(May 6th, 2012) What kind of cactus / succulent plant is this? Found the plant during a cross country, off-trail hike near the Prairie Cut-off Road. If you have an idea, it would be cool if you could comment or e-mail me what you think the plant is called.

I'm no stranger to discovering cactus type plants during my exploration throughout southern Idaho. I've found areas of wild prickly pear cactus, a plant I've been told doesn't exist in Idaho, just 45 miles to the south of my home. But this succulent type cactus is a new one to me.

• I found the plant at or near coordinates 43.275942, -115.513685, well off the beaten path.
• Plant has light green succulent type leaves and red flowers.
• Overall size of the plant was about 1 square foot in area.

See All 3 Photos I Took



What are these plants called? And are they common in this area if Idaho? Leave a comment or use my “Contact Us” form.

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(April 17th, 2012) An April 2012 fishing trip to Long Tom Reservoir started out with a short but semi-torturous hike in, loud neighbors but some great views. Unfortunately, this “close to Mountain Home, Idaho” fishing trip wasn't exactly stellar.

The Prep Work was Done
I was looking for an early season fishing trip and Long Tom Reservoir seemed like an easy and quick place to explore. With Google Earth and some USGS topo maps, I set my off-trail hike into the north side of this little written about body of water. With a few “way points” uploaded into my GPS unit, I was ready to go.
Shallow-canyon-longtom

The Hike
As usual, my ever-present Plott Hound dog, Addie was with me and we headed straight west into the sagebrush steepe. As anyone who has hiked in southern Idaho knows, there isn't any straight paths through the sage brush. And there are very few straight paths up, over and through this landscape of rocks, small cliffs and canyons that seemed deeper than what I saw on the maps.

Overall, the hike in was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. The shallow canyons seemed more like full-fledged canyons at least far as my lungs and legs were concerned. But the steeper than expected terrain also made for better scenery. I was glad to find a game/cattle trail down in the canyon that would take me to Long Tom and some fishing.



The Fishing
Obviously, without any roads into this area I was pretty darn sure I wouldn't see anyone else and I was right. Being the high water season, the banks were pretty steep but there were plenty of places to fish in both directions.

From Fishing Long Tom Reservoir

Being the first fishing trip in about 18 months, I still had some old fishing line on my reel and this caused some tangling problems. And the lack of recent casting experience might have resulted in a few errant lure throws also. But I got to go fishing.

Did I catch any fish? Nope! I did get a few bona-fide hits on my lure. And I saw a few glimpses of fish following my lure in towards shore, so I know there are fish in Long Tom Reservoir. So, if you have some time, head out there for some fishing.



Other Information

• There is road access to the southern end of Long Tom. I hiked that road last year and figured this year the chances of getting stuck axle deep in mud was pretty high this time of year. I was also looking for some good exercise that I wouldn't get by driving in.
• The water in Long Tom Reservoir is awful “white” and reminds me of glacial flour. Of course it's not.
• The place I fished wasn't exactly a peaceful place. There were a couple pairs of Canadian Geese making this section of the lake their home and were quite (and continuously) vocal about our presence in the neighborhood. Addie didn't enjoy racket anymore than I did.

View Larger Map

The Stats
- Road miles from Mountain Home: About 21 miles
- Hiking mileage: 1.97 miles
- Total Elevation Gain/Loss on hike: 575 feet
- Fish caught: None
- Enjoyment Factor: High
- Link to more pictures of this local fishing trip:  https://picasaweb.google.com/112532322025941965882/FishingLongTomReservoir?authuser=0&feat=directlink



The Local Environment
As far as I could determine, most of the land I hiked on was BLM lands. Apparently the lakeshore around most of Long Tom Reservoir is privately owned, but I saw no signs or fences during this hike.

I didn't see any trash/garbage along my route or even around the lake itself which is sort of surprising. Being BLM lands, cattle grazing is allowed in this area so there were plenty of cow patties to detour around.

I surprised 3 mule deer during this hike. And my dog got into the action chasing them for about 5 minutes before figuring it was useless trying to catch up to these swift animals.

Comments?
Hope you enjoyed my first story in well over 1 month. Hopefully I can get motivated to start posting more articles in the near future,  Comment away if you wish.

