My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

To the northwest of us was a mountain chain that began along Old Highway 91 and then grew taller & taller to the northeast and while we were hiking along that cliff band I spotted what was certainly a large cave in that said mountain chain.....or possibly it was an abandoned mine as there was a road in the valley just below it which would have provided the needed access for a mine.....



Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of that cave from that viewpoint even though the thought of exploring it was on the forefront on my mind & I should have known its' exact position on that mountain chain.....



We continued our hike along the cliffs until we encountered an old wire fence.....



.....and from that point we followed the fence line down into the valley, and then we crossed the gently sloping desert floor back to our campsite.....by now it was time for a cold bottle of water and our lunch.....



Later that afternoon I decided that we'd take the Jeep up that road to explore the cave / mine thing.....



After just a mile or so at most we encountered that same fence line that we had encountered earlier in the day so I decided that we'd leave the Jeep at the fence line.....



.....and hike on up the road.....



A mile or two further up, the road abruptly came to an end at this man made watering hole.....as a side note.....I'm a huge fan of these man made watering holes as they provide water to both domestic & wild animals.....and with the on going mega drought out west these are certainly well needed (thank you ranchers).....not a huge fan of cattle roaming on our public lands though (especially in areas designated as conservation areas).....



We spent the entire afternoon looking for that cave mine thing walking miles & miles and we never did find that thing. I'd say it was a mirage since we were in the desert but it wasn't hot that day and we weren't starving nor dehydrated. I'd like to tell you that I'd met an old Native American medicine man and that he provided me with peyote and that it was one of many illusions & hallucinations that I had experienced that day but nope not that either. And so I'm left to wonder.....and to wander.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

March 13, 2022.....10.1 miles hiked.....1,400' elevation gain.....

We've now been camped here for nearly one entire week (time really does fly).....and it seems as though we've quiet quickly fallen into daily routines. The mornings are typically spent wandering around those gently sloping desert lands that I spoke of yesterday.....afternoons are spent higher up in the mountains. The Joshua Tree towers over all the plants here and during my idle time I've been learning a bit about this plant (it is not actually a tree).....



Odd as it may seem, it was the number of dead Joshua Trees that initially garnered my attention & interest.....



The desert floor is covered in fallen Joshua Trees and while I was walking & looking at the fallen trees, I took note of how beautiful they are.....standing or fallen.....







I noticed that the vast majority of these trees in the wide open spaces fell to the south.....possibly strong winds typically coming from the north took them down ? And then further to the east and into the big canyon, they seem to fall mostly to the east.....possibly strong winds flow into the canyon from the west as that's where the canyon opening begins ? Tiny observations that occupy my mind.....







It appeared to me that the Joshua Tree must have a very small root system.....I sure was surprised to read this.....

"One of the most fascinating facts about the Joshua tree has to do with its complex root system. As a monocot, the Joshua tree has a fibrous root system. The thin roots grow out in a radial pattern from the base of the plant. A typical Joshua tree plant has so many roots – hundreds! – it creates a root system so dense that neighbouring plants most often won’t survive. Some roots reach deep underground – as much as 10-30 ft (3-9m) – in search of water in the dry desert. Other roots grow laterally, only 1-6 inches (2.5-15cm) deep.....Called rhizomes, these roots produce new shoots of genetically identically clones of the original Joshua tree! Being able to clone itself can be an evolutionary advantage, allowing a Joshua tree population to recover more quickly in times of disaster like floods or fires. In some areas, cloning seems to be the primary way the Joshua trees reproduce. Elsewhere, they rely on wind or small animals who eat their fruit and then disperse its seeds across the desert."

Quoted from nomomente.org

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

In the afternoon we headed into the canyon in search of a small peak to climb.....



Last time here we climbed the three named peaks that I could find on my maps.....so now it would just be random peaks that appealed to my eye.....



The options seem to be unlimited.....Utah never stops giving.....



So our first peak was easy.....that was part of my plan.....for the past 2 months I've tried to take it easy.....yep, that lingering injury.....







Our first peak took no more than 2 hours roundtrip.....the views were absolutely magnificent.....





Thankful for the opportunity to explore these lands.....



Summit Dog.....elevation 4,270' +/-.....

