My Journey
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bigskypylot
Explorer
Automatic gunfire?
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
bigskypylot.....automatic / semiautomatic.....I'm not certain as I never actually saw any weapons. I am certain that I heard near constant rapid fire of guns for the entire day. For a guy like me that spends the vast majority of the day wandering the backroads, deserts and forests, it can be unsettling and even frightening at times. I worry about our safety.....my last Golden Retriever was shot 3 times. Tanner and I are now walking in excess of 17 + miles per day so you can just imagine how much time we spend outdoors. Yesterday was 17.3 miles with 2,400' of climbing.....a few recent finds from our wanderings.....
The next mountain we were to climb, Mormon Mountain with a summit elevation of 8,500', was on a real nice dedicated trail.....
Now I'm not really sure why this trail was even here.....and I saw no reason to achieve this summit.....
It was a nice training climb as it was 6 miles roundtrip and the first few miles were fairly steep.....
As we ascended the mountain, looking to the east, we had limited views of Mono Lake down below.....
The summit provided no views and was covered by dense vegetation. It was actually difficult to determine the actual summit but I decided that this well worn log to the side of the trail led to what may have been our summit.....
Later that afternoon we continued north on Lake Mary Road, then headed into the woods for a good nights sleep.....
The place we chose was packed and it was a bit odd in my opinion as there were lots of RVs clustered here in small groups. I wondered if these people possibly were full timing / living here since we were only maybe 15 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona.....
We were out of here with the crack of dawn, drove into Flagstaff for fuel (I wore rubber gloves and used hand sanitizer too). Then it was north on Highway 89 where we would stumble onto one of the most amazing places that I've found in Arizona.....I have tons of new pictures and our stories to be told.....but we are off right now to explore.....
The next mountain we were to climb, Mormon Mountain with a summit elevation of 8,500', was on a real nice dedicated trail.....
Now I'm not really sure why this trail was even here.....and I saw no reason to achieve this summit.....
It was a nice training climb as it was 6 miles roundtrip and the first few miles were fairly steep.....
As we ascended the mountain, looking to the east, we had limited views of Mono Lake down below.....
The summit provided no views and was covered by dense vegetation. It was actually difficult to determine the actual summit but I decided that this well worn log to the side of the trail led to what may have been our summit.....
Later that afternoon we continued north on Lake Mary Road, then headed into the woods for a good nights sleep.....
The place we chose was packed and it was a bit odd in my opinion as there were lots of RVs clustered here in small groups. I wondered if these people possibly were full timing / living here since we were only maybe 15 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona.....
We were out of here with the crack of dawn, drove into Flagstaff for fuel (I wore rubber gloves and used hand sanitizer too). Then it was north on Highway 89 where we would stumble onto one of the most amazing places that I've found in Arizona.....I have tons of new pictures and our stories to be told.....but we are off right now to explore.....
When you are in Montana there is a place up in the Pioneer Mountains you would like called Vipond Park. With your rig exit I-15 along the Wise River Hwy. 43 and at Dewey turn left and drive up into Vipond Park. Wild flowers should be beautiful. You will pass a large mine. Camp in the lodge pole pines. There are maybe a dozen old mines all around Vipond Park to explore. There is a shelf road you can take the Jeep down, past an old cabin, to the bee hive kilns along Trapper Creek Road. There is also a Ghost Town off of I-15, Melrose Exit, which become Trapper Creek Rd. Pretty rough along Trapper Creek, but the Jeep will be fine. Had our F250 and Four Wheel Camper in FWD and made it up the shelf road to the park. This is one of the places Foy turned me into.
Dougnuts
Well-known member
Hello Jerry,
A while back you had posted a few pictures of a windmill and your description of the sound it made when the wind would change it's direction really resonated with me. My family owns a ranch, which has been in the family since 1886. As my Dad was the only child who moved a significant distance away, I usually only spent about 2-3 weeks there per year. Here is a picture I took in the early 2000's, as well as a more recent one.
I also wanted to share a few pictures of our dog, Kona, who is now 12. She's a golden retriever / border collie mix and has been everything you would expect from that combination.
I am sharing these pictures as feedback to the impact reading your story has had on my life. Keep on keeping on my good man.
A while back you had posted a few pictures of a windmill and your description of the sound it made when the wind would change it's direction really resonated with me. My family owns a ranch, which has been in the family since 1886. As my Dad was the only child who moved a significant distance away, I usually only spent about 2-3 weeks there per year. Here is a picture I took in the early 2000's, as well as a more recent one.
