Fried Liver Wash - Stone Ruins
/Trek Date: November 30th, 2013
Ok, what I want to know is, who came up with the name "Fried Liver" wash and why? Was it some old prospector wandering down the wash, dreaming of his favorite meal? Maybe a rock formation reminded someone of a plate of fried liver? Could a hunter have killed a bighorn sheep in the wash and fried up its liver for a savory snack? These are the kind of things I think about while hiking out in the back country. We may never know the answer.
In any case, there I was, about three miles east of the Pleasant Valley Backcountry Board. I had seen a picture on Google Earth of an old stone ruin out in the area and decided to check it out. It's a pretty easy hike along upper Fried Liver Wash and the southern base of the Hexie Mountains. The trail is comfortable to follow, most of it is actually the old Pleasant Valley Road; however, sometimes it disappears and you just follow the wash.
Upon reaching the ruin, more questions arise. Who built it. What was it used for? Why was it built in the middle of a wash? As it is located near a road that heads north to the Hexahedron Mine, could it be the location of the rumored Hexahedron Mill? One source mentions old foundations at this location as an early mill site. Information is scanty. Maybe it was a storage building, or a one-room cabin (the number of tin cans near by leads me to believe cabin or bunkhouse). Maybe someone's desert hideaway. It's likely we'll never know for sure, but that's ok. It's fun to wonder about the things you run across, when you set out to see what you can find.
Scenes in and along the wash:
The Stone Ruins:
