My Journey

[GregSplett]

Yaaayyy. Its pouring out here on the Olympic peninsula. I could and should go to work butttt........ I could stay home and catch up on Tanners adventures. I have a new buddy in life begging me to stay home. Here name is Ava the Parti poodle Alas off to build a garage for the crazy cat guy who wont let me bring Ava. Welcome back!

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Unfortuantly Courdel is still MIA.

Thank you for the kind words.

Happy tails and Safe travels
Hopefully sent from somewhere pretty and remote.
With my entertainment and navigation multitool.

Contract AEMT, Firefighter, MCPIC,Remote Medic, Safety Manager.

 

[Arjan]

Oh man - absolutely beautiful pictures.
Yes, Tanner know when a hike is up.
Like ours who know when I'm going for a Laning trip - otherwise I'm ignored..

Please be safe - and keep them coming.

Thank you very much.

 

[Ace Brown]

Jerry that last post may be your best one ever. Very poetic, beautiful pictures and the tribute you gave to that fallen creature. It made me tear up a bit.

I feel the same way when I’m out in beautiful places.

Alan (note I’ve stopped using Ace)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ghostdancer]

JD.....thanks.....have fun & stay safe.....



We climbed a few mountains during our two week stay here in the Fishlake National Forest.....the first one was Indian Peak (9,830'). Now we had climbed this one back in the spring so I decided that this time we'd attempt it from a different direction.....

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We started hiking from our camp just like we did last time but after a mile or so we changed our route and started bushwacking our way through the forest.....passed by some trees that unfortunately had been marked for no good reason.....

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We attempted to downclimb a significant rock wall without much success.....bypassed that obstacle and found ourselves in a good mile or more of tree downfall on a steep decline.....

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At the bottom of the ravine we connected with a small creek.....

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.....then we worked our way upstream through dense brush.....connected with yet another steep ravine and continued through more dense brush......we broke out of that mess and then we finally began our ascent of Indian Peak.....

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I’ll never understand the desire to carve up Aspen trees. We spent 3 1/2 months traveling Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, most of it between 8,000‘ and 11,000’. Most of the trees along trails were carved to hell and back with idiots initials. Days on the trail not seeing a sole, you can image you’re in pristine wildernesses, if not for all the reminders that will be there for as long as that tree is alive.

 

[tgil]

Tanner boy! Love the look they get when they know the fun is about to begin!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Greg.....thanks.....I too am considering another dog. I've been looking around.....

PNWY.....geez, that's just unreal. I'm constantly worried about someone stealing Tanner.....nearly an obsession anymore. Again, really, really sorry.....

Arjan.....staying safe & healthy.....number one priority. Thanks.....

Ace.....thanks.....that was a special time in a special place.....

ghostdancer.....it's like pissing on your dinner right before you eat it.....it makes no sense. You go to the wilderness cause it's wild and then they've defaced it.....

tgil.....yep.....



Posting a lot lately & I of course realize that.....bear with me as I try to compress nearly two months of travel.....turns out it's quite the challenge for me.....

And finally my last post regarding our stay in those mountains.....this last one is about ATVs, hunting, trash, the Jeep breakdown and national forest roads.....





So we walked these roads a lot during our stay as I tend not to sit still. Last time we were here we did the same and while walking those roads we picked up trash. Well.....we did it again and we covered some of the same ground and we extended our reach quite a bit.....I'm guessing we cleaned up maybe ten miles of roads and a bunch of campsites.....



I just don't get people.....it'll never end.....forty bags we hauled out plus a bunch of junk.....



The Jeep died one day while out on a trash run. Months back I thought that I had fixed the starting problem. The issue had arose again while we were on the east coast and the battery was replaced.....



After a long walk back to our campsite I retrieved the truck & camper and gave it a jump start.....turned right over without an issue. Back at the campsite dead again. Took a hammer to the starter and there you go.....



The loss of the Jeep didn't stop us from walking those roads and gathering more trash.....we persevered.....





The birds were singing, the coyotes were barking & howling and the elk bugled to my hearts desire.....it would certainly be difficult to leave.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

There was another sound here not near as pleasant as the others I just described. This was the sound of the ATVs starting long before sunrise.....





The hunters were out looking for the elk.....





.....and hunters don't walk.....at least that's what I observed. During my two week stay here I walked nearly two hundred miles.....I never once saw a hunter that wasn't either in a pick up truck or riding in their ATV.....





Sadly (in my opinion) the ATV has allowed man to go further and further into the backcountry with little to no effort. I found so many instances of tracks in the forest & trash threwn about.....where there were no roads.....just disrespect is all that I see.....





And it's unfortunate cause these are not bad people.....they just see the world through a different set of lenses.....



I once read that the biggest threat to our wilderness is the building of logging roads.....what follows is often disaster.....I couldn't disagree.....

 

[ITTOG]

PNWY.....any good news on Courdel ? That broke my heart when I read your post. I'm so sorry.....

tgil.....thanks.....if you happen to be looking for a good book to quarantine with I'd recommend Ghengis : Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden. I picked it up at a Goodwill store and once I started reading it I had trouble putting it down. Apparently the author has written a series of these type of books so I believe there's (5) in total to be read. I'm typically a reader of non-fiction so it surprised me how much I enjoyed this one.....

