusted hardware, the kind of stuff that makes you wonder how anyone worked in these conditions. At one point we stumbled across the steel and rubber remains of a steel-toed boot, a few shreds of fabric still clinging to it. Somebody's workday ended right there, a long time ago.

Green Jeep XJ on a dirt trail.
Continuing the Nadeau Trail from the Minnietta Mine Cabin.
Green Jeep XJ followed by a red Jeep ZJ followed by a blue Tacoma on a dirt trail.
Rigs on the Nadeau Trail.
Red Jeep ZJ crawling over rocks on a dirt trail.
Some obstacles on the Nadeau Trail, high-clearance required.
A long two lane highway fading away into the mountains in the background.
Exiting the Nadeau Trail on Highway 190.
An airplane with skeletons in the seats in front of a green ZJ, white XJ, red ZJ, and blue Tacoma at a gas station.
Airing up and fueling up at Panamint Springs.

The Nadeau Trail spat us out onto Highway 190 and just like that, we were back on pavement. A short drive west to Panamint Springs for air and fuel. Their slogan is "Where the adventure begins," which felt a little backwards given we were heading home.

A canyon view from a lookout point.
Father Crowley Vista Point.

After the rigs were ready to roll, we made one final stop at Father Crowley Vista Point for lunch, hoping to catch some jets screaming through Rainbow Canyon. No jets. Just a view that didn't need any help being memorable.

This was the truck's first real trip and my first time in Death Valley. I didn't know it at the time, but both of those things were going to define a lot of weekends going forward. The Tacoma handled everything the desert threw at it on a stock suspension with nothing but new tires and a skid plate that earned its keep. And Death Valley? I can't imagine a version of my life where I don't keep coming back.