A Saturday morning dayhike
I went out to the Poison Spider Arch this morning for a short day hike. Last year I found evidence that the area has been used for Native American religious ceremonies and there is definitely a spiritual feeling to the place. But, there is not much evidence of human activity in the area with the exception of some old faded strips of cloth tied to several trees. The area is 25 miles from Casper and is quite remote.
I found a recently burned bundle of sweetgrass within 100 feet from where I parked. It appears to be fresh since there had been recent rain but I could not find any footprints. Sweetgrass is used by Native Americans for purification and the fragrant smoke is smudged over objects. I believe, in this case the sweetgrass was used to purify the trail.
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| There is no actual trail but after about 500 yards I spotted this tree marked with ribbons |
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| A close up view of the arch |
This is a raptor nest that is about 200 feet south of the arch,. I found eagle feathers near here last year but I think this is a hawks nest.  |
| This is an another arch that is access to the other side of the ridge. You have to climb up about 10 feet to pass through I was going to post some pictures from the other side but I'm having a rough time of it. There is a couple of snags in this blog program that I cannot figure out. There is several trees with cloth ribbons but no evidence of campfires or footprints anywhere. i thought I had found a perfect place for weekend campouts but I have second thoughts about intruding on this area. And yes, I believe in Skinwalkers. |