Hot springs close to Mountain Home, Idaho? They are there and not as far nor remote as you may think. The Prince Albert Hot Springs might be one of the best kept secrets in this area and a place I'll likely be heading back in the future.



The Hike
(March 4th, 2012) I found the Cold Springs Creek / Alkali Creek area by chance a week earlier as I was looking for an isolated place to take a walk. And once I discovered “Alkali Road” I did a little research and found dirt roads actually head off into the Bennett Hills area. A little more research and I discovered these dirt roads, for the most part, are located on BLM lands. Good news for me and my dog.



We parked at the intersection of Alkali Road and Steen Road (43.100696, -115.343945) or about 11 “as the crow flies” miles north-northwest of Glenns Ferry. My destination for this hike was the Prince Albert Spring area I found on my USGS Topo Maps. Addie, my dog and I headed north on the dirt Steen Road and then veered left on to an unnamed 4-wheel drive road that took us right up to the Prince Albert Springs area.

Overall, this hike is rather flat and done completely on dirt roads making it an even easier hike. While this trip could be done in a semi-high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle, I certainly could not recommend it after a period of wet weather. Heck, I don't think I'd even hike these roads after wet weather for fear of getting my boots sucked off my feet in the wetter area. Let's just say it gets muddy in spots.



The Prince Albert Springs are Hot?
To be honest, I never expected to make it to the springs, so I didn't do much research into them other than the exact location. But once I got close to them, I had a few hints these could be “hot springs” and also dangerous to my dog. So I tested the temperature of the water wherever I could.

The places I tested were not hot but it was obvious these were hot springs as what should have running/bubbling frigid water was actually just cool to the touch. The warmest water I found was in the metal tough but even then it was just slightly cooler or equal to the 60F outside air temperature.

I'm not much of a hot springs guy so even if the water was warm and extremely clean, I doubt I would have taken a soak. In other words, if the water isn't moving as in a stream/river I'll likely not be getting into it. The water quality in the metal trough didn't look so good but the water in the main part of the spring seemed clean but shallow. My dog actually took a walk through it, against my wishes, and sunk up to her chest into the deep muck.

I did not walk the whole area so I'm not sure if I missed a deep hole or saw the entire spring complex. I just know it was a pretty nice experience finding and exploring a bit in the Prince Albert Springs.



Animals Along the Trail
This is mule deer country! At least on the day I was there, I did not have to wait very long to come upon a nice herd of those long earred animals. As usual, the muleys  are not quite as squitterish as other big game I've encountered and was able to get rather close to some.

Overall, I probably saw a total of about 40-60 mule deer, a herd of pronghorns, many birds and a coyote. Not a bad day on the trail for someone like me.

Tim Bondy's Prince Albert Hot Springs Hike

View Larger Map

Trip/Hike Stats
Total miles hiked: 4.58 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: 511 feet
Average Slope: 4.0%
Elevation High/Low: 3,674 ft / 4,137 ft
Total Road Mileage from Mountain Home to Trailhead: ~ 23 miles

Hope you enjoyed the trip report.

Want to experience an interesting hike close to Mountain Home, Idaho and on top of a historic geographic/geologic feature? Teapot Dome is one of those hikes. If you like this article please share it with your friends.



The Prelude to Failure of the Third Kind
(February 16th, 2012) This was my third failed attempt to sit on top of Teapot Dome.

• My 1st attempt was 1 year ago and you can read about that trip by clicking here.  I did not have the lungs to make it all the way up to the top during that trip.
• My second attempt was in late 2011 and the snow and icy conditions scared me away before I got too far.
• This 3rd attempt I tried a different approach.

The Hike “Very Close To” Teapot Dome
My plan was to park as close to the peak as I could and attack my nemesis peak almost head-on. So I parked just off Hot Springs Road (43.165376, -115.528147) and headed northeast straight towards Teapot Dome. If you don't know about this geologic feature, it's an elongated butte that rises rapidly once you get to the base of it.



I chose a steep draw I found on Google Earth to get to the saddle below the peak. You know, the best laid plans and all. And this draw was likely the best path up this mountain. It was as steep as I figured and climbing up it took a lot out of me.



Once on the saddle, I headed straight toward the peak itself. This portion of the hike was supposed to be easy and in retrospect it really was. Just a gradual climb and then a very short section of steeper terrain was all it would have taken. Instead I gave up less than 200 yards and 149 feet of elevation from the peak. Oh well, I'm not disappointed I gave up...disappointed is way to mellow of a word.


