My Journey

[Ace Brown]

I spent my career working for USGS and at one time during the 70s worked out of the Visalia, CA field office. We made many helo flights into the Sierras with a pilot who too was a war time pilot in Vietnam. He was supposed to be the best mountain pilot in the Southern Sierras and was the only pilot Sacramento would let us hire. I’m sure he was good but still we had some close calls that scare me looking back. Well a few years after I had transferred out of California I read that he had flown into some power lines and all aboard were killed. It’s a risky business.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tgil]

Really like those panoramic shots. Your rig often looks like you just washed it. Something tells me it is all lighting?

 

[tgil]

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope y'all are enjoying this day and reflecting on all this past year has meant to you!
I will add I'm thankful for being able to see so much through your eyes!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....I too was doing engineering work but I was employed with a private contractor. I was based out of Illiamna Lake just to the southwest of Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. Best job ever and I did some of the craziest ******** that I've ever done in my life with those pilots.....

tgil.....it's lighting.....and same to you my friend....




My next attempt at at a summit was on Ragged Peak (3,907'). Everything that I read about this peak indicated that it was a tough climb with a good bit of bushwacking (1.3 miles) on the standard route (North Gully).....



My original plan was to summit on the standard route but I happened to meet a volunteer from the Friends of Ironwood Forest National Monument and he told me about a new route that entailed very little bushwacking through the desert (the key was that I had the high clearance Jeep). And so it was that I tried the "new route".....



Now it was real difficult to retain all the beta that this guy gave me but initially I did quite well.....



Somewhere up on that mountain I obviously got off route. Way down below me I could hear two guys yelling so I chimed in, asked if they were on route, and their reply was "we're lost".....



So I tried to maneuver my way through the rock walls trying my best not to do anything stupid (with 2 dogs waiting in the camper).....



The higher I climbed the sketchier things got and eventually I found myself unable to go higher.....



I hung out for a bit just taking in the views.....



I then returned safely to the Jeep and headed back to camp without a summit that day.....



That night as the sun was setting I thought maybe I'd try the North Gully Route the following day.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

My thoughts of returning to Ragged Peak came to fruition the following morning when I awoke and realized that my desire to summit had not retreated with the deep desert sleep. I was reluctant to leave the dogs in the camper once again but my desire (or was it my selfishness ?) to summit was quite strong.....



I loaded my backpack, handed each dog a rawhide chew, jumped in the Jeep and drove to the trailhead for the North Gully Route.....



As I mentioned before the North Gully Route began with 1.3 miles of bushwacking through the dense desert forest. Each time I venture into the desert I'm reminded that I have a lot to learn about exploring in the desert environment and probably the one thing that would be most important to realize is that you have to be very, very careful with desert plants.....they are deadly.....



I'm really curious about this particular cactus (shown above and below) as it seems to provide either food or water to the deer or the bighorn sheep.....





As I reached the base of the mountain, the "trail" began to rise quickly and I was forced to hike & climb within the walls of a steep gully.....



In some places I found tracks & signs of the bighorn sheep but mostly it was just me with my eyes focused ahead trying to navigate my way through the never forgiving desert plants.....



There's a certain comfort when hiking in a gully since route finding is never an issue and you pretty much know you're not lost.....



Eventually the route became quite steep and now I was using both hands & feet to propel myself to the summit.....



The views at this point were fantastic and for a guy like me that just can't get enough of this stuff.....well, I was in heaven.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I continued climbing upwards until I passed through some steep rock walls on either side.....



And then eventually I came to a saddle on the mountain.....



From the saddle I had fantastic views to the north as well as to the south. At this point in the climb there was little plant life and the rock walls were massive and steep.....



I hiked along the ridgeline and after just a few minutes I noticed a faint trail in the sand and I wrongfully assumed that this would lead me to the summit. Here there were few options to abort so when I encountered these massive thorn bushes.....



.....I attempted to push my way through but unfortunately I slipped, took a pretty good fall and the end result was a torn muscle in the chest and a bum left knee. I finally gave up, less than one hundred feet from the summit, made my way home, and hung out with my best buds.....

 

[Ace Brown]

Be careful out there. Do you carry any sort of rescue beacon? How about rescue insurance? I sure think both would be a great idea when you’re climbing these remote peaks solo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ITTOG]

Sorry to hear of the injuries. Did you see a doctor for the torn muscle. Hopefully it wasn't the pec, that is a long recovery. Get well soon.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Mekcanix]

You Sir are fast becoming my Hero. You are very inspiring

 

[Arjan]

Dogs are excellent healers - listen to them..