Arjan.....thanks.....the seller / installer pro rates the tires meaning that if had I purchased the Hankook tires from Les Schwab they would have given me 25 % credit on the Hankook tires since they only lasted for 75 % of their guarantee.....they do not take into account how the tires were used. I felt that I got my moneys worth from the Hankooks since I'm really hard on them (as you point out).....



I woke up the following morning sitting in that Walmart parking lot wondering where to go next. I pulled out my trusty road atlas that's traveled with me since 2005 and scanned the highways of the state of Utah and then it hit me. In the past month give or take, I had driven well over 6,000 miles and I was getting road weary. So I went into that Walmart and I filled the cart as high as I possibly could. I remember paying well over $200 for my groceries (that's a lot for me) and then we drove south.....

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Back in the spring we had camped in the Fishlake National Forest just to the west of Koosharem, Utah and I recalled that morning how much I had loved my stay there.....

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That day we emptied the black and grey tanks on the camper, we filled the propane tanks, and we filled the Jeeps gas tank too.....and we filled (28) one gallon jugs of water.....

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The plan that I had in my brain that morning was to chill in those mountains for two weeks.....basically no interaction with man.....just two weeks of me and Tanner camped high up in the mountains (our campsite was at 8,800').....

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My biggest concern coming here at this time of year was the number hunters that we might encounter since it was the height of Elk hunting season.....

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And once again.....this place was good.....

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Wow, you have outdone yourself with these pictures. I need to start looking at your posts on the computer only. I loose to much detail on a small screen like a phone.

I love seeing pictures of your rig. Every time I see it, I think that the camper just dwarfs the truck.

I have wondered and been a bit surprised you haven't already gotten another dog. Two just seems to fit for you. Good luck in your search.

 

[longhorn1]

Absolutely awesome pictures. Love watching "The Challenges of the Climb." Nothing like having a mountain to yourself. Nothing like the sound of the wind as you climb. Been picking up trash also, but fortunately haven't found a place with much more than a beer can and bottle tops. A friend scuba dives the lakes in British Columbia, pulling out trash. They then lay the cans out, and then the bottles, and so forth for a few photos. Looks like an ammo dump. Be safe. Today marked the 7th anniversary of our first lab Barley's passing. Seeing his picture and the Facebook post I made 7 years ago was hard. We too have talked about a second dog.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....thanks for the heads up on the pictures. I actually only see my pictures on my smart phone. And yea I'd love to have another dog but time will tell.....

JD.....as a former diver, I've seen what your friend sees. It's funny how people seem to think if you can't see it, then it doesn't exist. I've noticed that people who litter typically throw their litter into the most inconspicuous places (therefore making it most difficult to get to). I wish they'd throw into the middle of the forest service roads.....



On October 12, 2020 while camped in those mountains.....we began Year Four.....Day One of this current trip.....



We left the mountain.....reluctantly.....and we drove northwest to Richfield, Utah. We loaded up on fresh fruits & vegetables (they never last more than a week), other staples, propane, fuel and of course a new starter for the Jeep from O'Reillys and then we drove southeast.....



We spent a few nights camped here along the lake.....my plan was to take a dip in the lake to wipe away two weeks of dust that covered all parts of my body.....I've been here several times over the years and the water here has always been pure.....



.....but this time the lake had been pumped damn near dry by the ranchers (this is what the locals said anyhow). Dead trout lined the shoreline.....I walked at least half of the lakes shoreline and literally there were dead trout everywhere. I did not bathe here.....I hope the rains will come.....



The nights here were good.....peaceful and quiet with dark skies.....





.....and then we drove east. It was a Sunday when we passed through Loa, Utah and we stopped here when I spotted this sign along Main Street. Funny observation here....."Laundromat" I hate....."Showers" I love. It sucked that it was Sunday.....they were closed.....



We continued driving east and just had to stop when we drove into Torrey, Utah.....the trees that lined the street were magnificent.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I love working in the yard.....I miss that part of life quiet a bit. Look at this guy.....he brings his yard tools with him.....



We continued driving east and now we had left behind those beautiful golden trees that grew on top of the mountains in Fishlake National Forest.....and now we drove into something completely different.....



As we entered the area the first thing I noticed were the massive number of people that were here.....







I've been here a few times over the years.....we did not stay.....





We continued driving east and eventually we camped in a remote spot up in the rocks.....just west of Hanksville, Utah.....alone again.....



I love the forest and the mountains together.....it's always a struggle for me in the rocks.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So now we're out and about exploring the unkown canyons and cliffs mostly where no others go.....





At the entrance to one canyon we stumbled across a dead horse.....that's a highly unusual sight.....





And not too far away we discovered two dead calves.....sure did give this canyon an eerie feel.....





We drove into Hanksville, Utah and here we made a stop at the Hollow Mountain store.....just a tourist trap along the highway.....wasn't worth the risk of contracting Covid-19 as that place had no ventilation.....



Then we stopped across the street to chat with these German travelers.....they convinced me that yes I can go to Mexico this year.....we shall see.....



Here in Hanksville our choices were to drive east or north.....we chose north.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We camped in beautiful places.....





.....and we hiked into the wild open places.....





We continued north on State Highway 24 and eventually we exited the highway and now we drove east on the Lower San Rafael Road.....





We drove ten miles east on the dirt track road.....





.....we set up camp here with plans to do some more climbing.....

 

[AbleGuy]

I’ve really enjoyed your scenic travel pictures. Thx.

In fact, I’m using one of those beautiful aspen tree shots as my screen saver this week.