My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace / tgil.....people love to place things on mountain summits. Personally I like stone cairns and they're especially beautiful in places like Tibet & Nepal where they add the prayer flags that flutter in the winds.....

ghostdancer.....I really connected with his use of "the Whisper". I often consider my lifelong desire to wander a curse but I've often thought that word to have such a negative connotation that I always hated to use it. But "the Whisper" fits the bill perfectly. He's a genius. And yea, I agree with you 100 %.....

Sierra Valley.....my guess is that you are onto something. I saw 4 of these fenced in enclosures during my stay in that area. I wonder if it could have anything to do with the Boreal toads ? I saw this sign at a forest service enclave which was nearby.....






May 10, 2020

Monument Peak 11,047'

Miles Hiked: 17.77 Total Elevation Gain: 4,140'

Our second campsite in Fishlake National Forest was nestled in a large group of cottonwoods.....



At just over 9,000' I do not think it could have been any more pleasing.....



We woke up to an amazing early morning sky and we were anxious to get out and explore another Utah mountain.....



We hiked from our campsite taking the same forest service road as the day before. When we came to the Y in the road once again we had a choice to make. Google Maps said go left and hike the mountain from the west. My climbing website said go east and climb the mountain from the northeast.....



We chose west as this was by far the shortest route.....we passed by a Forest Service enclave with an old log cabin.....the white metal Home Depot door sure sucked.....



After two and one half miles we encountered a locked gate across the road as well as the "No Trespassing" sign.....



Initially this made me a bit angry.....how is it that people can block access to our Federal lands ? We walked back to our campsite and as I mulled this over I began to understand the landowners actions. Would I want ATVs speeding through my property ? Would I want people throwing their trash on my property ? I think not.....this is the world we live in today.....



We had no other option now.....we hadn't used the Jeep in nearly three months as it's just not been reliable. That would change as now we would drive to the east side of the mountain.....eleven miles to the "trailhead".....and try our ascent from there.....



It was one hell of a beautiful day.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

As we drove along the forest service road we came across this fencing operation that I measured to be 1.5 miles just along the roadway. Now the fence that this guy was installing was 8 feet high.....how could wildlife access or cross these lands ? How much wildlife would be captured so to speak once the fencing was completed ? I got over the blocked access.....this still bothers me and over a week has passed.....



It turned out that our "trailhead" was on private land and the developer that owned it said keep out.....



We tried multiple times to find ways to summit this peak.....



But all of our attempts were thwarted for one reason or another.....



It was good to get back out in the Jeep and explore the mountain roads.....



Ultimately we hiked and climbed a lot that day but we never made it to the top of anything.....





We didn't care.....





Much like it's not about the destination but it's about the journey.....in climbing it isn't necessarily about the summit but it's about the attempt and all that's involved in trying.....and that would be the journey.....

 

[Riversdad]

Jerry, I hate to see the land blocked off too, but look at so many of your pictures and from other travelers. People have no respect for the land or for other people's property. This seems to be getting worse every year as I can rarely hike anywhere anymore without having to haul out other people's trash. We have been looking for a large piece of property for a while now and the first thing I do when I get it will be to post it.

 

[Arjan]

Poor, poor dog...... Look at him being outside running around with the one he loves....

Yes, access to land is becoming in Europe a very difficult thing..

Enjoy while you can !

P.S. Love the pics !!

 

[tgil]

Great pics! I especially like the mud drops on Tanner. Before I scrolled far enough I thought they were tics! Did I mention the pics were great!

 

[longhorn1]

Always enjoyed Kipling. Great photos. The gate reminded me of the same thing happening all around the Crazy Mountains. NFS roads are being gated by ranchers and they are putting log books at the gates which they will use in court. NFS rangers telling there people to not sign them, and then rangers are being transfered because of politics. Hunters thinking they have access to cross into NFS land, with hunting permit in hand only to find the sheriff waiting with a $500 trespassing ticket. A huge mess.