Hope you're OK now

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

X2 listen to the dogs

with torn muscles and ligaments, the best that medical would do is a Toradol shot, ( muscle relaxant,etc also a pain med) maybe, surgery if something was in really bad shape.

HIRICE, is what I use with clients and patients in remote setting, in short rest. They take a longer time to heal than bone. Muscles, ligaments can be around 6+ weeks, I have seen sprains at 12 weeks, things that always move like ribs are usually longer. And chest, longer healing time.


H- hydrate
I- Ice
R - rest
I - Ibuprofen
C- Compression
E- Elevation
In short, rest, go easy but keep moving,( to prevent scar tissue from forming), Ice and find a hot springs somewhere and soak a lot...

Happy Tails & Safe Travels

On another note: I have used evac insurance, etc during my remote contract deployments, and usually have a inreach mini, as a sat txt communicator. : that all is another whole enchilada. And can be mutually exclusive.

The inreach itself can have insurance evac with it/

however i have always used it solely as a communicator.

and redpoint solutions, for the higher risk; more remote settings.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....I carry a cell phone and that's it when it comes to communication. Also no rescue insurance. I guess I'm old school (stupid).....

ITTOG.....no doctor.....the chest is healing fine but the knee is absolutely killing me. I'm still pursuing 5,000 miles walked for 2019 (as of this morning I'm at 4,614.17). I may not make 5,000 miles this year (although I have not given up yet) but I did make 4,000 miles walked for the fifth straight year.....

mekcanix.....I know you use that word in it's most relaxed format possible but thank you.....

arjan.....if I listen to Tanner I'll be dead before the day's sunset.....

PNWY.....honestly I just try to ignore my pains and keep on moving but I do appreciate the tips and the concerns.....



And it wasn't just me that left the Ironwood Forest in a bit worse shape.....other than pin stripes the camper has survived our travels quite well but the Ironwood Forest did my first real damage.....



Not too far to the south was one of my favorite cities in the U.S. and with the lingering injuries I decided to head for the saftety of the concrete sidewalks of Tucson, Arizona. A few years ago I found a spot to camp in downtown Tucson and that's where we would spend the next two weeks (literally 14 nights). Every morning I would look for a parking ticket but not once was I hassled.....



For me Tucson has 4 distinct districts so I was thinking that I would speak to that in my upcoming posts. First is Historic Fourth Avenue.....and this is probably my favorite area to just hang out and walk.....



Maybe this district would be called the most liberal area in all of Tucson.....signs such as these are placed in most of the storefronts.....



nomoredeaths.org is an organization which assists illegal migrants crossing from Mexico into the United States.....



This also seems to be the area where most of the homeless congregate. This time I tried to open my heart and spend some time talking with these guys. The guy that owned this rig told me that he was hurt while working construction which was the start of his downward spiral. Unable to work, he eventually lost his house and ended up on the streets. He was quick to say that he doesn't drink nor use drugs.....he said life is just a struggle. He never asked for money.....I gave him some.....



Tanner and I walked these streets day and night.....



Sunday mornings there's a real nice street market with lots of crafts and whatnot for sale.....



Historic Fourth Avenue is a really nice place to waste the days away.....

 

[Arjan]

Awesome Pics !

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....I always appreciate your comments and your insightful thoughts. Thanks for following along.....



I would identify the next distinct district in Tucson as the suit and tie district.....I would imagine that this is where the big deals get done in Tucson.....



It's difficult for me to believe that I could sleep on a city block here for 2 weeks and not get at a minimum a warning ticket.....



Tucson has some of the best murals spread throughout every "district" that we walked.....






Broadway is the main road which bisects the "suit and tie" district and one notable street which departs Broadway is the historic street known as Scott Avenue.....it's truly beautiful.....



Nearly every building on Scott Avenue was labeled "historic" and each building was very unique.....



Scott Avenue was definitely my favorite spot for night walks.....





There are a very limited number of private residents here.....these homes were amazing and Christmas lights are added for extra charm.....notice the watch dog that was not so happy about our night visit.....



This church was a block away but so sensational with the night lights added.....

 

[Arjan]

Those "murals" are really, really good - here in France many old buildings have them and sometimes you have to looks twice to see it is a painting !

How do you feel in an Urban environment for a few weeks after the long empty winding roads ?

It takes me always some days to get back into "street life"