Sheepeater Cliffs

Wandering can be dangerous or it can be fun! Whenever we even take just a little hike in YS or surrounding areas, we always carry Bear Spray. We haven't had to use it yet, but there is always that danger. Even though it is called Bear Spray, it is effective on most animals as a deterrent and doesn't hurt them. It is pepper spray at its finest!






Today we went to Sheepeater Cliffs. Bob thought I might enjoy sketching the rock formation while he walked around taking pictures. It was a win-win idea. I sat at a picnic table to sketch the rocks first. When I was done, Bob wanted to show me another area he found.







 He had walked upstream and got this awesome shot. You can see why the Shoshone Indians liked this area so much.









The stories say the Shoshone would herd the wild sheep into this bowl and kill and use only the animals they needed. They used all of the animal, even the bones were skillfully made into hunting bows that were a popular trade item.

It's also a hill so we had to climb it to see what the view was from the top!



Below is the parking area and the picnic tables where I sat to sketch. There were quite a few animal paths up there but we resisted and climbed back down (there was an easy path on the south side of the bowl through the trees).









After we came down we started following a path that led down the river. Check out this picture to the right. Bob is in there waving at me! We found evidence of recent canine (coyote or fox perhaps?) having been along the trail. Fortunately, we didn't run across anything.

Unfortunately, we didn't see any animals either. (Yes, we still keep an eye out for the elusive moose). Ah well, the view was great and I sketched an area of the canyon and water.

If you blow up this picture, you can see me sitting on the cliff edge. I had no idea I was that 'close to the edge' until I saw this picture Bob took. Scary!







This hike is close enough to our cabins that if we have the chance before we leave we may follow it out a couple of miles or so and then retrace our steps. We didn't have to use the Bear Spray today but it was a nice day!