A HILL FOR ALL SEASONS
I cannot help ramping up the pace a little whenever I cross the bridge at the bottom of the Ashton Hill. I have learned that a little inertia helps the ascent. Some of my former cars have had to struggle to keep up to the speed limit. My current SUV doesn’t even breathe hard while charging up the hill and seems to thrive with the 1000 foot elevation change. Upon reaching the top, it is as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I usually take a deep breath in and exhale slowly -- Aaaaaah.
Last month a perfectly motionless whitetail buck was standing by the side of the road. For a moment, I thought it was one of those phony deer decoys. My co-pilot had checked out for a few minutes and was of no help. The distance between us and the deer was closing rapidly. In the few seconds that I had to assess the situation, I remember thinking that this was an unlikely spot for Fish and Game to deploy a decoy: Would hunters hunt there? Would they even be allowed to shoot across traffic? Does Fish and Game still use deer decoys? With that silly scenario spinning around in my mind, I simultaneously was mapping out an avoidance plan, should the deer prove to be real and decide to bolt. Fortunately, this was not a jumpy deer and my co-pilot was not startled into consciousness. As we passed by, the very real deer remained motionless and was much less impressed with me than I was with him.
In my childhood when we went up to Mack's Inn, I remember US 20 used to go east from Ashton across Warm River and along the canyon by Bear Gulch and Mesa Falls. It mostly followed the railroad to Harriman Ranch. The two-lane road always looked better in the rearview mirror. Today the old Highway is a side road off the new US 20 and mostly is used for sightseeing. It took over a decade to straighten US 20 and move parts of the road to better locations. As a child, I remember seeing the big gash made in the Ashton Hill for the new portion of US 20. Soon, the new road was opened and has since seemed to be a perpetual road construction project. Like many things in Island Park, you have to work hard when the season is right because winter has a way of putting many things on hold. We rarely went to Island Park in the winter before the new US 20 was opened. Some of my family members are currently snowed in -- no one is complaining. My 85-year-old cousin got up the hill just fine earlier this week but then had to be taken by snow machine to his cabin at Centennial Shores.
No matter what the season, keeping the Ashton Hill open this time of year is like maintaining the pearly gates -- allowing us mere mortals to return briefly to back to heaven and leave our worries behind. At least that is how I see it.
Ever vigilant,
RT
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