Saturday, January 07, 2006
Where No Man Has Gone Before?
Based on my previous posts, I'm sure some of you are wondering if anyone has ever been out to Thompson Mountain or if this is going to be some sort of boondoggle. Yes, there have been at least 3 other expeditions out there in the past 20 years, all with mixed results.
The first expedition was with Scott's parents and older siblings when they bought the place in the 80's. There is some disagreement over whether they actually made it onto the property because of the lack of good maps and directions back then.
The second expedition happened in July 2001. Scott, "Pop", his sister Leslie, his niece, and a buddy Clay all made the trek out there. After some consulting with the topo maps and a trusty eTrex, they were able to get to one corner of the property, but did not ascend Thompson Mountain. Instead they crossed the corner of the property and ended up on top of an adjacent mountain. This is the expedition where the petroglyphs and other historically significant artifacts were found.
The third expedition happened in September 2004. Scott, "Pop", Leslie, and I all made another trek. Because of the time we started the hike and the notes from the 2002 trip, we were all able to climb the 8000-foot Thompson Mountain (including a then 69-year old "Pop"). We took multiple pictures and waypoints, but we did not get to scout out the entire property and had to return to camp.
So far, no one has camped on the property (that we know of) and since the borders are not clearly marked, no one has seen all four corners. This is part of our challenge when we all make the trip in April. Are you excited yet?
The first expedition was with Scott's parents and older siblings when they bought the place in the 80's. There is some disagreement over whether they actually made it onto the property because of the lack of good maps and directions back then.
The second expedition happened in July 2001. Scott, "Pop", his sister Leslie, his niece, and a buddy Clay all made the trek out there. After some consulting with the topo maps and a trusty eTrex, they were able to get to one corner of the property, but did not ascend Thompson Mountain. Instead they crossed the corner of the property and ended up on top of an adjacent mountain. This is the expedition where the petroglyphs and other historically significant artifacts were found.
The third expedition happened in September 2004. Scott, "Pop", Leslie, and I all made another trek. Because of the time we started the hike and the notes from the 2002 trip, we were all able to climb the 8000-foot Thompson Mountain (including a then 69-year old "Pop"). We took multiple pictures and waypoints, but we did not get to scout out the entire property and had to return to camp.
So far, no one has camped on the property (that we know of) and since the borders are not clearly marked, no one has seen all four corners. This is part of our challenge when we all make the trip in April. Are you excited yet?
