23-Jul-2000 -- After doing 5 "low hanging fruit" confluences, it was time to try something a little more difficult. I’ve had my eye on 44N 113W in Idaho’s rugged (and seldom visited) Lemhi mountains since I got my GPS in January. However, I knew it would be snowed in until late June. So, there was a 6 month period of studying topos, photos, etc. to prep for the trip. I was very familiar with the area and the approach, as Bill Bauer and I did an ascent of nearby Tyler Peak two years ago (2 miles from the confluence). Bill and I knew the confluence wouldn’t be a cakewalk, as the Lemhi mountains are nothing but big scree piles. Going up is similar to swimming uphill, you lose a step sliding back for every 2 steps that you take. The approach goes up the North Creek drainage on an old mining track. There is signs of the mining activity everywhere here, from an old mill and tailings piles at the canyon entrance to open shafts and old rusted equipment farther up. After a pleasant hike up the drainage, the GPS signalled that we had to veer off the track and climb up the scree slope. From the topo map we knew that the confluence was about three-quarters of the way up the slope. As we tried to work towards the confluence, it became obvious very quickly that we would not be able to navigate directly to our goal. Sidehilling on the steep, loose slope was treacherous, and I needed both hands free to make any progress, making constant GPS readings impossible. Plus, I had a few near misses trying to carry the GPS in my hand and climb using only the other hand. So, the decision was made to put the GPS in my pack and climb directly to the ridgetop. From there, we would locate the best line of attack and come down to the confluence from above. From the ridgetop, the views of the drainage and the Lemhi range were impressive. We moved along the ridge top until we were directly uphill from the confluence point. Sliding down the loose slope on our boots (better known as "scree skiing"), we eventually dropped far enough vertically to start taking readings. The confluence ended up being on a rock outcropping in midslope with a twisted, burned old tree sticking out.