Ace Brown
Retired Ol’ Fart
Actually Ralston didn’t fall into a canyon. He was climbing in one and a rock shifted pinning his arm “between a rock and a hard place”. The ordeal became a movie “136 Hours”.
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My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
Actually Ralston didn’t fall into a canyon. He was climbing in one and a rock shifted pinning his arm “between a rock and a hard place”. The ordeal became a movie “136 Hours”.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When I think we just drove through the Valley of God's and didn't give the place it's do. I think that will change in the future. Have to stop and smell the roses. That is amazing to spend some time with the locals and have a future meet-up. There is so much that the Native American heritage have to share. It has always interested me. From the days my father spent as a young boy on our cousins Montana ranches, digging in teepee circles, to exploring the near by buffalo jump, and finding boxes of arrowheads, I have always wanted learn more myself.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
ghostdancer.....I don't own one.....I do own 2 portable GPS units one of which straps to my belt and the other is worn like a watch on my wrist.....I never hike with either. I will use my smartphone when I have connectivity. I can't explain why I do what I do.....I do believe that to die in the backcountry climbing would be my badge of courage and my chosen way to go. I don't want to pass in a hospital or nursing home and I would like to go on to my next adventure like that noble animal that passed on the summit of Monument Peak. So there you go.....
PNWY.....yea, I sure do hope that one day I'll be writing about that experience right here.....
Arjan.....I always love to see your posts.....I'm guessing that you may be the only non American that comes here.....thanks for stopping by.....
JD.....I'm in a similar situation this very morning. I've driven by my current location several times at a minimum over the years and had never thought nor bothered to stop and explore.....there's just so much to see.....and so little time that we actually have.....
VALLEY OF THE GODS.....
DAY SIX.....
One of the many stories that he told to me was about the large eagle feather that he wore in his wide brimmed cowboy hat. He said that he was driving down the highway when he came across a badger that had been hit by a car.....an eagle flew over and saw an easy meal.....subsequently the eagle too was hit by a car and so it was that he stopped to help to pass the eagles spirit on into the next world. He said that he kept one feather from the eagle before putting the eagles dead body into the branches of a tree.....he told me that his father, who had been taught from his father, that a birds dead body must rest in a tree before its spirit can return to the sky.....
He said that there were many mountain lions and badgers here but that they are rarely seen by the visitors.....I was here for eight days.....he definitely spoke the truth.....
I was fortunate during my visit here.....there really weren't that many visitors and they were spread out over 17 miles of dirt road. And everyone came here for the same thing.....the beautiful spires and the cliffs. On DAY SIX.....VALLEY OF THE GODS.....we hiked down into the ravines.....
There were 2 things going on in my mind that day.....I wondered if this is where the mountain lions and badgers lived.....and I also wondered where do all these animals get their water.....we were miles from the San Juan River and other than a few tiny pools of water that we had seen, this place was bone dry.....
We hiked for miles in those ravines that day and finally I found their watering hole......
Out of the ground above us, for I'd guess 200 to 300 feet in length, water just dripped out of the ground above. Not an amazing waterfall.....just a drip, drip, drip everywhere. The water collected into pools on the cleansed rock below.....the surrounding sands were covered in footprints from many different animals.....yet not a single one from man.....I loved it here.....
PNWY.....yea, I sure do hope that one day I'll be writing about that experience right here.....
Arjan.....I always love to see your posts.....I'm guessing that you may be the only non American that comes here.....thanks for stopping by.....
JD.....I'm in a similar situation this very morning. I've driven by my current location several times at a minimum over the years and had never thought nor bothered to stop and explore.....there's just so much to see.....and so little time that we actually have.....
VALLEY OF THE GODS.....
DAY SIX.....
One of the many stories that he told to me was about the large eagle feather that he wore in his wide brimmed cowboy hat. He said that he was driving down the highway when he came across a badger that had been hit by a car.....an eagle flew over and saw an easy meal.....subsequently the eagle too was hit by a car and so it was that he stopped to help to pass the eagles spirit on into the next world. He said that he kept one feather from the eagle before putting the eagles dead body into the branches of a tree.....he told me that his father, who had been taught from his father, that a birds dead body must rest in a tree before its spirit can return to the sky.....
He said that there were many mountain lions and badgers here but that they are rarely seen by the visitors.....I was here for eight days.....he definitely spoke the truth.....
I was fortunate during my visit here.....there really weren't that many visitors and they were spread out over 17 miles of dirt road. And everyone came here for the same thing.....the beautiful spires and the cliffs. On DAY SIX.....VALLEY OF THE GODS.....we hiked down into the ravines.....
