#4: [28-Aug-16]

#2: [22-May-01]

#1: [09-May-01]

21-Aug-2005 -- It was time for another confluence adventure, this time successfully visiting confluences in Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana. This would be the fourth of thirteen visited, with 40N-112W preceding this visit.

Although I had never been here until today, in over 19 years of flying, I’ve probably flown over this area an average of at least once a month.

Long before I’d heard of the DCP I had studied the charts of this area and can easily navigate between all the peaks and valleys in western Utah. I often wondered what I would find on the ground. Many times while flying I would see people camped on the remote east side of Sevier Lake in the Cricket Mountains, or watch them stop along US-6 to get out and watch or take pictures of me as I flew by.

This trip gave me the opportunity to find out exactly what was on the ground. I turned south from US-6 and proceeded down a faded dirt doubletrack for a couple miles then camped northeast of the lake. This doubletrack was less than ideal, especially in the dark. Without my real-time moving map, I wouldn’t have been able to stay on or even near the faded and overgrown track through the desert.

In the morning, I continued my journey and eventually found a much better dirt road leading towards the confluence. Along the way, I passed several cows was eventually able to drive to within .14 miles of the confluence.

Sevier Lake, which is usually dry, had mirror-calm water in it this morning and was reflecting the clouds and a full moon that was just about to set. My hike took me downhill towards the lake through dry grass and stickers. I passed a few small cactus and shin high scrub brush.

The confluence itself was located on a small finger between two drainages from the mountains to the east. I did not find a cairn in the general area. I took my pictures and waited until the moon set behind the mountains before returning to my Tahoe.

Picture #1 looks generally west from the confluence over the glasslike reflections of Sevier Lake with the circumstance of moonset not to far away. Picture #2 looks north. Picture #3 looks east. Picture #4 looks south. Picture #5 looks west. Picture #6 shows my GPS position. Picture #7 shows the sunrise that greeted me from where I had camped the night before.

On my way out, I continued west on a road that does not appear on NG TOPO Utah, or MapSource. I followed it until it intersected with US-6 where double wooden pole power lines cross at N39 10.374 W113 01.815 near mile marker 60 on US-6 (it does appear on Google!). I would highly recommend using this road instead of the one I took to get to the confluence.

It took me 1:05 to travel the 20.8 miles from the confluence back to US-6.

Next stop: 39N-114W.