Windy Ridge - 4653'

Tamara, Shadow and I spent the last weekend of spring break down in our old stomping grounds by Oxbow Dam at the head of Hells Canyon.  As a family, we have spent many a fall weekend here prior to Taylor and Dylan growing up.  The plan was to hike and fish, but the amount of water flowing through the Snake River made hiking the better choice.

After the wacky weather we had Thursday (>1.5" of rain in Boise!), Friday was clear and breezy with moderate temps.  We got off to a relatively early start just above Oxbow Dam, following an old mining road that has been blocked from motorized used for the last ten years.

Looking back at Oxbow Dam

The overall grade was moderate and would make for a good mountain bike ride. Though it would be a long grind this early in the season.

Getting higher

We reminisced about hiking and fishing with the children as we walked up the old road.  This area brings back a lot of memories of hiking, hunting and fishing with our children.  Can anyone say bass-mass-con-tass?

The going was relatively easy, with the only difficulty crossing swollen Blue Creek.  But a tangle of old aspen branches allowed us to precariously cross the creek and stay dry.

First view of our peak - just to the left of center

As we moved up to the 4000' level, we spotted a few elk lounging around enjoying the sunshine.

Contemplating life

Tamara staying warm with the Oxbow behind her

We tucked out of the wind, stopping for lunch and enjoying the views of the "Oxbow" just before the final ridge.  Once on the summit ridge, we were treated to view of more elk out enjoying the sunshine.  In addition to all the elk, both whitetail and mule deer were abundant.

Summit ridge

We reached the summit of the aptly named Windy Ridge after about 3 hours.  It was sunny, cool and blowing 20 mph.  A gorgeous spring day!

Windy - 4653'

Happy folks almost ready to celebrate their 27th anniversary 

Looking north into the southern Seven Devils

Looking west to the Wallowas

We spent a few minutes on the summit before heading down the west ridge to make a small loop out of the hike.  Though a bit longer than I figured (and told my wife), it was a great spring day to be out with Tamara.

Stats:

Distance - 10.2 miles

Elevation - 3100 feet

Time - 6 hours