Hiking History: The Death Valley Escape Trail The route taken by the Manly and Rogers during their "escape" from Death Valley.
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:09 am
by desertrat
Panamint Range Historical Quibble Paper LINK: http://wanderingthewest.com/manly/manly.html According to info presented on this page the actual Escape Trail route did not pass over Rogers Pass. Instead one of the possible routes went right by Striped Butte and through Redlands Canyon. Along the way they would have passed by Manly Fall which unfortunately no longer exists thanks to the Briggs Mine. So much for landmarks of historical significance!
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:43 am
by deathvalleyjake
I've followed most of the Escape Trail through the Panamints and the Slates and enjoyed the monuments along the way. It is interesting that there is some dispute over the actual route. Redlands Canyon actually does make a lot of sense since it lines up so nicely with Fish Canyon. But even from the mouth of Pleasant Canyon, Fish Canyon is the obvious low passage through the Slate Range. Kind of dry through there though and settlers moved slow through rough terrain like that. Makes ya wonder how they were able to carry enough water.
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:11 am
by jeepnut
deathvalleyjake: I can't imagine that anyone could manuever a wagon through terrain like that and without a wagon it's hard to imagine how adequate supplies could be transported. Horses and donkeys in some kind of pack train would work, but the animals and the humans need water and unless you know where the local springs are before you start the trip the chances of finding water are pretty slim. Add to that the fact that most springs are overgrown with bushes and water becomes very difficult to obtain.
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 8:22 am
by deathvalleyjake
jeepnut: Crossing the Panamint Range would have been darn difficult. It is ridiculously steep and treacherous. The Slate Range isn't an easy range to cross either and then there's the Argus Range. It's like doing hurdles right across the desert only while carrying heavy equipment. Everything was heavy back then. They didn't have any modern light materials like we have. Everything was more difficult back then!
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:27 am
by twister
I heard that the escape trail left Searles Valley via Wilson Canyon and that Christmas Tree Spring was called Providence Spring by the people in the Manly and Rogers group. Anyone know if this is true or not?
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:21 am
by drdesert
twister: That's what I heard too. I heard they came up Fish Canyon and when they made it to the pass at the top of Isham Canyon they all groaned and realized that they were in big trouble. They survived the crossing of Searles Valley and realizing their good fortune named the spring in Wilson Canyon Providence Spring in recognition of the fact that they were darn lucky to be alive!
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:43 am
by sandman
drdesert: Keep in mind that back then there wasn't no BLM to contend with and so there weren't any barriers blocking access to Providence Spring (aka, Xmas Tree Spring). There also weren't any designated routes or signs warning against traveling off the road. Of course there weren't any roads, but being without the BLM would have been a big plus!
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:32 am
by desertrat
sandman: You make some good points, but the way I see it, the BLM is a necessary evil. If all people were responsible and practiced low impact recreation and no one vandalized or otherwise defaced public property, the BLM wouldn't be necessary. They may not be terribly efficient and they may make numerous bad policy decisions, but as long as there are jerks out and about on public lands, someone's going to have to deal with them.
Re: Escape Trail
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 6:41 am
by tronagirl
I've enjoyed hiking along and exploring the Escape Trail route over the years. I'm just glad that someone took the time to put up the signs and document the route. It's interesting history. I heard it was the Gossetts who put up the trail. Can anyone verify this?