My Journey

[ITTOG]

I am with you Jerry, I do not like poles either. The only time I have ever wished I had them is when I climbed mount saint helens. With all of the pumice it is like sand and for every step you would lose a little height so it was like one step forward and half a slide back.

 

[blanketslayer]

I've only used my trekking poles a handful of times. I found them extremely valuable when I made an attempt to get to Half Dome in Yosemite in early April 3 years ago and going up and down the Mist trail I felt MUCH more stable with them. I've also used them when hiking through snow of varying depths and found them useful.

Jerry, I think about these pictures and that warm desert sunshine on those trails when I'm walking my dog at night. Unusually cold for this time of year in southern Wisconsin and with all the state parks shut down we are going pretty stir crazy.

 

[Tadpole]

The antennas on the tower are not the types used for cell phone communications. Those round dish antennas point to a similar dish on a tower 10-20 miles away in the direction it is pointing.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

PNWY.....yep, Verizon usually has service wherever we go.....

chet6.7.....makes sense to me.....

BigDawwg.....no plans to kill one. I'm one of those people that think that they have the right to be here.....just like me. So I continue to practice avoidance.....

ITTOG.....your post reminded me that I did use them when I was snowshoeing in the northeast U.S. but that was years ago. The life I live now is pretty much without snow and 70 pound expedition packs. I'm not a fan of aging.....

blanketslayer.....I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to be cooped up indoors. Even here I have moments of selfishness and want to get on the road so bad. I spend way too many hours walking up and down gravel roads....

tadpole.....what you are saying is exactly what I experienced (as you will see). Although these towers were 2.6 miles away.....



Directly across the roadway from our camp at the Verizon tower was the 4x4 road that led to the summit of Guthrie Peak (6,571').....



I had asked the ranger that I had last spoke with about this peak and he said don't try it from the byway.....he said it's too steep and too long of a walk.....he suggested that I come from the southeast cause I could use my Jeep and drive to the summit.....



It's funny how we each have a different perspective on things in life.....I wished it was steeper, longer and not on a road as I'd much prefer a nice walking trail....



The road started as flat but quickly turned steep and the volcanic rock that covered the road was brutal on my legs as I seemed to roll my ankles and my knees constantly. I can't imagine how much it affected Tanners feet.....



There was an unimaginable number of towers on this summit and even more just below the summit.....



The entire hike was 2.6 miles one way and we climbed 1,222' to the summit.....





I tried to find spots to have beautiful views from the summit but honestly it wasn't all that great.....especially with that massive mine to the north.....





The best part for me was when Tanner walked up these steps and took a seat.....this hike was a nice distraction from walking along the byway.....but that's about the best thing I can say about this peak.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We continued north on the byway which also means that we descended the mountain range which is dominated by Guthrie Peak. This northern side of the mountain was particularly beautiful in my opinion as much of the land was covered by a tall grass that's in constant motion with the ever present winds.....



At roughly mile post 13 we came across the largest of all the interpretive sites that line the Black Hills National Back Country Byway.....



Eventually we would walk & drive the entire length of the byway but this site would become our camp for quite a few of the days that we spent here.....this camp was no doubt illegal but once again it appears that BLM law enforcement has turned a blind eye.....I find myself so grateful to these guys right now.....



We've crossed into the lands of yet another large land holding rancher that I happen to see often during my walks. My first day here he warned me that they were going to be rounding up cattle for this next week.....



The interpretatiive signs that I mentioned are located right outside our back door.....





As I read these I couldn't help but think that these are nothing more than public relations exhibits for the owners of the mines.....





For me it's difficult to know what to think.....

I like my cell phone service yet I hate the towers on the mountain peaks. I like my light bulbs yet I hate the massive copper mine thats totally destroyed a mountain range.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Now that we had established Camp #4, we decided to continue our walk north from here to see what lay further down the mountain. We came around a bend in the road and looking just above us were 4 dogs.....in the middle of nowhere.....or so it appeared.....



The sighting of these dogs brought me great anxiety as I immediately wondered had someone actually abandoned their dogs in the middle of the high desert......what do I do if anything. The dogs followed us for a bit.....barking and wagging their tails incessantly.....we soon left them behind and passed milepost 15.....



.....then came to the intersection of another road.....



.....then crossed a ravine on this bridge.....this being something that had we had not seen for quite sometime.....



