Hiker. Blogger. Photographer. CrossFitter. Dog Owner. Texan.
Benedict Creek to Mount Everly
Mount Everly looms above a marshy meadow fed by Benedict Creek.
The second day of my backpacking trek across the Sawtooth Wilderness would get me to the high country and, eventually, out of the long slog through the thick vegetation and fallen trees that marked the previous “forgettable” day. It would also be a day during which I would see more bears than people.
I would start this day — August 13 — about four miles short of the previous day’s goal, Smith Falls. The South Fork Payette River Trail made one of its rare visits to the namesake river at a place I dubbed “Waterfall Bend,” and it was here I had set up camp. In the predawn chill, I returned to the rocks overlooking the dozen-plus cascades to drink a protein shake. As I sat there, listening to the singing waters, a small black bear trotted along the other shore. It glanced in my direction once, then did a double-take before bolting away from the river. I didn’t have my camera handy — and it wouldn’t have mattered as it was still fairly dark — but this was otherwise a perfect bear encounter.
My first was in Cascade Canyon of Grand Teton National Park on July 4, 2002. I saw five in Glacier National Park in 2006, including a pair of cubs up a tree and a sow and yearling foraging lazily on a sun-splashed hillside. Last year, I saw four in Yosemite National Park, including a sow teaching her cubs to eat grubs. They crossed the trail in front of me a few moments later. After more than a decade of trips into the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, I finally saw a black bear, from a pretty good distance, in Boot Canyon a year ago. The Sawtooth bear was my 12th seen in the wild.
It was a few minutes before 9 a.m. before I hit the trail, as I was not looking forward to a few more miles of difficult terrain. The day began at 6,245 feet of elevation. About half an hour later, I reached Fern Falls, the first significant waterfall of this portion of the South Fork Payette River. It was more impressive than I was expecting based on the guidebooks’ descriptions of it. The area around the falls was covered with a dense carpet of ferns, which supplied the falls’ name. I did not linger long, as I knew time was going to move quickly today.
About 45 minutes later, I’d reached the first of many lakes, the boggy Elk Lake, which formed at the confluence of seasonal Drop Creek, permanent Fall Creek and the South Fork Payette River. Mosquitoes were terrible here. I stopped long enough to take a couple of photos. I was eager to reach Smith Falls, but still had a ways to go. A little over 2 hours into the day’s trekking brought me to a beautiful vista.
Elk Peak (10,582) looms above the jumble of jagged rocks as the South Fork Payette River Trail climbs to nearly 7,000 feet.
The landscape was opening up as the elevation neared 7,000 feet. From this vantage point, the river is behind me as I look toward the northeast up the slopes of Elk Peak. A large snowfield lies just on the other side of that peak, but its southern face is dry. I followed the peak’s wide footprint as it gently forced the southeasterly prevailing trail to turn gradually due south.
Before the trail can complete its turn, it dives back into the forest before reaching a ford of the wide, ankle-deep South Fork Payette River. The photo below is looking back across the ford into the forest.
Ford of the South Fork Payette River
The icy cold water stung my feet as I waded across. The current was surprisingly strong, and the rocks covering the bottom were loose and wobbly. I was happy to have two trekking poles, as I could keep three points of contact with the ground as I slowly crossed the stream.
By 12:30 p.m., I could hear the roar of Smith Falls ahead. Within a few moments, I could see this impressive waterfall through the trees. The South Fork Payette River thunders over the brink, then careens off a series of ledges before crashing into a deep pool. The falls are around 40 feet high. I picked my way down the steep rocky bank nearly to the water, but the best view of the falls is provided by a series of exposed tree roots which almost create a chair.
I paused here for a snack and some exploring around the falls area. Smith Falls turned out to be the prettiest of the Sawtooth’s waterfalls. But, there was no practical place to hang a hammock nearby, at least not within earshot of the roar of the falls, so it would have been a disappointment to arrive here late in the day and been forced to march further.
View from the brink of Smith Falls, looking downstream.
Shortly after leaving the falls, I reached a trail junction. The left fork continued up the South Fork Payette Trail, while the right fork headed up Benedict Creek for a bit longer route to Tenlake Basin. There was some risk with the Benedict Creek route, as snow sometimes lingers on the north side of the pass leading to Tenlake Basin. The Benedict Creek route approaches from the south, so it could be a dead end. It being mid-August, I decided to follow my original plan and chance the pass being snowy. Without hesitation, I turned up the Benedict Creek Trail.
Almost immediately, the trail conditions improved. The vegetation was lower to the ground, and mariposa lilies and other wildflowers took over for Oregon grapes and other woody shrubs. Trees were smaller and farther apart and, most importantly, not burned in large numbers. The path was obvious, clear, and largely unimpeded. And the mountains, especially dramatic Mount Everly, were coming into view.
