The four peaks of the Jarbidge mountain range poke their heads above the horizon south and west of Twin Falls. They loom large, but are usually only noticed, or even visible, when covered in snow.
In an attempt to keep the kids from whining, "What are we going to do today?" we set out on an ambitious trek early on the morning of December 17.
The top of at least Jarbidge Peak was our goal, but depending on road and snow conditions we thought at least some in the group might gain the summit of the Matterhorn, standing at 10,838.
The town of Jarbidge, Nevada is one of a kind. One dirt road through town. Three bars? Interesting locals. One gets the feeling that people there are secluded by choice, not by chance, that perhaps they have a reason for being there, a reason they would rather the outside world did not know.
The ardent adventurers included -
me - up for anything, stupid enough to follow Darren
Darren - Mr. Shortcut
Justin - "Magellan"
Brady - good at everything boy
Paige - toughest 11 year old girl in the WHOLE WIDE world!
AB, Frog Hollow mtn. bike rider extraordinaire
and weighing in with 86+ days on the Murtaugh in 2011 - Neil, previously dubbed Yeti, newly named Sherpa - now he is "Yeti Sherpa", kayaking and all things ice extraordinaire.
Mine Shaft
Let me in!
Scrambling...
At the last minute Darren pulled a throw rope out of his pack. It helped me up then I capture AB as he grabbed it for the last few feet and shouted, "Hit it!"
Why we brought the Yeti Sherpa - trail breaking.
Bare mountainsides in December
Short-sleeves in December
Paige and me bringing up the rear.
After hours of trekking we emerge from the trees to see the summit of Jarbidge Peak.....
We had been urging, prodding, cheering Paige along the last steep push. When I got my first glimpse of the distance to the summit I almost cringed, just waiting for the response from my tired daughter as she lifted her gaze and saw the beast of a mountain in front of us.
Oh, if you could only hear the words that were being spoken in this picture!
We decided to call it good and let the boys, AB, and Neil push for the top.
Neil at 10,070 ft. They decided to turn back due to time and light restraints.
Magellan and his side kick
I LOVE this picture. It tells a thousand words.
Brady looking up the steep slope to the summit thinking, "How the heck.....?"
This is the part where the story turns into a typical Smith outing.
In true Darren mountain descent fashion, he leads us off the ridge down a gully the will lead us directly back to the car. This is truly how we usually descend. And truly, usually, it is the best option. Long drawn out downhills are killer on the knees and toes!
The initial drop off was super steep. Steep enough that even with snowshoes once you went you just kept on keeping on....down down down. Paige commented that it was the "funnest" thing she had ever done!
That changed. As we continued down the gully we encountered cliff bands that had to be maneuvered around, increasingly difficult terrain, and dark was falling.
We had been avoiding dropping all the way to the stream bed because it was icy, boulder choked, and thickly overgrown with the sharp, thick branches of wintering trees.
At one point we were creeping along at less than one mile per hour. I thought we would never exit the canyon. I could see the end, it just never seemed to get any closer!
Brady's expression shows it all.
Deep thoughts by AB. His water bottle says "ski like a girl."
I can honestly say I am not sure how Paige and her little 11 year old legs made it. I was exhausted. Actually, I do know how she made it. I offered many prayers on the way down.
We were soooo glad to be on the road. The flat, stable ground felt like heaven to my tired feet. We had a quarter to half mile walk until we reached the car. What a wonderful sight!
We climbed over 3500 feet. Round trip over 8 miles.
Once we started driving, I pulled out the food that had been left in the car for the drive home. The kids were like vultures. AB couldn't believe how much food I had with me. Muffins, veggies chips, pistachios, MoJo bars, cookies, carrots, apples......all gone in no time flat!
I never look SW at the distant and barely visible Jarbidge peaks with out a sense of accomplishment. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be - dark or light, sunshine or snow, well-beaten trail or path less taken - than where ever my husband and kids happen to be.
Stay tuned for a second, and more successful, attempt at the Jarbidge Peaks
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