Picket Wire Update

I did indeed make the call to the USFS and all was quite dry, so hiked in.

Planned the hike so that Id be on the return half of the hike during after 430pm, with lower light.... unfortunately best laid plans dont always work, despite the good sky conditions when hiking in, clouds resulted in very flat light and little in the way of images.

The road in and trail was dry dry, no issues. No greenup in canyon, no flowers/etc, so really wasnt a good time except as exploratory hike.

That said, not entirely sure Id do this one again alone. Neither my cell phone or 2 way (ham radio) worked, and no other hikers whatsoever, not a good place to be alone if something went wrong. Additionally, when talking to USFS, they told me that last several years female black bear has been in there with cubs, and mountain lions noted as well... didnt feel real happy bout that but didnt learn of that until after I was out :)

Anyhow, in the interest of posting something, here is a shot a the cemetery, which is about 4 miles in or so.

If anyone is up for these types of hikes/photo trips, please let me know, as be nice to explore some of these places with others!

Timothy,

I didn't know there was another ham on the group.

There isn't much in the way of repeaters down there from my understanding.

This is a nice shot though. I like the choice of toning.

Yeah that cemetary is a cool place. Id like to go back sometime and look for petroglyphs, which i didnt have time for when i was there. And the dinosaur tracks were practically obscured, filled in with dirt i guess. Im always up for hikes/photo excursions when my crazy schedule allows, just shoot me an email Tim.

I really like this photo, prototypical of Southeast Colorado, I've only been to the other side of the canyon. Did you make it to the Dinosaur Tracks? I have a tentative trip planned to Vogel Canyon and Picketwire over Memorial Day, I'm thinking about biking in. Thanks for sharing.

I did make it to the tracks but.... river was somewhat swift and temps were only around 50, so I did not cross to the far side where most of the tracks were.... if you do go in there, wear shorts and perhaps take some sandals so you can cross the river and not make hiking boots all wet (which in addition to the cold i did not want wet boots for 5 mile hike out). Did see a couple of tracks on my side of river.... would like to do a light paint after dark at the cemetery would make for a good scene!

I'd suggest a return trip in May, when the grassland is green and flowers are in full bloom. Biking in is a good way to go - I rode my mountain bike through Picketwire to gather images for Prairie Thunder and was able to cover a lot of ground quickly. It's a good idea to pour water in the dinosaur tracks to make them stand out. I found them 1/2 full of mud. An extra water bottle that you're not drinking from is a good idea. Keep in mind that the Army wants to take this land and you may be recording a land that few people know for posterity. Make great images and share that part of the story with anyone who will listen. The attached prince's plume pic was taken on the Timpas unit last Memorial Day.

I agree with Dave, visiting the area in May is a great time to go. I was in the Timpas unit over Memorial Day weekend as well. The best part of the trip was all the people I didn't see on one of the busiest camping weekends. By the way I love your book Dave, great job.