 

[BigDawwg]

Ace / tgil.....people love to place things on mountain summits. Personally I like stone cairns and they're especially beautiful in places like Tibet & Nepal where they add the prayer flags that flutter in the winds.....

ghostdancer.....I really connected with his use of "the Whisper". I often consider my lifelong desire to wander a curse but I've often thought that word to have such a negative connotation that I always hated to use it. But "the Whisper" fits the bill perfectly. He's a genius. And yea, I agree with you 100 %.....

Sierra Valley.....my guess is that you are onto something. I saw 4 of these fenced in enclosures during my stay in that area. I wonder if it could have anything to do with the Boreal toads ? I saw this sign at a forest service enclave which was nearby.....

View attachment 586407




May 10, 2020

Monument Peak 11,047'

Miles Hiked: 17.77 Total Elevation Gain: 4,140'

Our second campsite in Fishlake National Forest was nestled in a large group of cottonwoods.....

View attachment 586408

At just over 9,000' I do not think it could have been any more pleasing.....

View attachment 586409

We woke up to an amazing early morning sky and we were anxious to get out and explore another Utah mountain.....

View attachment 586410

We hiked from our campsite taking the same forest service road as the day before. When we came to the Y in the road once again we had a choice to make. Google Maps said go left and hike the mountain from the west. My climbing website said go east and climb the mountain from the northeast.....

View attachment 586411

We chose west as this was by far the shortest route.....we passed by a Forest Service enclave with an old log cabin.....the white metal Home Depot door sure sucked.....

View attachment 586412

After two and one half miles we encountered a locked gate across the road as well as the "No Trespassing" sign.....

View attachment 586413

Initially this made me a bit angry.....how is it that people can block access to our Federal lands ? We walked back to our campsite and as I mulled this over I began to understand the landowners actions. Would I want ATVs speeding through my property ? Would I want people throwing their trash on my property ? I think not.....this is the world we live in today.....

View attachment 586415

We had no other option now.....we hadn't used the Jeep in nearly three months as it's just not been reliable. That would change as now we would drive to the east side of the mountain.....eleven miles to the "trailhead".....and try our ascent from there.....

View attachment 586416

It was one hell of a beautiful day.....

View attachment 586417

Jerry,,,,, Those Old Square Log Ground Structures you saw were, Feed and Gear Cache's used by the local Ranches/Cowboys, so they had supplies and feed for them and their Horses
as they were Riding and checking on the Heard, we used that type of enclosure on our Ranch as well as several outlying small bunk Cabins, with small corrals/holding pens as you will,
I started riding our Grazing Area perimeter fence, and checking on the Cattle at about 12-13 yrs old, Me, my Horse, and my Dog,,,,,,, depending on the amount of fence work, and other chores/repairs that were needed, it took me about 5-7 days to make a round trip back to the Ranch.
I guess the one Big Clue,,,,,, one should look at when encountering structures in remote parts of the country, is the "Type" of construction used, and the "Age" of the said materials on the ground,,,,, it then becomes pretty obvious,,,,,, they were not used to protect any Toads, or the such,,,,,, not a whole lot of Conservationist's in those days, not in that part of the world anyway.
Safe Travels........
BD in Alaska

 

[Sierra Valley]

Jerry,,,,, Those Old Square Log Ground Structures you saw were, Feed and Gear Cache's used by the local Ranches/Cowboys, so they had supplies and feed for them and their Horses
as they were Riding and checking on the Heard, we used that type of enclosure on our Ranch as well as several outlying small bunk Cabins, with small corrals/holding pens as you will,
I started riding our Grazing Area perimeter fence, and checking on the Cattle at about 12-13 yrs old, Me, my Horse, and my Dog,,,,,,, depending on the amount of fence work, and other chores/repairs that were needed, it took me about 5-7 days to make a round trip back to the Ranch.
I guess the one Big Clue,,,,,, one should look at when encountering structures in remote parts of the country, is the "Type" of construction used, and the "Age" of the said materials on the ground,,,,, it then becomes pretty obvious,,,,,, they were not used to protect any Toads, or the such,,,,,, not a whole lot of Conservationist's in those days, not in that part of the world anyway.
Safe Travels........
BD in Alaska

I worked for the forest service for 6 seasons on the Tahoe National Forest and they do most certainly use those type of structures for protecting plants and animals as well. I can see that they would use it for the cowboys as well for feed.