I also wanted to share a few pictures of our dog, Kona, who is now 12. She's a golden retriever / border collie mix and has been everything you would expect from that combination.
I am sharing these pictures as feedback to the impact reading your story has had on my life. Keep on keeping on my good man.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
JD.....struggling to get there.....
Dougnuts.....nice post, thank you.....Kona looks like a great dog.....
North out of Flagstaff, Arizona we would make our first stop at the entrance to Wupatki National Monument.....
I would have loved to visit this national monument but it was closed, of course due to the threat of the coronavirus. That didn't stop us from walking a few miles along the entrance road.....and enjoying the views of Mount Humphreys to the southwest.....
The lack of traffic was a real plus.....
And the wildlife we spotted was amazing.....
Law enforcement stopped by to inform me that camping was closed.....a real nice guy just doing his job. We had no plans to camp here.....we had plans to climb a small volcano a bit further to the north.....
A few miles further north we departed Highway 89 and entered the lands of the Babbitt Ranch.....
The drive through the eastern sections of the ranch could only be described as spectacular.....
The cattle here are different from the ones further to the south.....
These guys are feisty.....they seem to enjoy running and the calves are very, very active. In the evenings I've watched the calves running and playing chase.....it's really entertaining.....
We found ourselves a place to set up camp.....that afternoon we would climb a small volcano.....
Dougnuts.....nice post, thank you.....Kona looks like a great dog.....
North out of Flagstaff, Arizona we would make our first stop at the entrance to Wupatki National Monument.....
I would have loved to visit this national monument but it was closed, of course due to the threat of the coronavirus. That didn't stop us from walking a few miles along the entrance road.....and enjoying the views of Mount Humphreys to the southwest.....
The lack of traffic was a real plus.....
And the wildlife we spotted was amazing.....
Law enforcement stopped by to inform me that camping was closed.....a real nice guy just doing his job. We had no plans to camp here.....we had plans to climb a small volcano a bit further to the north.....
A few miles further north we departed Highway 89 and entered the lands of the Babbitt Ranch.....
The drive through the eastern sections of the ranch could only be described as spectacular.....
The cattle here are different from the ones further to the south.....
These guys are feisty.....they seem to enjoy running and the calves are very, very active. In the evenings I've watched the calves running and playing chase.....it's really entertaining.....
We found ourselves a place to set up camp.....that afternoon we would climb a small volcano.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
The Babbiit Ranches consist of approximately 700,000 acres of public and private lands.....
And they typically raise about 8,000 head of cattle and calves.....
This drinking hole made me think that this is why the cattle here are so feisty.....
Google Babbitt Ranches if you are interested to learn more.....
I have a new found respect for ranchers as I've learned so much about them during these past few months. Truly these people love their land and their livelihood.....combined with the disrespect I've seen given to our public lands by the general public.....my choice now would always be to stay on ranch land as opposed to national forest land.....
I keep mentioning that volcano but I also have trouble moving past the beauty of the ranch.....
So this was our volcano that we planned to climb.....
And this is anxious Tanner just waiting to get going.....
Tomorrow I'll post on the first climb.....
And they typically raise about 8,000 head of cattle and calves.....
This drinking hole made me think that this is why the cattle here are so feisty.....
Google Babbitt Ranches if you are interested to learn more.....
I have a new found respect for ranchers as I've learned so much about them during these past few months. Truly these people love their land and their livelihood.....combined with the disrespect I've seen given to our public lands by the general public.....my choice now would always be to stay on ranch land as opposed to national forest land.....
I keep mentioning that volcano but I also have trouble moving past the beauty of the ranch.....
So this was our volcano that we planned to climb.....
And this is anxious Tanner just waiting to get going.....
Tomorrow I'll post on the first climb.....
Ace Brown
Retired Ol’ Fart
When I travel down past Flagstaff I often find myself looking for a place to camp along Hwy 89. I discovered if you head east through the Wupatiki Monument for around 5 miles you come to USFS land with open camping. Nothing fancy but convenient to my travel as I often pass that way. Lots of old twotracks back there to explore also.
Until know I never heard of camping on ranch lands. I will definitely google the Babbit Ranch. Thanks for the lead.
Ace
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Until know I never heard of camping on ranch lands. I will definitely google the Babbit Ranch. Thanks for the lead.