 

[tgil]

The Josh Garell's rendition of that song was great! Thanks for sharing that! I am a Christian that listen's to mostly contemporary Christian music. This version of this old "hymn" is a combination of old and new. I can hear my Dad singing the hymn as he'd piddle around the garage.
The mess in is enough to bring anyone that values humanity down. My mind is on them any time I don't have something else to distract me from their situation.
I spent this past weekend with my dad, at his place in the country. I was removed from the news and internet for just two days. No work, no rat race. I was ready to pack up and move there!
I envy (I've mentioned this before) your way of life. One day at a time. No schedule. Surrounded by beauty and your two best friends! Can't get much better!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[AbleGuy]

“We took the "long brown path" across the mesa to it's eastern edge.....here we were just waiting for an upcoming storm to pass thru.....before we continued on the "long brown path".....”

The long brown path…Hmmmm, isn’t that description the origin of the phrase “skid road”? ?

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Able Guy.....I don't know.....it seemed fitting at the time.....

tgil.....a few thoughts of mine.....

"I envy (I've mentioned this before) your way of life. One day at a time. No schedule. Surrounded by beauty and your two best friends ! Can't get much better !"

Nearly two decades ago I owned a fairly successful business and I made a good bit of money back then. I probably had most everything that I could have possibly wanted in life but there was one thing that I just couldn't seem to find.....happiness. If anything, I seemed to have found just the opposite. I began to get rid of everything that I had and eventually I did give up most everything.....some things I thought I valued but I really didn't.....other things (people) I did indeed value. Looking back, I guess I've always been a bit of a square peg trying to fit into the round hole......and this is just how the hand played out with the cards that I was dealt.....I have plenty of regrets in my life but never once have regretted this decision to prioritize happiness.....

The life of the wanderer has always had a great appeal to me.....some of the happiest days of my life have been spent while wandering around the globe.....it began as a young man & it still continues to this very day.....they were never had while amassing wealth......

We're headed north towards that cabin that I built last summer and actually I'm a bit terrified (possibly too strong of a word.....I'm not sure) right now at the thought of giving up this lifestyle.....last year I would have gladly moved in when there was not that option.....this year it is for real. I can honestly say that I don't know yet if I'll leave the road & the camper.....and as you pointed out in your post....."one day at a time".....

So here I am in the winter of my life trying to figure out who I want to be when I grow up.....so I just wander.....& I wander.....& I wander.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

March 14, 2022.....16.70 miles hiked.....3,840' elevation gain.....

This day was an absolutely superb day in the mountains.....by far one of the best mountain days that I've had in a very long time.....everything was right that day.....everything. We spent the morning wandering around the desert and it was probably an hour after lunch that we began our climb.....



The mountain that I chose that day appeared to be a bit higher than the one that we had climbed the day before.....



Once we reached the perceived summit (4,656'), I began to take my summit shots.....







It was then that I realized that this was just a false summit.....so we then climbed even higher.....





.....to what turned out to be yet another false summit (5,282').....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

And this is just how this day continued.....one false summit after another.....the next one at 5,462'.....







As I said in a previous post.....Utah just keeps giving.....







And so it was that we kept on climbing.....





And finally one last false summit at 5,741'.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We finally reached the summit of this massive unnamed mountain range / peak.....we now stood at 6,295'.....







I took the final summit shots of my dogs resting on the peak.....





Just as we were descending a small rock pile caught my eye so I had a quick look and saw the unmistakable top of a white bottle.....



It turned out to be a summit log.....I yanked out the small pad of paper.....it consisted of just a few sheets.....but now I realized that this amazing mountain peak did have a name.....we had just climbed Tahoari Peak (6,295').....



I added our signatures to the summit log which only had several climbers names logged in prior to our climb.....Jerry, Trapper, Tanner.....Montana..... (2 Dogs).....that is just what I wrote.....



Tanner took the lead down the mountain.....he bypassed every false summit.....one short cut after another. Eventually the short cuts led us down the incorrect route and I didn't realize it until we encountered a major cliff.....I stopped and now a bit distressed.....I looked down and I kid you not.....right between my feet was the coolest, old rusty cow bell in perfect condition.....score ! We worked our way around the cliffs.....down climbed through a steep ravine covered in large boulders and dense brush.....and then found a Desert Big Horn Sheep skeleton.....antlers ! Another score ! What a wonderful day in the mountains it was.....

 

[Riversdad]

Great pictures, as usual, and the dogs sure look happy, so you're lifestyle seems to be working for them.