View Larger Map

The Stats

• Total Hiking Mileage: 2.43 miles
• Elevation Gain/Loss: 863 feet
• Average Slope of Hike: about 13.25%. I'm more comfortable in the 8% range I guess.
• Highest Elevation during the hike: 4,564 feet. Teapot Dome's elevation is (Google Earth) is 4,713
• Distance from Mountain Home to Parking Spot: 12 miles
• Number of foul words used when I called it quits: 2,147,204 give or take a few.

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There are “horrible damn hikes” and then there are excellent “dam” hikes. And this hike fell into the excellent dam hike category. Where does one head for a great dam hike?



(February 5, 2012) Looking for easy hike in the snow where I wouldn't have to trudge through 1 foot of crusty old snow was the plan for this Super Bowl Sunday. The other criteria were I had to be back home by Kick-Off. I got more than I bargained for with this hike Along Anderson Ranch Dam and Reservoir.

The Dam Hike
Parking on the north side of Anderson Ranch Dam, my plan was to head towards the Little Wilson Creek area about 2 miles up the road. And let's face it, a walk along a fairly flat plowed surface isn't exactly exciting or blog-worthy.

What I didn't think would happen was experiencing a blue-bird day with almost no wind. These conditions gave me an opportunity to see and photograph some extraordinary sights. So I wanted to share a few pictures I took along Anderson Ranch Dam and Reservoir.

Some Photos

• Water Reflections #1

From Anderson Ranch Dam Hike

•  Frozen Waterfalls

From Anderson Ranch Dam Hike

• Water Reflection #2

From Anderson Ranch Dam Hike

Link to the full 8 picture Photo Album:  https://picasaweb.google.com/112532322025941965882/AndersonRanchDamHike?authuser=0&feat=directlink

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So where the heck is the snow line in the Bennett Hills? How deep is the snow along any section of Bennett Mountain Road? Why you might need to plan 3 different hikes during the winter. Is Ron Paul a hunter? Is backcountry skiing possible near Mountain Home, Idaho? Find out the answers to these questions.



(January 29th, 2012) Needing to get out of the house, I planned a short trip in the Bennett Mountain Road area north of Glenns Ferry. The snow level was a concern as it would determine which path I would take. With 3 plans mapped out, Addie, my dog and I headed up to “the hills”.



Ron Paul Makes Hiking Option “A” is a No-Go
My first plan was to hike straight west along the “Bennett Hill Front” where I suspected the snow would be gone. The drive up the paved part of this road had me excited. I could see that the route Plan A would follow was basically snow free. I headed up to the paved parking area on Bennett Mountain Road but encountered a hunter with dogs just getting ready to head out in the direction of my hike.

I chatted with this gentleman and indeed he was going hunting along my planned route. Not a problem for me except...This hunter looked and sounded exactly like the Presidential Candidate Ron Paul. It wasn't Ron Paul, or was it?



Plan B Option has a Barrier
Plan B was to drive about 1 mile past the paved parking lot, park and hike along a creekbed to the west.
As you can see from the picture above, the road was closed by snow. So I decided this was more ambitious than I wanted to get. Hiking 1 mile on Bennett Mountain Road and a few miles off-trail in 6-12 inches of crusty snow did not sound like fun. And if it's not fun why hike it? Plan B was a no-go.

Plan C is the Only Option
Plan C was the simplest and most flexible plan. That is, just walking along Bennett Mountain Road. And that's what we did. It was a nice 3.2 mile hike along Babb Flats. The road, as I mention was closed to cars and trucks but open to snowmobiles. I really enjoyed this walk in bright sunshine and warm temperatures. Bennett Mountain Road has become one of my “go to” places because of the easy access and scenic aspects.

Snow Levels At?
The snow level on January 29th, 2012 was approximately 4,400 feet give or take a dozen or so feet. I'd say the average snow pack was about 8 inches along the way.



Backcountry Skiing Possibilities
I've never really thought about backcountry skiing but it seems like Bennett Mountain Road could provide some excellent places to ski. A lot of the hillsides are treeless and the hike/ski/snowmobile into these peaks wouldn't be all that bad for the person in good shape.

Thanks for Reading!