New hiking book is now available!

I finished my book about my 7 year hiking adventure on the Idaho Centennial Trail.   It is titled                      "The Search for the Flat Ness Monster."    It is available in paper and as an e-book.

It is available at Amazon.com,  Barnes and Noble, and Authorhouse.com.     

THREE CREEK ROAD

the last 2 weekends   ( March 15-16  and March 22-24)   I have put in 53 miles of hiking in southern Idaho.    the town of Rogerson, Idaho has been my base for food and supplies.    The first installment was 6 miles (x2) to the east of Rogerson, on Shoshone Basin Road.    

next section was 47 miles from the beginning of the Idaho Centennial Trail  south terminus heading east on Three Creek Road.    it was pavement all the way.    The attached map shows my route.  

Darwin Clampitt helped with shuttle duties.   I parked my car in Rogerson, and Darwin dropped me off at the western end of the hike.    Sunday afternoon I hiked 16 miles, the first 10 of which were without my pack and gallon water jug.    I camped beside the road Sunday night.    It was very windy and rained some near dawn.

Monday was a 24 mile day.   The wind blew hard all day.   Thankfully, it was at my back for the entire route.    Waves of snow showers came through about every hour, each one progressively stronger.   After 6 hours of walking, I stopped for a break.   I put my tarp against a barbed wire corner post to hunker down against the wind.    As soon as I stopped moving I began to get cold.   However, I needed the rest and the lunch break.    After an hour rest, I moved on.   I walked another 4 hours to get to Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir and the Lud Drexler campground.    

Once again, as soon as I stopped moving, I stopped generating warmth.   It was getting cold and I was concerned about staying warm.    For the first time ever in my hiking career, I camped for the night in a bathroom.    It was a pit toilet, but it was one of the handicapped sized versions.   The floor was clean.   I was a bit on the desperate side.    I knew I was in the beginning stages of hypothermia.   It was a matter of survival.    Getting inside immediately got me out of the wind.   Wearing just about every article of clothing, with my new down booties and my snow cap, and my hood, and Underarmor gloves, with the sleeping quilt made by my wife and my Thermarest mattress beneath me, I was able to get warmed up and stay warm (mostly) all night.  

It was a much needed rest after a 24 mile day.    In the middle of the night, I though there were bears in the garbage dumpsters, because they kept banging around.   When I got up and looked out in the morning, I saw that it had been raining and it was still very windy.   The wind must have been rattling the dumpsters.  

I walked the remaining 7 miles into Rogerson, still with a strong wind at my back.  

I learned some very interesting history about the area and the Jarbidge Canyon area from a very knowledgeable lady at the cafe'.    The cheeseburger was to die for, by the way!  

Mt. Heinen

exploring Bald Mountain Road, south of Idaho City. 12-10-14
6,396 foot Mt. Heinen is in the background.  
1st pic is Tyler my son-in-law.     2nd pic is me.

Dutch Creek

the view from the hillside at Dutch Creek, where we placed our "Dutch Army" geocache.      This view is looking to the south towards Arrowrock Reservoir.  

First Geocache

Tyler (my son-in-law)   and I made our first geocache location today! 

if you go to co-ordinates N 43 deg 36' 17.08" W 115 deg 53' 05.52" you can find our cache at Dutch Creek. 

We named it "Dutch Army"

the reason for the name?   the cache is a small ammunition box, with a plastic container inside filled with plastic army men.   One of the traditions of the geocache, although not always required, is that there are small items inside.   Finders can trade a small item, such as a coin, pen, business card, belly button lint, etc.  for one of the items inside.   We put our email addresses in the logbook, asking finders to send us an email telling us where the "Dutch army" has travelled.   

The cache is placed at Dutch Creek, hence the name "Dutch Army."

it should appear soon on the www.geocaching.com website.

see image below

Chicken Dinner Road 1-14-14 13 miles

Chicken Dinner Road

this is my latest "tag point"    intersection of Upper Ridge Road and Chicken Dinner Road

this view is looking south on Chicken Dinner Road.

13 miles straight down to Map Rock Road will be my next intended hike.

Notus to Chicken Dinner Road

this is the next segment I have completed of my "south to the Snake" journey.    my last "tag point" was at the highway crossing in Notus, Idaho.  

It took 2 days this week, Monday and Tuesday.   the weather was not optimal but at least it was not raining, sleeting, or snowing.    on Monday I went 10 miles (5.2 x 2) from Highway 19 (just east of Greenleaf, Idaho)   up to Notus and back.    on Tuesday I went 4 miles  (2 x 2)  from Highway 19  up to the beginning of Chicken Dinner Road.  

Chicken Dinner Road is my next "tag point."     I hope to do the whole 13 miles in one day in one direction, with the help of a friend so that I can have a getaway car at the end.    This should take me down to Map Rock Road by the Snake River.

Backpacker article

page 52 of the January 2012 issue of Backpacker magazine has a survival feature which has my survival story which occurred this summer on the Idaho Centennial Trail, along the Idaho-Montana state line.

Dressing for success pt 2

Here's another comparison of clothing. Synthetic, in more recent years.
all cotton clothes, in the past.

Lucky Peak summit, new tower, circa 2006?




Lucky Peak summit, old tower, Memorial Day 2000
showing off my post-operative foot back in action.