Sign at the trailhead letting hikers know that it is 7 long miles to the summit:
A group of mule deer were drinking from a water puddle close to the trailhead at Mahogany Flat campground:
A very interesting interpretive sign regarding the trees:
At the time of our hike, this was the trailhead registry with information for hikers:
Signing in for our hike at about 7:30am in the month of July. It was already a hot morning:
This is what the trail looks like at the start of the hike:
It was thrilling to finally begin the hike on the Telescope Peak trail:
Our first view is of the North Fork of Hanaupah Canyon:
The trail begins winding its way around the east side of Rogers Peak:
All the while, the trail is progressing steadily uphill:
A vibrant display of Purple Sage (Salvia dorrii) spotted along the early part of the hike:
A bare tree stands out in the midst of smaller greenery and a mostly barren landscape:
View of the Colville Ridge from along the trail:
The long ridge in the distance comes down to the east off of Telescope Peak and separates Hanaupah Canyon from Starvation Canyon (located behind it):
Catching our first view of Telescope Peak far in the distance:
Check out the sheer cliffs seen near the bottom of this picture on the eastern side of Telescope:
Tiffany hiking up the trail while on back-to-back major hikes in the park:
Just above the saddle in the distance is Arcane Meadows. We were now close to finishing the first section of the hike:
We now had an awesome view looking towards Telescope Peak. It was nice to have the end destination in sight even though we still had over 4 miles of hiking to go:
Arcane Meadows provides a nice break in between steep sections of elevation gain with a nice path through the grasslands:
First view looking over the other side into Panamint Valley:
Looking to the west down into the depths of Tuber Canyon far below:
Portions of grasslands are broken up as you hike around the base of Bennett Peak:
This part of the trail puts Telescope Peak right in front of you:
The portion of the hiking trail which passes through the southern half of Arcane Meadows allows for views far into the distance:
Looking once again over into central Death Valley and the Badwater Basin:
Flowers were in full bloom in Arcane Meadows. Wildflowers bloom late up at this high elevation:
Zooming in on the impressive northern face and summit of Telescope Peak:
More Purple Sage mixed in with Eaton's Firecracker:
The long path through Arcane Meadows continues to draw closer to the Telescope ridgeline:
Looking down into the Middle Fork of Hanaupah Canyon:
The next two photos show you a beautiful Panamint Mountain Mariposa Lily (Calochortus panamintensis). We found two of these amazing flowers along the trail:
Two pictures of a Mojave Prickly-Pear (Opuntia erinacea) which we found blooming in the middle of summer:
Another flower that we found along this portion of the trail was Varicolored Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum versicolor):
Two pictures showing ancient bristlecone pines as we entered the final section of the trail:
This was an interesting small plant with yellow flowers. I was unsure of the name for this one:
A small bird flew from tree to tree while I hiked for a short distance. We also spotted hummingbirds during the hike:
The summit doesn't look so far away now, but the hiking is getting tougher with the higher elevation:
Varicolored Buckwheat in the next two pictures which was more yellow in color than the previous patch:
The next three pictures show you Eaton's Firecracker (Penstemon eatonii):
A wonderful spot that we found to stop and take a rest break in the shade:
We could now see down into the depths of the South Fork of Hanaupah Canyon:
The next two pictures showcase the infamous switchbacks of Telescope Peak, which hit you at the worst possible time:
Some of the taller trees had growth, while others were bare through here:
Where there weren't switchbacks, there was still steep elevation gain:
Looking up towards the summit, we could feel the finish line starting to get close:
We would frequently make stops in the shade, and it seemed like the trees were naturally spaced a perfect distance apart during the hike to provide relief at the right time:
Two pictures of another Panamint Mountain Mariposa Lily that we found:
At times, it was tough to discern if a tree was a bristlecone pine or a limber pine. The main way to tell the difference is to compare the needles and the cones (when available, such as on this tree):
Yet another switchback along the trail:
A bristlecone pine has needles about 1 inch long that surround the branches. Bristlecones also have cones with scales that are tipped with a claw-like bristle. A limber pine has needles about 1 1/2 to 3 inches long that grow only towards the ends of the branches. The cones of limbers do not have bristles. Even with this information, it is hard to tell them apart:
The switchbacks finally ended and the trail opened up as it neared the top:
The final push for the summit (with an altitude headache at the same time):
Two pictures of the benchmark survey marker at the top:
This picture shows the path along the top of the summit:
Looking to the northwest, a nice view of Panamint Dry Lake, Lake Hill, and the Panamint Sand Dunes was visible:
A panoramic looking to the south. About 4,750 feet below the ridge in the distance is Panamint City:
Looking due east from the summit out towards Badwater Basin:
View northwest of ridgelines coming down from Wildrose Peak:
Two pictures of Steve finally reaching Death Valley's high point:
My journal entry in the summit register:
Two pictures of mule deer that were grazing in Arcane Meadows on the way down:
