- Thread Starter
- #21
We ended up walking out of that valley and back to the tents, not having seen sheep to keep us bivyed out another night. After a hot meal and a good sleep in the tents we started out again to check some more valleys the next day.A hawk watched us leave camp. 
Crossing the creek was actually painful, the water so cold. 
As we were side hilling around to get into a bottom to climb out of to go over into the next valley I came across a place that got difficult. My Lowa hiking boots have been on 4 sheep hunts and in the high mountain country I love the confidence they give me in footing, whether it be steep grass, loose shale or jumbled rock. I was traversing my way over to the bottom when the loose stuff ended and it became cement hard. No way to kick in a foothold and was out far enough I did not want to try to turn around and go back. My only option was to pick up a rock and dig a step, place my foot in it, lean out and dig another while balancing on one leg. With a 35 lb. pack on and about 50-60 ft. to the bottom it was no fun. The picture does not do it justice, it was steep! 
About the third step I dug, my thumb grazed a sharp rock and I left a blood trail across the slope. 
When we finally made our way up the valley the ridge that divided two valleys was knife like with rock spires on top. Between the rock were little grass patches, each at one time a sheep bed. 
We were able to peek below into the next valley from this knife ridge. 
and then we glassed awhile before moving on. 
Crossing the creek was actually painful, the water so cold. 
As we were side hilling around to get into a bottom to climb out of to go over into the next valley I came across a place that got difficult. My Lowa hiking boots have been on 4 sheep hunts and in the high mountain country I love the confidence they give me in footing, whether it be steep grass, loose shale or jumbled rock. I was traversing my way over to the bottom when the loose stuff ended and it became cement hard. No way to kick in a foothold and was out far enough I did not want to try to turn around and go back. My only option was to pick up a rock and dig a step, place my foot in it, lean out and dig another while balancing on one leg. With a 35 lb. pack on and about 50-60 ft. to the bottom it was no fun. The picture does not do it justice, it was steep! 
About the third step I dug, my thumb grazed a sharp rock and I left a blood trail across the slope. 
When we finally made our way up the valley the ridge that divided two valleys was knife like with rock spires on top. Between the rock were little grass patches, each at one time a sheep bed. 
We were able to peek below into the next valley from this knife ridge. 
and then we glassed awhile before moving on. 
