The picture with the Gallitan National Forest sign with Lion Head above. The canyon and swing bridge are about 5 miles from my cousins cabin. Sometimes in June or slightly later the river goes subtranian. My cousin has pulled 4-5 bodies out of there. Just a little further down stream from the canyon is property owned by the Levi Straus Family, as in blue jeans. If you take that road to the end there are some old mines and a dude ranch. I need to get back there.
My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
Awesome photo
I should have remember that you had camped around Halfmoon. I was thinking back to the time your camper and truck caught fire. Around September 1st a friend was camping South of Grand Junction, CO, deep in the mountains. His Four Wheel Camper caught fire and he escaped with burns over 50% of his body. He lost both his Labs. They perished in the fire. He was airlifted to the burn unit in Denver. Been on a ventilator, burns inhaled, hands, arms, back, legs. What a tragedy. Long, Long road to recovery. He is a retired school principle traveling full time. He is the only one that knows what happened, and hopefully it becomes a distant memory, and better not remembering anything.
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the deputy
Well-known member
Hope you don't mind me bringing this post back to the light of day...but it is a spectacular story. Actually, several post before this one and several after.
Funny, just randomly chose a page number (which l do from time to time), 252, of 'My Journey', out of the 359 pages...and this is where it landed me.
Found it quite ironic, considering l just returned from Alaska...but forty years to late.
Just saying "Thank You", for all of these wonderfully motivating posts seems delinquent in worth and hallow in volume. What you've given to others here is priceless.
You have truly "lived it"...
EDIT: And l love the bell-bottom blue jeans...if that doesn't say early-seventies l don't know what does...lol.
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ITTOG
Well-known member
Thanks for bringing that back up. I love the jeep Jerry had and I forgot about "Bear" being one of the options. I definitely agree with Jerry that naming Trapper "Bear" could have been problematic.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Riversdad.....lots of great stuff out there to see.....we're headed back out.....
Arjan.....the knee is the least of my worries. On Sunday I helped a bunch of 20 something guys transplant trees & I pulled a back muscle. I guess my days of acting like a bunch of 20 somethings are long gone by now.....
JD.....that's a sad story right there. The dogs perishing in the fire did me in. I can't begin to imagine that loss.....
the deputy.....I like it that you brought back that post from My Journey. Those were the days my friend.....when I actually was just barely a 20 something.....
Hiking around Twin Lakes for half a day probably isn't what a doctor would recommend to heal a bum knee (it actually had the reverse effect). So our next outing would be in the Jeep. We were up early....long before the sunrise.....
I love this time of day.....everything is so quiet and peaceful. When I opened the door to the camper to let the dogs outside, I thought for sure that we were miles from another human being.....
Nope.....someone darn near backed into the Jeep picking out their spot for the night.....it's just so hard for me to understand why people like this are even out here in the wilderness (actually it was on the side of a highway).....
Eventually the sun did rise.....and the SUV that we camped alongside (I was there first just you know !) headed north into Montana.....
And we headed south into Wyoming.....to do one of my least favorite activities (ranks just ahead of fishing !).....offroading in the Jeep.....
The dogs seemed happy enough with the days' plans.....initially anyhow.....
I can't seem to wander so much while in the Jeep.....like I do when on foot. So I made a plan for us before heading out.....we would check out Sawtooth Mountain (10,217') for a possible climb on our next visit.....if it looked easy.....maybe on this day.....
At first the Forest Service road passed through really dense vegetation.....you could almost smell the Grizzlies that lurked around every turn (we didn't see a single bear).....
After maybe a mile of bouncing around through the dense forest, we drove into the wide open expanses.....it was absolutely beautiful.....the endless skies.....
Arjan.....the knee is the least of my worries. On Sunday I helped a bunch of 20 something guys transplant trees & I pulled a back muscle. I guess my days of acting like a bunch of 20 somethings are long gone by now.....
