Hellroaring to Imogene Lake

Reflections in Imogene Lake ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

Clouds and Mt. Cramer are reflected in Imogene Lake.

August 17 was my sixth day on the trail, the first following a successful resupply. I was eager to return to the Sawtooth Wilderness and the high country. The previous day’s long slog along forest roads and badly designed trails would be redeemed by the trail ahead, I believed, and the miserable evening at the Hellroaring trailhead would be quickly forgotten, I kept telling myself. This day totally redeemed the decision and death march to get here.

When I woke up, the thermometer fob I’d attached to my hammock said it was 24 degrees, the coldest morning on the trail. As the sun was already up, I assume it was even colder in the dead of night. Fortunately, my hammock set-up and insulation kept me warm enough. Warm enough in fact that I got back into my hammock and slept another couple of hours. I knew it would be a relatively short day hiking-wise. Turns out the extra sleep was very restorative, and a great decision.

It was nearly 10:30 a.m. before I started hiking from the Hellroaring trailhead. I re-entered the Sawtooth Wilderness almost immediately. The trail was rerouted from what was shown on the map, so no ford of Hellroaring Creek was necessary. The trail wanders through a pine forest south of the creek until a log bridge crosses it a little over a half mile from the trailhead. It gains elevation gently.

Just before reaching Hellroaring Lake, the trail meets another pack trail coming from Redfish Lake, 10 miles to the north. From here, Imogene Lake, my intended destination, is just 4 miles away. I’ve been on the trail for less than an hour by this point, so I know I need not be in any hurry. I can, in fact, enjoy the views at Hellroaring Lake.

Hellroaring Lake Outlet ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

The logjam at the outlet of Hellroaring Lake

Hellroaring Lake is just 250 feet higher than its namesake trailhead. I reached it in an hour of easy hiking. A bit of boulder- and log-hopping is required to cross the outlet creek, at which point the trail follows the lake’s southern shore. I originally picked a spot by the shore for a rest and snack, but decided to press on a bit, thinking the view would improve. I was right.

Mount Cramer and the route back to the high country.

Mount Cramer is the hulking mass of granite in the above photo. I hadn’t given it much thought but, in final preparations and planning, decided I would climb it during this trip. At 10,716 feet in elevation, it is the second highest peak in the Sawtooths and one of the only ones which does not require technical skills or equipment to summit. Of course, there is no trail to the summit, and I had only a vague notion of how to get there. From the north shore of Imogene Lake, hike the obvious ridge above Lake 8,733 until you reach a boulder field, where you scramble and hop your way to the summit. From my vantage point beside Hellroaring Lake, climbing the peak was going to be a daunting task.

I turned my attention instead to the famed Finger of Fate, a 9,975-foot rock spire protruding from the Sawtooths to the west.

The Finger of Fate

The Finger of Fate is a truly technical climb, and thus not something I ever intend to do. It nonetheless held my attention as I munched on a protein bar and got water from the lake. I spent a leisurely half hour by Hellroaring Lake, admiring the mountains and pondering whether I would tackle Mount Cramer.

It was about 12:10 p.m. when I resumed hiking. The trail switchbacked up a forested slope with nice views back toward the lake and the lowlands. The views up toward the high country were inspiring. Mount Cramer’s sheer granite face rises strikingly above the forested canyon of upper Hellroaring Creek.

Approaching Mount Cramer ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

Returning to the high country, on approach to Mount Cramer

After climbing past 8,200 feet, the trail reaches a pair of small, unnamed lakes covered in lilies. Unfortunately, none were blooming. I had gained nearly 1,000 feet of elevation by this point and was nearing the end of the day’s hike. Every glimpse of Mount Cramer suggested the summit route was more difficult than it had been portrayed. It would easily take an entire day.

By 2:00 p.m., I’d reached the outlet stream of Imogene Lake. I crossed it via boulders and logs, and soon found a breathtaking spot to have my afternoon hot meal. Mount Cramer loomed over the far shore (photo on top of this post). I looked at my map and realized the trail had either been rerouted or I missed the trail altogether. The route to Mount Cramer begins on the west side of Imogene Lake, but here I am on the eastern shore. I never saw a junction for a trail heading west.

After an hour, I put on my pack and walked the shortest distance between my lunch spot and my camping spot for the whole trip: 0.52 miles. At the south end of the lake, I found a complex of campsites among huge white boulders, some of which form fingers reaching out into the lake. I chose a spot in the center of it all, effectively eliminating nearby sites from other campers (None came, so my selfishness wasn’t an issue.). I spent much of the late afternoon and early evening on a rock finger with incredible views of the lake’s pine-topped islands.

Imogene Lake's Rocky Islands ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

Rocky islands in Imogene Lake, as seen from my campsite.

My early arrival permitted me to get a much-needed “dundo style” bath, so I smelled of peppermint that evening. “My hands were clean,” I dryly wrote into my notebook. The mosquitoes were lighter than the previous evening but surprisingly frequent given that it had been freezing for four nights.

I also noted my happiness in bringing along two heavy items in my pack. The first, a $3 towel I’d bought at a Walmart on the road, had served as a bathmat, seat cushion, floormat, hammock insulator, and a towel. “Heavy, but worth it,” I wrote. The second was my REI wind-stopper fleece jacket, an item I’ve tried for several years to replace with something lighter. It kept me warm and protected from the wind. “Why have I tried to replace it so many times?” I wrote.

One final gear note for the day — my first-ever ‘do rag. Having lost my hat several days earlier and subsequently burned my scalp through my thinning hair, I had to cover up with something. “Should’ve thought of this 3 days ago,” I wrote.

Sunset, as seen from my campsite by Imogene Lake.

I had a small fire this evening, and it made me quite happy. The sunset was beautiful, too. I was alone on this part of the lake, possibly alone at the lake. The temperature had already dropped into the 40s by 8:15 p.m. Another cold night was coming. I put off the decision on Mount Cramer to the morning, but, lying in my hammock that night, I knew common sense would triumph over bravado. I would be moving on, crossing over Sand Mountain Pass to the “main loop” I’d drawn up months earlier.

Reflections in Imogene Lake, SW09-0817-5746R, UTM 11T 0664494 E 4873166 N NAD27; Hellroaring Lake Outlet, SW09-0817-5688R, 0666087 E 4876735 N; Mount Cramer, SW09-0817-5701R, 0665757 E 4876447 N; The Finger of Fate, SW09-0817-5707R, 0665757 E 4876447 N, Approaching Mount Cramer, SW09-0817-5717R, 0665412 E 4875687 N; Imogene Lake’s Rocky Islands, SW09-0817-5761R, 0664220 E, 4872907 N; and Imogene Lake Sunset, SW09-0817-5778R, 0664220 E, 4872907 N, Sawtooth Wilderness, Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho | ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

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