Dam Good Hiking

As the hiking trail planner for my husband’s break week vacation in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, I was responsible for deciding where we hiked each day.
I would like to say I diligently planned this out prior to the night before each hike, but that would be a fib.
The expensive trail map, which we had to purchase again, even though I knew we had the same exact map at home (yet couldn’t find), showed the Tie Hack Dam and Reservoir as a possible decent choice.
I was taking a chance because, (1), I knew the trail was lightly traveled and the trailhead potentially elusive; (2), there were multiple substantial climbs and descents; (3), I knew an adjoining trail allowed ATVs which might mar our ideal of quietude and serenity and (4), the only comment I could find about the trail read: navigate carefully, many opportunities to make a wrong turn.
We parked and walked down to the dam.
Peering over the edge, we wondered if the trail began at the bottom, but it seemed to dead end.
After we crossed the dam, we saw a path above some sheer rocks. To me it looked dangerous and almost impossible to climb up to the path; to Rob it looked like the potential trailhead. We have a history of differing thoughts about trails: I tend to think the easiest way is the right way, Rob tends to think the most difficult way is the right way.
I won out this time and we ended up walking back to the parking lot where we found the actual trailhead hidden behind some trees.
The path went up and down until it reached the spillway at the bottom of the dam where we once again disagreed about the path’s direction. This time our roles were reversed: I thought we had to cross a treacherous narrow log to continue; Rob thought the trail paralleled the side of the stream.
As we scanned the area, we both noticed a cairn — across the stream. I trembled and prayed the entire way across because the water was cold and moving faster than I expected and I knew I would be hurt if I fell in. At one point my hiking pole gave way into some rotten wood and I — like a Weeble — wobbled, but didn’t fall down. Rob, on the other hand, confidently walked across in less than a minute.
Not only did the hike end up being gorgeous,
passing through a variety of terrains,
but we didn’t see a single soul until we reached our turnaround point at the opposite end of the reservoir.
We basked in quietude and serenity after all.
And we didn’t get lost, either.

Photos © Sondra Sula.

Take a walk with me by reading my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.

If you’d prefer a daily river walk, Reflections on the Fox River and Beyond by Sondra Sula, might just be the book for you.