Once up far enough into this
particular canyon, we could see Saline Peak at what appeared to be hardly a
stone's throw away. Steve became curious about a possible alternate route
through the canyon to Saline Peak. We discussed how a very interesting hike to
Saline could be contrived with the addition of the tour past these petroglyphs.
(Ron and Dean will be leading an exploratory on this route February 13-15,
President's Day weekend, prior to the upcoming vote to add Saline to the DPS
list.)After an uneventful hike back to the car, we headed on south and out with a short stop at Saline Hot Springs
I'm very happy to report that none of the unique and rare Dedeckera plants had been damaged. The White Cliff petroglyphs were not involved in the attempted road-building, and remain in good condition.
As for the road restoration, I quote from a report by Mary DeDecker herself, who was present during the restoration work:
"It was estimated that 1100 cubic yards of fill were removed from the narrows and put back into the canyon bottom. The end result was a surprise to us all, far better than we hoped could be achieved. . . . All the participants are to be commended for the successful outcome.
Pat Acheson, Conservation Chair
