This photo was taken on 10/02/2010, while I was hiking on the backside of the Sullivan Lake Wilderness area, in the Colville National Forest (Northeastern Washington, not far from the Canadian border).

This photo was taken about the half-way mark of one of the larger rock slides that I had to cross. This one was about 70 feet wide and went from roughly 40 yards above me, all the way down to the lake (roughly 200 yards below me). Traversing rock slides is a very tricky deal. The rocks are usually very loose, very sharp, and very dangerous. Footing is unsure at best and positively dangerous at worst. One slip and you can become badly injured or worse (killed). Given that this in the middle of a very remote area, getting help is nearly impossible...and there are plenty of large predators (bear, cougar, wolves) more than willing to opportune an unlucky hiker's misfortune. The wilderness is very beautiful...but it can be dangerous too!