Hiking photographs of Telescope Peak,
Death Valley, and Kennedy Meadows

Photographs from hiking trips in 1970 to Telescope Peak on the western side of Death Valley and to Kennedy Meadows in Sequoia National Forest on the South Fork of the Kern River. The two locations are just south of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, about 50 miles east and west of each other.

The few place identifications are based on maps. Please let me know of needed corrections.

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Telescope Peak and Death Valley

The summit of Telescope Peak offers views of California's Death Valley 11,000 feet below. The trail starts at Mahogany Flat, the dirt road to which was not flat but steep! Our car overheated and got stuck in a rut.

Looking south toward Telescope Peak from the trail. Death Valley is to the left of the photo. The trail runs along the ridge to the summit.	Death Valley southern end.	Looking north along ridge trail toward Wildrose Peak and Mahogany Flat. Death Valley is to the right.	View to the northeast. At right is the north end of Death Valley.

Death Valley panorama from Telescope Peak summit. The valley floor is probably baking in desert heat while we are cold and surrounded by patches of snow. Leftmost frame is north end of the valley. 2nd frame shows Furnace Creek area. 3rd frame looks east down Hanaupah Canyon toward Badwater with Dantes View behind it. 4th frame looks down Johnson Canyon and across the valley to the Black Mountains and Funeral Peak. Full size image is about 211 KB.

Barely used in the panorama, this shows more clearly the hills between us and the north end of Death Valley.	A mini panorama showing the same ridges as the previous photo.	Looking north along the summit trail, Death Valley north end to right. Telescope Peak summit is behind us.

Presumably looking south from an unknown location into a valley of badlands, or at least some bad lands, with a lonely-looking road or trail winding up it.	One last look back at the summit where we've been.

Kennedy Meadows in Sequoia National Forest

Pictures from a backpacking trip in Kennedy Meadows, which is about 50 miles west of Telescope Peak, in Sequoia National Forest on the South Fork of the Kern River. People in the photos are rendered as silhouettes.

Looking ahead up the trail in Kennedy Meadows.	Looking back down the trail the other way. This gets to be a pattern.	Near the top of the photo is what could be a small snake. If not, I don't know what this is. I've photographed some odd things, but generally not boot prints and sticks.	On a trail near Kennedy Meadows.

Black and white gives all these pictures a strange mood. I like this one.	Trees, sagebrush, and hills in Kennedy Meadows. Panorama probably looking the other direction from the previous photo. Full size is 119 KB.

Looking one way up a dry river bed.	Looking the other way. I said I'd taken some odd photographs.	Eating wild berries.

360 degree panorama around our campsite. Full size is 611 KB.

Hey, I bet no one's ever thought of taking a picture up a tree trunk before!	Looking one way up the South Fork of the Kern River while crossing it.	And looking the other way, of course.