From Mt. Ditney

Boulder River Wilderness

July 1, 1994

Whitehorse Ridge, Mt. Bullon and Three Fingers

Boulder River Crags © Ken James McLeod

In my old 1962 Ford 4x4 pickup truck, I followed an old logging spur up to a landing from the Tupso Pass/Meadow Creek area, then set out across a logged off portion of land to where I located a small creek that flowed from Mt. Ditney. Up the creek I climbed (mostly on the left side of it) and the further I climbed, the steeper it got and soon it was almost vertical! And I was being bathed in the wash of the creek spray. At one point, out came my rope and I slung it up over a tree and pulled myself up. Eventually, after clawing my way up, I came to a nice waterfall where I rested a bit.

Beyond, I entered a small plateau area where Tupso Lakes were found. The lakes were brackinsh in color and very warm and shallow. I took a reading to find them at 60 degrees. Around the first little lake were a huge set of deer tracks and one very old camp fire pit. There were no tracks of man! And I felt as if I were in another world.....

I hiked over the ridge to a vista where broad views of the Boulder River Valley and the surrounding mountains were had. Here, I paused taking in the view and with the camera in hand. There was a sense of really being obscure and I wondered about how many humans had ever been up here? Few I thought! I wrote a note of prose and left it inside a small plastic bag tied to a tree in hopes that perhaps someone in the future might find it. Lunch was then had.

Later, down the mountain via the same route I had come up, I took a short dip in a nice little round pool in the creek, as the day had become very sunny and warm.

Mt. Ditney/Tupso Creek Waterfalls

KJM

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