There were 2 things going on in my mind that day.....I wondered if this is where the mountain lions and badgers lived.....and I also wondered where do all these animals get their water.....we were miles from the San Juan River and other than a few tiny pools of water that we had seen, this place was bone dry.....
We hiked for miles in those ravines that day and finally I found their watering hole......
Out of the ground above us, for I'd guess 200 to 300 feet in length, water just dripped out of the ground above. Not an amazing waterfall.....just a drip, drip, drip everywhere. The water collected into pools on the cleansed rock below.....the surrounding sands were covered in footprints from many different animals.....yet not a single one from man.....I loved it here.....
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Plat.....thanks.....just know that I love to write.....
Eventually we climbed out of those ravines and back into the real world.....or was it.....
We hiked across the wide open spaces and worked our way back to the Valley of the Gods Road.....
Generally speaking when I'm walking along any kind of backroad I'll pretty much keep my head facing downward when a vehicle approaches and passes us by. Now that's usually a solid game plan until you realize that an amazing rig is passing you by and then you think "damn ! I wished I saw more of that rig !". And that's exactly what happened when Keith (instagram@asparagusnightmare) passed us by.....
But my good fortune continued that day cause eventually Keith pulled over and Tanner & I caught up to him & his girlfriend and we all had a nice chat. He and his girlfriend are tattoo artists traveling out of Texas.....
What an amazing rig that they owned.....perfect for a trip down south.....it was a pleasure to have met them.....
We continued walking along the Valley of the Gods Road.....we still had a few more miles ahead of us. I saw this rock formation on the way.....and I saw the face of a well known individual up there.....I'm curious if anyone else does.....
Eventually we climbed out of those ravines and back into the real world.....or was it.....
We hiked across the wide open spaces and worked our way back to the Valley of the Gods Road.....
Generally speaking when I'm walking along any kind of backroad I'll pretty much keep my head facing downward when a vehicle approaches and passes us by. Now that's usually a solid game plan until you realize that an amazing rig is passing you by and then you think "damn ! I wished I saw more of that rig !". And that's exactly what happened when Keith (instagram@asparagusnightmare) passed us by.....
But my good fortune continued that day cause eventually Keith pulled over and Tanner & I caught up to him & his girlfriend and we all had a nice chat. He and his girlfriend are tattoo artists traveling out of Texas.....
What an amazing rig that they owned.....perfect for a trip down south.....it was a pleasure to have met them.....
We continued walking along the Valley of the Gods Road.....we still had a few more miles ahead of us. I saw this rock formation on the way.....and I saw the face of a well known individual up there.....I'm curious if anyone else does.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
MSatt.....here's the boot that I love. I live in these things. All day everyday.....
Nope ??
Thanks! Doing most of my treking solo, boot blowouts have become one of my biggest fears. You put some serious miles on those things in rough country.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
nathane.....hmmm.....you sure fooled me. I thought you were from the states. Your English is certainly far better than mine. I could say the same for Arjan but I'm quite certain that he is French.....
MSatt.....I really do put some serious miles on those boots. Last year for the first time I exceeded 5,000 miles in the calendar year and I swore that I'd never do that again but I'm currently on track to exceed last years mileage.....
VALLEY OF THE GODS.....
DAYS 7 & 8.....
I had planned to leave the Valley of the Gods on Day 7 as I was nearly out of propane and the thought of waking up on Day 8 without propane and not being able to make my coffee.....well that was just more than I could bare......
We had completed walking the 17 miles of the Valley of the Gods Road multiple times, we had explored miles and miles of the cliffs & canyons, we had walked from the desert floor to the cedar filled mesas on the cliff tops, we had explored miles of ravines and discovered a major water source, we had met many interesting people.....
It sure had been a great place to call home.....
.....but now it was finally the time to go.....we drove a few miles down the Valley of the Gods Road and I'm not sure what happened to me.....what I was thinking at that moment.....but I changed my mind and decided to stay for another night. We turned around & headed back to our last campsite.....
So here I am drving down the Valley of the Gods Road when this crazy kid passes me on his mountainbike (yes I drive slow).....he's screaming stuff like "hell yea ice climber" and thrusting his fist into the air.....behind the rig I can see his partner in the side mirror.....and shortly thereafter another friendship is made.....