Ace
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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BigDawwg
-[Gettin-it Done]-
Hey Jerry,,,,, those Cattle are White Face Hereford, the Red in color indicates pretty much Purebred Cattle, but if you noticed your photo at the watering trough, in the middle there is a Black Colored Calf looking right at you, thats what's called a Black-Baldy, ie... Hereford-Angus cross, these are Exactly the type of Cattle we ran on the Ranch, also my Grandfather was one of the 1st Ranchers in our area, to Cross-Breed the Charolais into our Heard,,,,, so basically we ran 3-Cross Breeds of Hereford Cattle, and these Photos Pretty much dictate the Topography of our Ranch, in the corner of NW Nevada.......
BD in Alaska
Slight technical corrections and additions:
First, a confirmation: Vipond Park is a very special place. One could spend days and days up there, enjoying the solitude and the 8,000' elevation cool breezes, and hiking or driving the Jeep to any of several trailheads to hike in to alpine lakes in the surrounding Pioneers. And confirming that access from Dewey on MT 43 is by far the easiest of only two ways in. It's Quartz Hill Rd off of 43.
Technical corrections: The "OMG" shelf road descends off of the plateau which is Vipond Park down into Canyon Creek and that's the second of the two access points to Vipond Park. As one exits dead-end Canyon Creek to the open end at the east, towards Melrose, one passes the Canyon Creek charcoal kilns "bee hives" right along the road. The charcoal fed the smelter at Glendale, the ghost town referred to. Glendale is a short distance (couple or three miles?) east of the kilns and the road climbs out of the Canyon Creek drainage into the Trapper Creek drainage along the way.
Addition: One with a Jeep and a lot of patience can drive to Lion City from Glendale by just turning back west at the old brick smelter stack and proceeding up the fairly rocky road for a few miles (4 or 5?). Lion City is a larger ghost town at around 8,000' and is at the mouth of the Hecla Mines adits and shafts. One can hike or possibly drive around to the south, then west, then north, past Keokirk Mtn to an above timberline knife-edge two-track at the headwall of the Hecla Mines, with Lion City 1,000' below on the east and Canyon Creek 1,000' below on the west. Road/trail ends at the southern foot of Sheriff Mtn, a scree-hop of 600-700' to the summit of a shade under 10,000'. In the year 2000 we took a rental Dodge Durango (may she rest in peace) around Keokirk to and across the knife-edge two track. We had our two teenaged sons on board and between that drive and Comet Mountain there were 4 patches of fabric removed from the seats, and the undercarriage was probably never the same after that. It took my wife months before she'd speak to me again.
Foy
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Ace.....this has to be one of the best spots I've camped at for quiet sometime. There is absolutely nothing going on here. I've seen a few vehicles drive by, mostly ranch hands I think, and a few climbers of the nearby peak. No other campers, no generators, no ATVs.....just Tanner & me, and of course the wandering cattle.....
Arjan.....I actually thought of you when I arrived here.....you would love this ranch no doubt.....and you are more than welcome.....
BigDawwg.....am I correct that this breed of cattle is more active ? I've noticed more about them lately.....they seem to have this uppity / aristocratic style or attitude about them and they almost prance like a horse at times and then when they run full speed they remind me more of a herd of elk than they do cattle. If I had cattle, these would be my guys.....
smlobx.....thanks, I appreciate the comment. I enjoy so much being able to share and record my travels. It's especially pleasurable right now when I know so many people are struggling with Stay At Home / Stay In Place orders. I never loose sight of how grateful I am to still be healthy and still have these opportunities.....
For Informational Purposes:
Miles Hiked & Total Elevation Gain are not reflective of a certain hike but are simply a total for one entire day. For instance, my estimate on climbing SP Crater from the north, circumnavigating the rim, down climbing the western slope and then returning to the north would be maybe 4 miles & approximately 1,000 of total elevation gain.
Any elevation shown in parentheses is approximate and was obtained using my ioverlander ap and was not obtained with GPS. ioverlander states that elevations are +/- 11' which is plenty close for me.
If I call a crater unnamed it's because I was unable to find a name for it.....it doesn't mean a name doesn't exist.
Friday May 01, 2020
Miles Hiked: 15.19 Total Elevation Gain: 2,260'
SP Crater: 7,027'
And so it was that we came here to climb SP Crater.....when we arrived I had no idea of Babbitt Ranches nor anything about this amazing area known as the San Francisco Volcanic Field.....