 

[Arjan]

Happy tired dogs, stunning landscape.

What more could we possibly hope for.

Thanks.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Riversdad.....Golden Retrievers were made to live this life.....I was recently texting & sending pictures of the dogs to the people that I got Trapper from.....they are thrilled to see the way her life has turned out.....I think that Trapper is as well.....

Arjan.....thanks.....it's an amazing place to be and then throw in a couple of Golden Retrievers and it becomes everything that I could wish for.....very happy here.....



March 15, 2022.....10.48 miles hiked.....2,620' elevation gain.....

This day was mostly a rest day.....eventually we did get out.....



I think the three of us were all fairly sore.....as I try to recall that day this morning, I simply recall being tired.....we haven't climbed like this for quiet some time.....



Here the plan was to simply explore some random cliffs along the roadway.....of course we went much further.....



Just to see what we could see from a better vantage point.....





The views of course were sensational.....



And then it was back to the campsite.....



Campfires are something that I rarely do anymore.....a byproduct of the mega drought.....I've often read on XP about the many unfounded fears that people have about this style of life.....I only have 2 fears on the road.....one is to start an uncontrolled fire.....





But sometimes you just got to do it.....

 

[pkripper]

Great reports, great pics, especially of the dogs resting on the summit. Glad you are out hiking again!!!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

pkripper.....thanks.....just trying to share this beauty of a place that I believe is not visited so much.....plenty more dog pictures coming.....



March 16, 2022.....9.33 miles hiked.....1,050' elevation gain.....

I guess this day was actually our "rest day" or as close to it as we had while staying in the Utah high desert.....typical morning.....wandering around in the desert.....this particular afternoon I decided to head over to the climbing walls to watch the climbers climb.....



I thoroughly enjoy an afternoon spent like this.....just hanging back with the dogs and chatting it up. You can tell it's a climbers dog.....the carabiner tells it all.....



On this day there were only two sets of climbers here.....both traveling south from Canada.....





These guys were out of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada (I know that town.....home of the Northern Lite truck camper).....the other couple traveling from somewhere in Alberta, Canada .....





We talked lots of climbing stuff that afternoon.....it always seems like when I hang out with Canadians the conversation will eventually wander into the "what happened to America ? So much crazy going on".....





I like Canadian climbers.....good people.....



And another splendid day was had in the Utah high desert.....

 

[Sticky9]

Hey Jerry,

Well I just caught up with "Your" Journey after leaving off when the pandemic started. I started back in the office first week of March (2 days a week), and I don't do much leisure internet on my own time. It's great to see your travels and pictures as usual. After suppressing an unforeseen feeling of guilt at the beginning of the pandemic, I decided I needed to give myself a purpose or goals to achieve. These last 2 years have been pretty eventful for me. I've been able to check off quite a few items off my list and I thought I would share a few with you, as you have given me inspiration the last 7 years. First, I finished (at least from what I have found to be as accurate a number as I could find) my goal of climbing all 14'ers in CO. Second, I drove the baja peninsula from the Mexico border to Cabo San Lucas on a life changing one month trip, although it ended up being the lethal blow to my beloved '94 4Runner that had been in my life since it was bought new by my father. And lastly I made a solo summit of Mt. Whitney on Christmas day last year (as it appears you had yourself a nice summit that day). I don't know why I feel like mentioning all this stuff, but I do feel like (and I know exactly how you will react to this so save the humility! (sarcasm)) I owe you a thanks for giving inspiration. I also managed to get my engineering license during that time as well (ok now I'm gloating) which has been a blessing and a curse. As now it seems the responsibilities are rising, and with that the walls here in Austin are rising as well. Who knows what the future will hold, but I'm not sure the office life is for me. I was reading through your first trip to Valley of Fire back in 2020(?) and I was there about 3 months before you on a rock climbing trip and I have a picture of Jack in what is a very similar picture you took of Tanner Dog. I have included the picture below, along with a picture of my beloved Lilly that I had to say goodbye to December 10, 2021. Cancer sucks. That trip would end up being our last multi week trip together. Anyway, sorry to hijack your thread and I won't take offense if you would like me to remove the post. Oh, also, I read a book on the baja trip that made me thank of you and was going to suggest it, but then I saw you quoted the author (Edward Abbey Desert Solitaire) so I assume you have read it. Keep on keeping on!

Michael

Jack


Lilly