The trail quickly climbed 300 feet from the trail junction before leveling off temporarily in a wide canyon bounded by the twin peaks of Pt. 9,438 and 9,395 to the north and Pt. 9,029 to the south. Largely unseen Benedict Creek burbled nearby. At one fortunate point, the trail found its namesake, and I stopped there for lunch. From there. the trail gently but steadily climbs toward the rocky base of Pt. 9,493. At this point — now nearly 4 p.m. — clouds were gathering overhead.
Storm clouds gather over the Sawtooths, as seen from Benedict Creek.
Last year’s storm in Yosemite was foremost on my mind as I continued to climb higher into the mountains. There were no rumbles of thunder here, but it appeared as though it would rain at any moment.
The trail crossed Benedict Creek a couple of times, then reached a trail junction. My original plan was to take a side-trip over to a couple of lakes in the shadow of Mount Everly. This would likely require my camping there, as the day was slipping away, and the threat of rain was apparent. Both lakes were above the vegetation line, albeit slightly, and I was not certain that there would be tall enough trees available for my hammock. I opted to press onward toward Tenlake Basin, though the increasingly exciting views of Mount Everly made me regret the decision, initially.
Looking back at dramatic Mount Everly
The trail passed a series of small ponds as it rose to passed above 8,200 feet in elevation, and I passed 2,000 feet of elevation gain for the day. The clouds broke, for a moment, and I nearly turned back to explore Mount Everly’s flanks. Had the previous day gone as planned, I would have arrived at that trail junction hours earlier, meaning the risk of finding no campsite could have been mitigated, even under the gathering clouds. But there was another shot at a side trip coming up, and I would play it by ear.
I reached Benedict Lake at 5 p.m., eight hours after I had left “Waterfall Bend.” The lake was fairly shallow but not altogether marshy. It dully reflected the low, domelike ridge of Pt. 9,918 behind it. Benedict Lake was not especially scenic, but I made sure to note two definite places where I could hang my hammock in case I had to return abruptly. It had begun to sprinkle, and I donned my rain gear for the first time on the hike.
Half an hour later, I reached another trail junction. The main trail continued to the left, while a spur trail headed right across a marshy flat and over a brief climb to Three Island Lake at the base of Plummer Peak. It was a shorter distance, but slightly higher climb, to Rock Slide Lake, which I recall being described as very scenic in the guidebooks, and my original goal of Lake Ingeborg. If I went to Three Island Lake, I would have to camp there, then begin tomorrow by retracing my steps. Still behind my intended schedule, I passed on the spur trail and pressed on in the spitting drizzle.
Plummer Peak (center) and Pt. 9,736 (left) loom over a boggy bend of Benedict Creek.
The trail gains 300 feet quickly but easily via eight sweeping switchbacks before reaching the shore of striking Rock Slide Lake. The aptly named lake features a huge rock slide which has tumbled down the face of an unnamed peak to its south. I immediately spied a campsite by the lakeshore with a great view of its namesake and decided, as it was now 6 p.m., that I was done for the day. I set up camp quickly as it began to rain. When it stopped raining, armies of mosquitoes appeared.
It was at this point that I realized I had lost my hat somewhere on the trail. It had probably been ripped from my backpack by vegetation guarding the South Fork Payette Trail. It joined my sunglasses, which I had left behind in camp, as lost items. The sunglasses were no great loss — I’d already scratched them — but the hat provided sun protection, rain protection, and, most importantly, a form over which my mosquito net provided bloodsucker protection. Meanwhile, the clouds scattered, providing a chance to photograph the lake in a beautiful, soft light.
View of Rock Slide Lake from my campsite
Tired of swatting mosquitoes, I retreated into my hammock to rest, write in my notebook, and flick the bloodsuckers off the taut no-see-um netting into the taut canopy beyond. They made a satisfying thud when they hit that canopy. By 9:30 p.m., the mosquitoes had gone to bed, but I was too tired to go out and see if the stars were visible.
They probably weren’t, evidenced by the steady rain showers which started around 2 a.m. They became thunderstorms around 4:30 a.m. By 7 a.m., it was hailing.
Mount Everly, SW09-0813-5229R, UTM 11T 0655013 E 4871537 N NAD27; Elk Peak and Friends, SW09-0813-5198R, 0655981 E 4875057 N; Ford of the South Fork Payette River, SW09-0813-5206R, 0656584 E 4874517 N; Brink of Smith Falls, SW09-0813-5220R, 0657104 E 4873567 N; Storm Clouds Gather Over the Sawtooths, SW09-0813-5239R, 0654750 E 4870913 N; Dramatic Mount Everly, SW09-0813-5241R, 0654956 E 4870139 N; Plummer Peak, SW09-0813-5249R, 0655722 E 4868843 N; and Rock Slide Lake, SW09-0813-5257R, 0656335 E 4868504 N; Sawtooth Wilderness, Boise National Forest, Idaho | ©2009 Jeff Blaylock
Potentially related posts:
| Print article | This entry was posted by Jeff on November 24, 2009 at 10:10 pm, and is filed under Photo Post, Travels. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |
Comments are closed.
