Dani was out of town for a bridal shower deal of some sort and while she was supposed to get back, midday on Sunday, I figured I’d give her a little time to catch up on things while I found some way to raise hell in the hills behind Wilkeson. And that’s what I did. Left the house around 11 and got up to my favorite NF road and got moving. Was a gorgeous day and I only needed a hoodie. I was here two or three weeks ago and almost froze with a hoodie, flannel and a thick jacket, dang.
I made quick time up the hills and without any traffic behind the locked gate, I didn’t have much to worry about besides deer or elk. Stopped here and there to let the bike cool down, grab a drink of water and check out the scenery.
My first order of business was an unnamed lake I had seen with google maps that appeared to have decent access by road. Obviously the landscape changes and the aerial maps were probably somewhat outdated, but there was a road at some point. So I made my way towards the lake. With each turn, the road got narrower as the trees closed in and nature began to take over. I eventually made it through and was able to park the bike within 75ft or so. Found a nice game trail down to the water and did a little exploring. Like other bodies of water in the area, not much for fish, but plenty of other life. Lots of frog/toad egg pouches or whatever they’re called. My goal is to cross off each body of water for fish until I’ve been to them all. These first few are the easy ones. The next couple are going to require some effort and a bit of hiking in, but ultimately, a good adventure exploring somewhat unexplored land. I only had a couple photos from the “lake” that I got to, so enjoy that.
So, got outta there and figured I should run up the mountain to the end of the road. Ran into one guy on a mountain bike who was the first person I’ve ever seen behind this gate. Chatted for awhile and then got back moving. Checked out one new spot, found what might be the remains of an old fire lookout or some sort of tower and explored some game trails looking for possible sheds and then got back on my way to the top. Didn’t spend much time exploring up there, but did enjoy the sun for a few before heading back down the mountain. Overall, a gorgeous day for a ride. Can’t wait to explore the last couple of lakes in the area and will keep my fingers crossed that one of them has a fish or two for me to catch!