I've taken quiet an interest in the area and have been on Google and have learned quiet a bit.....
Now the most important thing that I have learned.....the volcano was named by C.J. Babbitt in the 1880s when they initially came here to ranch these lands. He climbed SP Crater and afterwards stated that it looked like a ******** pot and so this abbreviated name has stuck over the years.....
I had read that the easiest route to the summit was from the western side of the volcano.....we hiked from the north instead which turned out to be the worst and most difficult route possible.....
Every step we took was in 12 to 24 inches of loose volcanic scree and it seemed as though for every two steps up we would slide back down one.....
But once we reached the summit ring it certainly was well worth the effort.....the views from the summit were exceptional.....
Of course we hiked around the entire rim.....
Arjan.....I actually thought of you when I arrived here.....you would love this ranch no doubt.....and you are more than welcome.....
BigDawwg.....am I correct that this breed of cattle is more active ? I've noticed more about them lately.....they seem to have this uppity / aristocratic style or attitude about them and they almost prance like a horse at times and then when they run full speed they remind me more of a herd of elk than they do cattle. If I had cattle, these would be my guys.....
smlobx.....thanks, I appreciate the comment. I enjoy so much being able to share and record my travels. It's especially pleasurable right now when I know so many people are struggling with Stay At Home / Stay In Place orders. I never loose sight of how grateful I am to still be healthy and still have these opportunities.....
For Informational Purposes:
Miles Hiked & Total Elevation Gain are not reflective of a certain hike but are simply a total for one entire day. For instance, my estimate on climbing SP Crater from the north, circumnavigating the rim, down climbing the western slope and then returning to the north would be maybe 4 miles & approximately 1,000 of total elevation gain.
Any elevation shown in parentheses is approximate and was obtained using my ioverlander ap and was not obtained with GPS. ioverlander states that elevations are +/- 11' which is plenty close for me.
If I call a crater unnamed it's because I was unable to find a name for it.....it doesn't mean a name doesn't exist.
Friday May 01, 2020
Miles Hiked: 15.19 Total Elevation Gain: 2,260'
SP Crater: 7,027'
And so it was that we came here to climb SP Crater.....when we arrived I had no idea of Babbitt Ranches nor anything about this amazing area known as the San Francisco Volcanic Field.....
I've taken quiet an interest in the area and have been on Google and have learned quiet a bit.....
Now the most important thing that I have learned.....the volcano was named by C.J. Babbitt in the 1880s when they initially came here to ranch these lands. He climbed SP Crater and afterwards stated that it looked like a ******** pot and so this abbreviated name has stuck over the years.....
I had read that the easiest route to the summit was from the western side of the volcano.....we hiked from the north instead which turned out to be the worst and most difficult route possible.....
Every step we took was in 12 to 24 inches of loose volcanic scree and it seemed as though for every two steps up we would slide back down one.....
But once we reached the summit ring it certainly was well worth the effort.....the views from the summit were exceptional.....
Of course we hiked around the entire rim.....
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
The volcanic rock along the summit ring reminded me of corals that I've seen while scuba diving in the Caribbean.....
The weather was and has been nearly perfect although the winds up high have been fairly brisk.....
We hung out for awhile taking it all in.....
As I took it all in I began to realize what a special place that I had found and as my eyes scanned the surrounding area I realized that there were many similar volcanoes here that I might like to climb.....and so I made plans to climb this one next.....
We descended along the western flank and the downclimb took less than ten minutes.....I suspose this arrow marks the actual trailhead (if there actually was one).....
We spent a few hours in the camper resting.....and then we took off to our next climb.....
The cattle are the best.....still a vegetarian.....
The weather was and has been nearly perfect although the winds up high have been fairly brisk.....
We hung out for awhile taking it all in.....
As I took it all in I began to realize what a special place that I had found and as my eyes scanned the surrounding area I realized that there were many similar volcanoes here that I might like to climb.....and so I made plans to climb this one next.....
We descended along the western flank and the downclimb took less than ten minutes.....I suspose this arrow marks the actual trailhead (if there actually was one).....
We spent a few hours in the camper resting.....and then we took off to our next climb.....
The cattle are the best.....still a vegetarian.....
Doc Foster
Adventurer
SP crater looks like a cool place. You can easily see the lava flows from some of your pics and definitely from Google. Summit looks like 7021' from https://mapper.acme.com/