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| Hiking | 7.94 Miles |
1,779 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.94 Miles | 6 Hrs 7 Mns | | 1.57 mph |
| 1,779 ft AEG | 1 Hour 3 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I hoped that walking around the NE corner of the Sawtooth Range would reveal more signs of ancient habitation than the southern parts I visited recently - it's closer to water. I plotted a route on the map but my start on the far side of a cotton field is not recommended (see below).
For the first hour or so I was disappointed. No ancient habitation signs - just plenty of debris from spotters who apparently like these high points to keep an eye on the authorities. Then while crossing a bit of open desert I noticed a rock alignment with pottery sherds, and two more within a couple hundred yards. From that point on, pottery was common and there were a few more rock piles. I also found a couple old faint petroglyphs.
I went up a draw toward point 2392 and found a nice lunch spot at the flattish saddle point below the rock face. There was pottery and a rock pile there and a hawk on a cactus.
I continued south along a ridge and found a couple places with large pottery pieces Eventually I came to a rock formation at the southern end with a big concentration of petroglyphs. All these glyphs are a bit sloppy and old but they're the best I've seen in the Sawtooths. Heading back to the car I went over another outcrop which was also decorated on the south side.
I understood the cotton farmers really don't want you in there when I found I was "locked in". The cable that was down in the morning had been raised and I couldn't get out without (eventual) assistance. Future visits will need more creativity: private property, dangerous illegals, Indian Reservation etc, makes access to IFNM pretty difficult. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
