I’d be lying if I said it was my plan, but I ended up skirting the top of the low, but very overgrown bluff overlooking Beaver Creek. I was searching for a way down, working my way south towards where I knew there was a hollow and a point where an intermittent creek fed into Beaver Creek. It was becoming what I’d call a ‘technical’ hike, in that I quickly decided the fastest way of moving was to get out my compass and use that to move in a semi-straight line. I couldn’t find an easy route down until I arrived at the hollow near the southern boundary of the wilderness.
Scrambling down the hollow, it was looking very promising, and I could see a great potential camping spot (maybe a little bit too exposed to the eyes of people on the other side of the creek, but hey, a good site is a good site).
Making my way to the end of the hollow I was very disappointed to find that bank erosion had left a steep 5′-8′ drop down to the creek. Bugger. There was no easy access to the water.
I sat down and had a late lunch (It was gone two by now), and thought about what to do next. I could easily use my food bag and line to dip water from the creek. But, for whatever reason, I just didn’t fancy that. I decided that I’d bushwhack my way back out to the trail. My plan was to start by going up the hollow to its end and then use my compass to get back to near where I left the trail in the first place. Then I’d head back, and see how the time went and either bushwhack down to Beaver Creek to the north of the bluffs–a squint along the bank to the north suggested that it was more likely I’d be within easy reach of the water there–or, I’d head back to ‘Twin Falls Creek’ and camp there again for the night. The latter plan appealed to me as I’d get in another 3-4 miles of hiking, bringing my days total up to a reasonable 7-8 miles.
Copyright © 2020 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.