They followed me to my campsite and we hung out for a liitle while. They expressed to me their love for my Jeep and said it'd be a dream come true to drive it. I thought for a second.....and I recalled at that moment the kindness of the guy in Ouray, Colorado taking me to his hidden hot springs.....I handed the Jeep keys to these strangers.....and I said "have fun and please be back in an hour".....they weren't.....they are 21.....
We hung out that evening and had some great conversation.....
We hung out again the following morning and they really wanted to go back out in the Jeep so I handed them the keys again and said "be back in 30 minutes".....they weren't. I didn't care one bit.....I saw in them who I once was.....full of energy and enthusiastic for life.....2 college kids from New Hampshire out seeing the world.....
We made plans to meet later that day in Moab, Utah to share a pizza but that never happened.....the day got away from me and I never made it that far north.....
There was the Mennonite kid that was raised on a Pennsylvania farm riding in horse & buggies that had decided to leave his clan to travel & live in a school bus, the two Native American men that have lived their entire lives on the Navajo Reservation that taught me about the animal spirits and welcomed me to their homes, the young tattoo artists traveling out of Texas in their amazing Tiger rig, the two college kids from a middle class neighborhood in New England living their dream.....they all had their stories and their stories became a part of mine.....all fascinating yet it was the solitude & the silence that I'll most cherish here, and my time with Tanner that will always stand out as I recall my fond memories that were made here.....
In the VALLEY OF THE GODS .....THE GODS OF THE VALLEY were good to us.....as the wispy white clouds streamed across the sky from the west to the east.....we headed north.....
MSatt.....I really do put some serious miles on those boots. Last year for the first time I exceeded 5,000 miles in the calendar year and I swore that I'd never do that again but I'm currently on track to exceed last years mileage.....
VALLEY OF THE GODS.....
DAYS 7 & 8.....
I had planned to leave the Valley of the Gods on Day 7 as I was nearly out of propane and the thought of waking up on Day 8 without propane and not being able to make my coffee.....well that was just more than I could bare......
We had completed walking the 17 miles of the Valley of the Gods Road multiple times, we had explored miles and miles of the cliffs & canyons, we had walked from the desert floor to the cedar filled mesas on the cliff tops, we had explored miles of ravines and discovered a major water source, we had met many interesting people.....
It sure had been a great place to call home.....
.....but now it was finally the time to go.....we drove a few miles down the Valley of the Gods Road and I'm not sure what happened to me.....what I was thinking at that moment.....but I changed my mind and decided to stay for another night. We turned around & headed back to our last campsite.....
So here I am drving down the Valley of the Gods Road when this crazy kid passes me on his mountainbike (yes I drive slow).....he's screaming stuff like "hell yea ice climber" and thrusting his fist into the air.....behind the rig I can see his partner in the side mirror.....and shortly thereafter another friendship is made.....
They followed me to my campsite and we hung out for a liitle while. They expressed to me their love for my Jeep and said it'd be a dream come true to drive it. I thought for a second.....and I recalled at that moment the kindness of the guy in Ouray, Colorado taking me to his hidden hot springs.....I handed the Jeep keys to these strangers.....and I said "have fun and please be back in an hour".....they weren't.....they are 21.....
We hung out that evening and had some great conversation.....
We hung out again the following morning and they really wanted to go back out in the Jeep so I handed them the keys again and said "be back in 30 minutes".....they weren't. I didn't care one bit.....I saw in them who I once was.....full of energy and enthusiastic for life.....2 college kids from New Hampshire out seeing the world.....
We made plans to meet later that day in Moab, Utah to share a pizza but that never happened.....the day got away from me and I never made it that far north.....
There was the Mennonite kid that was raised on a Pennsylvania farm riding in horse & buggies that had decided to leave his clan to travel & live in a school bus, the two Native American men that have lived their entire lives on the Navajo Reservation that taught me about the animal spirits and welcomed me to their homes, the young tattoo artists traveling out of Texas in their amazing Tiger rig, the two college kids from a middle class neighborhood in New England living their dream.....they all had their stories and their stories became a part of mine.....all fascinating yet it was the solitude & the silence that I'll most cherish here, and my time with Tanner that will always stand out as I recall my fond memories that were made here.....
In the VALLEY OF THE GODS .....THE GODS OF THE VALLEY were good to us.....as the wispy white clouds streamed across the sky from the west to the east.....we headed north.....
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That's possibly because I'm English and you're from the States
Inspiration and character trump language though and I think you're ahead of most on those counts
Mekcanix
Camper
and another Nope I am from Canada and I am taking in all this info from your travels and making plans of my own for my Wife and I to explore the beautiful parts of the USA that you show.
thanks muchly