JD.....that's a sad story right there. The dogs perishing in the fire did me in. I can't begin to imagine that loss.....
the deputy.....I like it that you brought back that post from My Journey. Those were the days my friend.....when I actually was just barely a 20 something.....
Hiking around Twin Lakes for half a day probably isn't what a doctor would recommend to heal a bum knee (it actually had the reverse effect). So our next outing would be in the Jeep. We were up early....long before the sunrise.....
I love this time of day.....everything is so quiet and peaceful. When I opened the door to the camper to let the dogs outside, I thought for sure that we were miles from another human being.....
Nope.....someone darn near backed into the Jeep picking out their spot for the night.....it's just so hard for me to understand why people like this are even out here in the wilderness (actually it was on the side of a highway).....
Eventually the sun did rise.....and the SUV that we camped alongside (I was there first just you know !) headed north into Montana.....
And we headed south into Wyoming.....to do one of my least favorite activities (ranks just ahead of fishing !).....offroading in the Jeep.....
The dogs seemed happy enough with the days' plans.....initially anyhow.....
I can't seem to wander so much while in the Jeep.....like I do when on foot. So I made a plan for us before heading out.....we would check out Sawtooth Mountain (10,217') for a possible climb on our next visit.....if it looked easy.....maybe on this day.....
At first the Forest Service road passed through really dense vegetation.....you could almost smell the Grizzlies that lurked around every turn (we didn't see a single bear).....
After maybe a mile of bouncing around through the dense forest, we drove into the wide open expanses.....it was absolutely beautiful.....the endless skies.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
We would stop along the way.....get out.....walk around.....
.....get back in.....drive a little further.....get out.....you get the picture. Finally I parked the Jeep.....
.....and we took off on foot hiking down the road. Bouncing around in the Jeep had quickly lost it's appeal.....if there was any appeal to begin with.....
That mountain that I spoke of.....it was still a long ways off. And it didn't look like it'd be an easy climb.....it actually looked difficult.....to me.....
So we bagged that idea, returned to the Jeep, and off we went.....bouncing around on random Forest Service roads.....
We wandered around quite a bit on foot that day.....ate lunch on a high point somewhere in those foothills.....
We were alone.....nobody was here. Alone to our thoughts.....overwhelmed in the silence. Maybe bouncing around in the Jeep that day was a good thing for me.....simply reminding me of how strong my love of the mountains, and solitude, and challenges really are.....
.....get back in.....drive a little further.....get out.....you get the picture. Finally I parked the Jeep.....
.....and we took off on foot hiking down the road. Bouncing around in the Jeep had quickly lost it's appeal.....if there was any appeal to begin with.....
That mountain that I spoke of.....it was still a long ways off. And it didn't look like it'd be an easy climb.....it actually looked difficult.....to me.....
So we bagged that idea, returned to the Jeep, and off we went.....bouncing around on random Forest Service roads.....
We wandered around quite a bit on foot that day.....ate lunch on a high point somewhere in those foothills.....
We were alone.....nobody was here. Alone to our thoughts.....overwhelmed in the silence. Maybe bouncing around in the Jeep that day was a good thing for me.....simply reminding me of how strong my love of the mountains, and solitude, and challenges really are.....
ghostdancer
Member
Hey Jerry. Here’s a guy who’s videos I think you might enjoy.
Dougnuts
Well-known member
I've been watching Desert Drifter for quite some time. Given that Jerry's thread here on ExPo is also favorite of mine, I can see why you recommended it.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ghostdancer.....that was an excellent video. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now a subscriber. Thanks.....
Dougnuts.....thank you.....
I awoke the following morning thinking that I needed a change of scenery so we backtracked once again to Red Lodge, Montana and from there we drove east, then south and just before entering Cody, Wyoming, we took a backroad further east and finally arrived at our planned destination.....the McCullough Peaks.....
In the picture above, I'd say that the road doesn't look so steep.....but it was and we had no business taking my rig up it.....
