My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Obviously we were quite some miles west of the river & the lake but if you strain your eyes they are both visible in many of my photographs posted here.....







As we got higher up into the El Dorado Mountains, the climbing definitely became a bit more challenging as we encountered massive rock covered minor peaks.....







Signs of Big Horn Sheep were evident pretty much everywhere along this climb yet once again we saw none.....







It was late afternoon when we finally summited Bard Peak (4,969') .....with the short days of winter and an unknown route back to the Jeep, I decided that a second summit that day was too big a risk.....a quick picture of Summit Bird.....and we were gone.....landing back at the camper just as another winter day had come to an end.....

 

[Arjan]

Thanks.

As usual, you have shown us things most just pass by.

Please keep giving us this view to a US so very unknown to us Continental Europeans...

 

[tgil]

Looking at those old pics and your comment about telling your story around a fire has me missing sitting around a fire swapping stories with friends.
So many of us live ridiculously paced lives and have abandoned those meaningful relationships, just hanging out, enjoying life by the fire. No schedule, no plans, few cares. I think that is what keeps me coming back to read up on your latest adventure.
I hope to do something similar, someday. Until then, I live vicariously through your posts!
Safe travels!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....plenty more to come but I will tell you now that this trip will be short as I plan to be back at the cabin in 79 days (possibly less).....

tgil.....my happiness has always been found in the simpler things in life.....it took me decades to discover that about myself as I spent much too much of my life chasing after what really didn't matter to me.....as most people do. I've finally got to the point where I can sit idle & spend a stretch of time watching an insect do what busy insects do.....and find my happiness in those brief moments of time.....



I still hoped to climb the other mountain that I had spoke of in the last post but the weather had other plans for us as high winds moved in during the night & roared across the desert for several days. So we moved to Plan B (there actually wasn't a Plan B). Anyhow, after a search on Google Maps I discovered that we were camped near an abandoned gold mine.....exploring an abandoned gold mine seemed like the perfect distraction for a high wind day.....

We parked the Jeep below the mine shafts and made our way up the now abandoned roadway.....



I absolutely love exploring caves but I've never had much of an attraction to mines.....they pretty much rank right up there with magnificent bridges & dams.....my eternal battle with man.....



The Saint Louis Mine of southern Nevada.....









I remember thinking as I was entering the first of these mine shafts (there were quite a few mine shafts here)....."nobody knows I'm here, I'm in the middle of nowhere, and this is really stupid".....and then I went in.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Funny thing here was that there were multiple mine shafts to explore and even though I knew better than to go inside these things.....well, indeed I still did.....







I was so happy to leave that place alive.....and I sure hope I don't camp near another mine on a blustery day.....cause I now know for certain what I had always suspected.....I've got no good sense.....









We camped here for 4 days waiting on the winds to subside.....





.....read books, chilled and finally gave back.....our first load of trash gathered from the desert.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We continued driving south a bit and after a brief stop in Searchlight, Nevada , I decided to have a closer look at Lake Mohave.....



So our next stop was at the Cottonwood Cove Marina area.....



This place felt tired and old.....like it had definitely seen some better days.....maybe it's due to it being the winter months.....I don't know.....







Our stay here was brief as well.....we headed back to the desert where the wild turtles are known to roam.....





A quick Google search led us to yet one more mountain landscape to explore.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Just a short hike from the paved highway & a short distance from the marina was Black Mountain (2,011') .....so conveniently located that we decided to climb it.....



We stumbled onto yet one more abandoned & boarded up mine.....





This little climb was steep.....the rock was volcanic & sharp.....





Even though the summit elevation was not high, the climb was still a bit challenging.....and it was indeed enjoyable as well.....





I'm certain there were signs of mountain lions up there.....and I could see why since the views up there were sensational for sure.....





It was good to get this little summit of Black Mountain as the lake visit had definitely disappointed.....

 

[Arjan]

Thank You !

Those mines, old shafts etc. are all there, not locked or secured in a way to keep people / animals out ?

Amazing....

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Arjan,

Its amazing how those end up. The short answer, is some are; Some arent. Depends on how close, or well known they are. And or, if the current owner is known ( easy to sue).

When in pubic land, the BLM tries to secure them, but it can be pretty spendy as well as time consuming. They have a public campaign with signs and stickers, posters. " Stay out, Stay Alive".

The majority of the time, all youll find is a wire fence and sign, if anythig.

I try to be good about staying out, but as a confined space rescue guy.....I could do better. When out, its almost alwasy just the dog and I. Truth be told, her safety probably keeps me out of trouble....more than my own.

They can hide a lot of things, and I have storries. Unfortunatly every year folks die, sometimes not found until much later.


Sobering enough, 30 + died last year in current operating mines.

https://www.msha.gov/data-and-reports/fatality-reports/search

 

[Foy]

And further adding to the difficulty of securing non-operating mines is the fact that there are many thousands of them.

Foy

 

[ghostdancer]

Caves? mines?. I would think a bit of explosive would collapse most of them.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....I experienced 3 mines on this trip and only the Saint Louis Mine was left open. A Google search revealed that mine to be on private property (it was not posted nor fenced off). The boarded up mines were located on U.S. Government property.....

PNWY.....yep.....

Foy.....Google Maps shows that there are tons of them in this area. I don't seek them out.....not where my interests lie.....

ghostdancer.....exactly ?.....



We continued driving south along Highway 95, eventually turned east and headed up Christmas Pass Road.....





The goal here was to explore the area surrounding Spirit Mountain (5,639') and the Spirit Mountain Wilderness Area.....for those not aware of this area, President Biden is currently considering designating this area as Americas' newest National Monument.....the story here very much parallels the story of Bears Ears National Monument.....of course I'm hopeful that he'll get this done.....



We set up camp just below the high road pass.....





Our first hike here was along the roadway to the high pass and beyond.....sadly, people come here, and due to the roads' name (I assume), people think it appropriate to decorate the trees & bushes that grow along the roadway.....there was more than a mile of these decorations along the roadway.....





I'm a firm believer that Christmas decorations belong in living rooms, shopping malls, & on city Main Streets.....not in our wilderness lands.....



Nightfall came in the El Dorado Mountains.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Occasionally I feel the need to point out that my pictures don't do adequate justice to a place that I had visited.....rest assured that this was one of those places.....





Other than the man made distraction, this place was simply spectacular.....





Whether you're hiking here or just driving through, the scenery here is nothing short of jaw dropping.....





What you don't see in my pictures is just the grandeur of these rock formations.....they are massive.....they beckon you to explore.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Each day spent here we were out & about to see what we could see.....on the east side of the El Dorado Mountains lies Grapevine Canyon.....







I often think that as much as I travel & explore, that I must have seen the best of what the west has to offer, but that's just never been the case.....there's always more to see.....







I do believe that this is the largest & best collection of petroglyphs that I've come across to date.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I took this next picture at the mouth of the canyon looking east towards the Colorado River.....this is the landscape that the Native Americans saw as they created their rock art.....



The dogs get bored with petroglyphs.....me, I can't get enough.....









.....and I have the urge to document (& share) everything that I see.....