 

[Ace Brown]

I worked for the forest service for 6 seasons on the Tahoe National Forest and they do most certainly use those type of structures for protecting plants and animals as well. I can see that they would use it for the cowboys as well for feed.

I’ve seen those mini corrals used to block off anything dangerous like old wells, or hazardous to wildlife/cattle.


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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....thankful everyday.....

tgil.....Tanner hangs his head out and the mud flies.....

JD.....things have changed so much over the years.....the last three years have been the worst.....

BigDawwg.....sounds like an amazing lifestyle.....I was on another ranch a few days ago.....more pictures coming soon.....

Sierra Valley.....the feedback is interesting.....thank you.....

Ace.....it does sound like there's a range of possibilities.....

Riversdad.....here's a picture of trash bags from a few miles of forest service road that I cleaned up while we were there. While I walked I saw miles of forest service roads lined with peoples litter. Recently I said I was getting tired again but honestly it's more than that. I'm becoming so disillusioned with mankind that I want a new lifestyle. Just like the wildlife, I too have to go deeper into the woods to find what I'm looking for.....





We stayed up high in those mountains for a couple more days but we didn't try to climb anymore mountains.....we took the Jeep out and traveled the back roads.....







We've really been logging the miles and even when we slack off we will still hike at least 13 or 14 miles per day.....







I felt like Tanner was really into the Jeep and enjoyed just kicking back.....





But me.....well, I just feel the need to be working my boots......I call this a winters worth of boots.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Now I had mentioned that it was the possibility of seeing elk that brought us to the top of this mountain and while we did see the signs of elk nearly everywhere we explored, we never did see a single elk.....not even an antler shed was to be found.....





We would leave camp early in the morning and hike into the forests.....





We'd follow a creek bed for an hour or two just to see what we would see.....







Like I said, the fresh signs of elk were everywhere we hiked.....





I love all exploration.....but getting lost in the mountains has to be my favorite.....this is truly where man finds his solitude.....

 

[tgil]

Of all the pics of seen, of bags of trash you have picked up, it wasn't until now that it made me think about one of my peeves.
Being a city dweller, it chaps me to see a recliner, mattress, chest of drawers and even the plastic bed liners from pick-ups laying on the side of the road. It seems like one would surely realize when they lost items this size? If they had a vehicle to lose it from, they have a vehicle to retrieve it with! Why not do so and dispose of it properly?

I assume that one pic was a beaver dam that had been opened back up to let the water flow again? Looked like it would take years for them to build something of that size?

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

tgil.....I'm not sure if that dam was man made or beaver made. There were the signs of cattle in that particular area so it could be man made.....



The nights were cold up in those mountains.....in the upper 20's was probably the average so we finally decided to move further north and drop down to lower elevations. We took Highway 72, crossed under Interstate 70, continued north on Highway 10 and it was along this stretch of road where we stumbled onto the Rochester Panel Rock Art Site.....



There were a few dispersed campsites here so I decided it might be a nice spot to set up camp.....



We had dropped about 3,000' in elevation which warmed things up just a little bit.....



Probably the best thing about this place was that nobdoy seemed to visit here.....



With our camp set up (that simply means the rig was parked) we were off to explore.....





It was probably less than a mile hike down into a canyon where there was an absolutely beautiful display of rock art (petroglyphs).....





We ended up staying here for a few nights.....I lost count of the number of times that we hiked into the canyon to enjoy the solitude and hanging out with the petroglyphs was almost like meditation. Tanner finally caught his first four legged friend but he's a gentle one and quickly released the little guy.....



And beyond the canyons we also hiked along the roads.....it was all good here.....

 

[Ace Brown]

When you posted that name I had to look it up as I’m pretty sure I’ve been there. Or at least close. I’ve spent a lot of time in the San Rafael Swell Area. It’s just a few hours west of my home.


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[Arjan]

Thanks !

Our Goldens brings us all the friends they find and want us to accept them - including the various remains, hedge hogs and all the rest...

Beautiful Pics !