.....continuing on we passed milepost 16.....



.....and rounding another bend just beyond milepost 16 we saw the ranch houses and barns down below.....



What a gem this ranch in the high desert was.....



I guess if you spend your life raising beef cattle, this is definitely how you must think.....



Neat old abandoned building near the ranch houses.....



So clearly the dogs I saw along the road came from this ranch and they were just out exploring when our paths crossed earlier. I have seen these dogs often during the past week.....some people say that my dogs have an amazing life but I'll tell you that it sure does appear to me that the life of a ranch dog is quite amazing as well.....freedom.....

 

[BigDawwg]

Jerry,,,,,, your absolutely correct about a Dogs life on a Cattle Ranch, we always had 6-8 Dogs, Blue-Heelers, and Australian-Shepards,,, and then of course some Heelers and Shepherd Crosses,,,,, a couple of guys on Horse back, could work 20,30, 50 Head of Cattle pretty easy, with about 4-Dogs,,,,, writing this brings back alot of Memories for sure, that High-Desert Country may look Bleak and Desolate to some,,,, but to me,,,,,,, it's actually a Very Special Place, and always will be.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

BigDawwg.....the cattle drive started here a few days ago and while I can only watch from a distance, and mostly what I see is through my imagination, it is quite entertaining, and it's a real pleasure to be here. I've noticed that the ranchers don't allow the dogs into their trucks so these dogs start their day with a 4 mile run to staging area. Then they spend 10 to 12 hours running through the high desert chasing cattle during the roundup, and then finish their day with yet another 4 mile run back to the ranch.....I love the ranch dogs.....



A few days ago Tanner & I were walking the roads when a rancher stopped by on his ATV. He thought Tanner needed a drink and insisted that Tanner drink from the cattles watering hole.....



It was a warm day with temperatures in the mid 70's.....the hot sun was bearing down on us.....



Things started off fairly well so I left Tanner at the trough and began to walk away.....and that's when things got a bit humorous.....



And the next picture shown just below was taken just a few seconds before Tanner fell in.....



Directly in front of Camp #4 is the start of Goat Camp Road.....



.....and maybe a mile and one half down that road is where the cowboys park their trucks & trailers and here there is a large corral so I guess you could call this their staging area (heck I don't know).....



Now I'm not a fan of beef or cattle but I have to say that there's something almost romantic about this whole thing.....



There's just something about the cattle roaming on the range that seems special to this country.....





Life has slowed down to a snails pace at best with the spread of the coronavirus.....not much good to come out of this.....thankful to be safe.....

 

[Arjan]

....Tanner falling in......

Yes, any excuse will do for them to get into water..

 

[Foy]

As I read these I couldn't help but think that these are nothing more than public relations exhibits for the owners of the mines.....

For me it's difficult to know what to think.....

I like my cell phone service yet I hate the towers on the mountain peaks. I like my light bulbs yet I hate the massive copper mine thats totally destroyed a mountain range.....



The interpretive signs are most certainly PR exhibits for the owners of the mines and for the Federal Gummint. The owners of the mines are publicly-traded corporations owned by a multitude of shareholders including many state and local gummint pension plans and many times more 401(k) plans and IRAs. Mining companies and the Federal Gummint take a lot of heat about mining activities on Federal lands (and about grazing, logging, ski resorts, etc, etc, etc) so it seems understandable that the BLM would endeavor to show a full range of perspectives about mining.

Our conflicts concerning cell towers and mining in view of the reality that pretty much everything we touch all day, every day comes from some sort of land disturbing activity (agriculture, grazing, pulp and paper end products, and all things metallic) is another way of mentioning the old adage: To make an omelette, you've got to break a few eggs.

My own "big picture" perspective, as a former mineral exploration geologist, is that a remarkably small portion of the land is disturbed by mining activity, especially by comparison to the acreage disturbed by agriculture and urban/suburban development. In most cases, lands disturbed by mining are at some point returned to some semblance of their original character, while the same essentially never occurs in matters of agriculture and urban/suburban development.

Foy

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Iva had a few ranch dogs that would jump into our large 12ft stock tanks and swim laps in the summer.

