I'm in Death Valley for a backpacking trip this weekend, but knowing that we only have about 9 miles ahead of us this first day, my friends, Gen and Emily, and I decide to do a short hike on the boardwalk trail that parallels Salt Creek. It's just a short warm up, but it has been on my radar for a while.
The trail is only about 0.8 miles long, but offers some nice views of the wash and running stream. In the shallow water, tiny pupfish fight against the current. I've seen various sub-species of these little guys before in the region, but they are very interesting. In past ages, this entire area was covered with water, but as the climate changed and the waters dried up, the small fish were separated by impossibly dry areas. Over the eons, they have evolved into a number of slightly different species, almost all of whom are in danger of extinction. Hopefully, they will beat the odds and the dryness and survive into the future.
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