Last week I wrote about Todd Carmichael's next big expedition, which will be a solo and unsupported trek across Death Valley that will commence on October 9th. In his first dispatch for his departure, Todd let us in on his plans, which include not just traversing the valley once, but twice, and he mentioned his companion on the journey, which he lovingly dubbed "The Pig".
In today's pre-expedition update, we get our first glimpse at the cart that Todd has designed, built, and tested to accompany him on the trek and carry the most important item of all - his water! As you can see, The Pig is a big, two wheeled cart that can carry a number of water jugs to keep our intrepid explorer hydrated and running at peak condition in the heat of Death Valley. In fact, the cart can carry as much as 33 gallons of water, along with food and other gear, which Todd figures ought to be enough to see him traverse the desert, twice, and cross more than 400 miles in the process.
For those that don't know, Death Valley, which is found in the southwest United States along the borders of California and Nevada, is the lowest, hottest, and driest place in all of North America. Its lowest point falls 282 feet below sea level, and the hottest temperature ever recorded on the continent was take at the appropriately named Furnace Creek, which rung in with a 134ºF back in 1913. The region is known for its harsh conditions and stark beauty, which were both reasons that Todd chose it for his next challenge I'm sure.
Expect to hear a lot more about this expedition as it ramps up, and gets underway in a few weeks time. Todd promises all kinds of good updates from the field, including regular dispatches and video too. Lets hope the equipment is more reliable than the stuff he took to the South Pole not so many months back.
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