The livestock, and many Ag industries are misunderstood and get a bad rap. There are always a few bad apples, no mater the industry. But the vast majority of the ranchers and farmers, the animals have a good life and are very well taken care of. Its how they feed their families, I am quite biased as that is how i grew up.

those border collies love to run, and when they get home they still have energy its amazing, most of ours ride on the flatbeds. Like many other working dogs, they love to have a job, a purpose. Even the horses get excited to round up the animals, or just check fence.

Even those those yearlings will be for beef, they have a pretty good life. They wont have to experience pain, suffering and disease that goes with old age in livestock. They get to roam in freedom on the range, lots of daily exercise and hay in the winters. I know its not for everyone, but they ( Livestock) know a pretty good life and nothing else even though its not as long as ours.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....yep, I was giving Tanner the benefit of the doubt.....I did not actually see him go into the water.....so was it a jump or a fall ? He will never tell.....

Foy.....in a conversation with one of the ranchers, he says to me "you know a lot of people that stop along here can get downright ugly with me". He goes on to say "they don't think I should be allowed to graze my cattle on public lands." He told me that he ranches over 11,000 acres, much of it leased land from the BLM. He said that he has installed wells and watering holes throughout the lands and that all wildlife can access these watering holes. And he patrols the land much like the BLM rangers, but he is here daily. He said he began his ranching career in 1970 when he was 5 years old.....there is no doubt in my mind that he loves this land. Personally I think it's all about finding a balance in life.....too far to the left and too far to the right brings out the worst in mankind.....

PNWY.....here where we are camped they have been rounding up yearlings this past week which will soon be sold to ranches in Nebraska and Texas where they will be fattened up, and there they will end their lives, and end up on someones dinner plate. These cattle are coming off a spread that is over 30,000 acres so I'd say yea I agree that they sure had a nice start to life. If I had to describe the ranchers here I would say "these guys are some of the nicest people that I've met in Arizona".....




Each morning I'm sitting at my table having my hot mug of coffee, listening to the early morning chirps of the early rising birds, and then I hear the faint rattle of the livestock trailers headed to the nearby corrals.....



Soon the rattles are maginified as the big Ford truck & trailer passes by our campsite. The first is followed by a second, then a third, and last a fourth.....



Each truck is occupied with 2 cowboys and each trailer is occupied with 2 horses which have already been fitted with their western saddles.....



Ford is their truck of choice here in the high desert.....and beef is their lifeblood.....



I wanted to watch these guys in action and take pictures that I would eventually post here but I never got comfortable with the idea of infringing on their privacy.....



I would walk down to the corrals once I felt comfortable that they were on their horses and had began riding into the vast desert to roundup the cattle.....



Again, it was mostly my imagination that played itself out here.....



And that was good enough for me.....



These guys were in the saddle for 10 to 12 hours each day.....and just as the sun was setting I'd hear the rattle of the trailers and the roar of those big Ford diesels hauling cattle back to the ranch house.....



What a wonderful life these cowboys seem to live.....

 

[Arjan]

Many thanks !

Love these pictures.

We have a quarter here and are waiting for my new one to arrive once the travel bans in Europe are lifted. We ride the horses here on trails and love it. In fact, it was a big part of coming here to do just that. Working your horse like that is a way of life and not for everybody..

Please keep them coming !

 

[BigDawwg]

Jerry, just another thought for you, and others that may be reading this Forum,,,,, my Grandfather's Ranch was started by himself and his 2-Brothers, about 1919, right after WW1, he was 22yrs old, the Ranch ended up being right at 7,023 acres +/- Deeded, and we had Grazing rights to about another 100,000 acres +/-,,,,, now that might seem to some, to be quite abit of land, but put into Proper Perspective,,,, ie... that High-Desert Country supports about 1-Cow & calf, per 100 acres,+/-, we ran between 600-700 Head of Cattle, during the Season,,, ie... usually early March thru Sept/October,,,,,, it is a Good, and Honest Life,,,,, 7-Days a Week, 365 days a year,,,,, Sun-up to Sun-set and then some,,,,,

 

[Arjan]

"...High-Desert Country supports about 1-Cow & calf, per 100 acres,+/-, .."

Very true.

Here in the French region where I live it is about 1,3 Ha. (3 acres) per cow and that is for us Dutch poor land..

How much land you have means not a lot in farming..


Please keep it coming - I love seeing so much from the US one never sees in the media and learn a lot.