We made it to the top of that ridgeline and couldn't have gone more than a quarter of a mile or so before I decided to set up camp on a small flat spot overlooking the town of Cody, Wyoming.....
We didn't do a whole heck of a lot in the McCullough Peaks.....the plan was to see if we could catch up with a herd of wild horses.....maybe summit a few peaks.....
Maybe it was because the Bureau of Land Management had just culled the herd of wild horses that they were just nowhere to be seen.....maybe not.....we didn't see a single horse.....
We took the Jeep to the "trailhead" to McCullough Peak (6,547').....which was actually the gate for the road to a whole lots of towers.....
We hiked up to the summit.....only 0.9 miles up a gravel road.....fairly easy even with the bum knee.....
We sat together on the summit.....the three best friends.....took in the 360 degree sights from the summit.....
Dougnuts.....thank you.....
I awoke the following morning thinking that I needed a change of scenery so we backtracked once again to Red Lodge, Montana and from there we drove east, then south and just before entering Cody, Wyoming, we took a backroad further east and finally arrived at our planned destination.....the McCullough Peaks.....
In the picture above, I'd say that the road doesn't look so steep.....but it was and we had no business taking my rig up it.....
We made it to the top of that ridgeline and couldn't have gone more than a quarter of a mile or so before I decided to set up camp on a small flat spot overlooking the town of Cody, Wyoming.....
We didn't do a whole heck of a lot in the McCullough Peaks.....the plan was to see if we could catch up with a herd of wild horses.....maybe summit a few peaks.....
Maybe it was because the Bureau of Land Management had just culled the herd of wild horses that they were just nowhere to be seen.....maybe not.....we didn't see a single horse.....
We took the Jeep to the "trailhead" to McCullough Peak (6,547').....which was actually the gate for the road to a whole lots of towers.....
We hiked up to the summit.....only 0.9 miles up a gravel road.....fairly easy even with the bum knee.....
We sat together on the summit.....the three best friends.....took in the 360 degree sights from the summit.....
chet6.7
Explorer
In addition to Desert Drifter, I watch Enigma Clandestino.
https://www.youtube.com/@EnigmaClandestino/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@EnigmaClandestino/videos
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
It was close to dusk when we arrived at the summit so it seemed to make sense to stay for the entire sunset.....
So that's just what we did.....
That turned out to be a great decision.....there was barely a sound to be heard (there was a slight hum from the cell phone tower equipment that was close by) .....we watched a lone deer pass by below us.....and we saw a lone hawk glide by.....it was utopia.....inspite of the towers.....
We returned to the camper.....it was a near pitch black night. I elected not to turn on the Jeep lights as I wanted to blend in.....it made for an interesting ride back. We drove slow.....and when we did finally arrive, we just sat in the Jeep and took a bit of the night sky in.....
In the morning we left our campsite early and were able to watch the sunrise above the McCullough Peaks .....
In the next picture there's an Antelope that you can barely see in the dark.....
In the next picture he's obviously much easier to see.....
I decided then, as we were leaving, that it was time to go home and heal up.....a small herd of Antelope watched us as we left the McCullough Peaks behind.....
So that's just what we did.....
That turned out to be a great decision.....there was barely a sound to be heard (there was a slight hum from the cell phone tower equipment that was close by) .....we watched a lone deer pass by below us.....and we saw a lone hawk glide by.....it was utopia.....inspite of the towers.....
We returned to the camper.....it was a near pitch black night. I elected not to turn on the Jeep lights as I wanted to blend in.....it made for an interesting ride back. We drove slow.....and when we did finally arrive, we just sat in the Jeep and took a bit of the night sky in.....
In the morning we left our campsite early and were able to watch the sunrise above the McCullough Peaks .....
In the next picture there's an Antelope that you can barely see in the dark.....
In the next picture he's obviously much easier to see.....
I decided then, as we were leaving, that it was time to go home and heal up.....a small herd of Antelope watched us as we left the McCullough Peaks behind.....
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