Cramer Divide to Alpine Lake

A knife's edge of sawtoothed peaks rims the vicinity of Cramer Divide.

At the end of this, my 8th day on the trail and its 10 hot miles, I began writing in my notebook with a simple assessment of my condition: “Backpacking fatigue has set in.”

The previous night was a practically sleepless one. The narrow spit of level land I occupied beside Hidden Lake combined with an uneasiness as I felt all evening and the awful unseen but definitely heard terrors the mind pictured causing several loud, unexplained and nearby noises. I had tied my Ursack close by, instead of hiking up the steep hillside, and now surely a bear was trying to get into it, ripping into the log. I was raised by a sudden, loud rushing sound, occasionally repeated. In the darkness, it sounded as though it were right behind my head, where, less than 30 feet away, the Ursack was wedged between logs and lashed to the smaller one. Then there was a loud splash. Was the bear gone, swimming across the lake? Was it something else?

I hardly slept from there, as each noise, real or imagined, became another bear.

At first hint of light, I got up and surveyed the situation. Expecting to find my bag of food dangling by its cord, I instead discovered the Ursack was completely undisturbed. It wasn’t a bear ripping into anything. In fact, it wasn’t a bear at all. It was a rockslide, across the lake. The mountains lining this narrow valley echoed their sounds, and my mind transformed them into a fearsome bear. Wearily, I chuckled, and quickly broke camp, eager to leave. I was on the trail by 8 o’clock.

The morning sun sets the high ramparts of Snowyside Peak aglow while Hidden Lake remains shrouded in shadow.

Hidden Lake’s elevation is 8,563 feet. The immediate goal was Cramer Divide, about 1.7 miles north and 950 feet higher. The trail gradually leaves the shore of Hidden Lake, taking a path of least resistance up a steep-sided funnel. Views back down the lake were grand, and Snowyside Peak, almost 5 miles distant, was awash in the morning sun. It was a clear day, in the low 40s as I trudged up the trail toward the divide. The sun was quickly lighting the surrounding high peaks, and it was getting warm. I stopped to shed some layers.

Pt. 9,844, the prominent peak in this shot, lies just west of Hidden Lake. Its steep slopes crash straight into its cold waters.

I felt slow and sluggish heading up to the divide. I was still in the shade, despite the lack of trees. Mt. Cramer was blocking the sun, but its reflection off of bald Pt. 10,059 to my left felt warm. Tucked beneath its virtually bare shoulder was a narrow lake, which shown brown in the morning light.

After climbing 500 feet, I paused to look back at where I spent the previous restless night. Hidden Lake was still in shadow, lit by the sunlight reflecting off the Sawtooths.

Hidden Lake, as seen from 500 feet higher up, on the trail to Cramer Divide.

My shade had run out. The sun climbed over Mt. Cramer, and it was warming up quick. I’d been on the trail for nearly an hour and still had some climbing to do.

A battered wooden sign marks the divide. Barely legible, it tells hikers that Hidden Lake is 1.5 miles away, the South Fork Payette River Trail is 3.5. In the direction I’m heading, Cramer Lakes are 2.X (the second number has faded away) and Redfish Creek Trail is 5.7. It’s at least another 2 beyond that just to get to Alpine Lake, and I need to get to the Baron Lakes. For a moment, my spirit sank, as it hit me for the first time that I might not be able to complete the planned loop. But then I lifted my eyes and took a good look around.

Cramer Divide (9,515 feet) is spectacular. A wondrous series of jagged teeth (shown at the top of the post) circle southeast toward 10,716-foot Mt. Cramer, then continue across the rocky abyss to unnamed Pts. 10,579 and 10,272. Castoffs from the crumbling cliffs lie in huge piles on the “floor” beneath the divide. Some of these piles are so high, they rise above the divide itself, covering the slopes of Mt. Cramer. The sun was directly above the mountain’s summit.

Mt. Cramer, as seen from its namesake divide

It is a stark, other worldly landscape, and I had it entirely to myself. I spent about 25 minutes there, eating a protein bar and soaking in the sun and the views. Too soon, it was time to get on the trail again.

The trail down from the divide toward the Cramer Lakes is a knee breaker. It immediately loses nearly 200 feet in a series of tight switchbacks. The jagged teeth of the mountains quickly rise above you, as though you were being swallowed by a ravenous beast. One particularly singular tooth, informally called The Temple, loomed above the trail and the barren landscape.

The Temple

While no trees grew on these slopes, there were occasional bursts of color, mainly purples, oranges, and yellows, from clumps of wildflowers. Despite the short growing season, wildflowers here would have the advantages of lots of sun, warm rocks, and plenty of water from the winter snows. They were a nice departure from the ruddy gray that otherwise dominated the scene.

A series of unnamed shallow tarns dot the trail as it mercifully levels out, having dropped 650 feet in a mile. The trail passes right beside the largest, roughly 180m across, and then follows its outlet creek toward the much larger Cramer Lakes. Trees were returning to the landscape, and the boulders became less numerous, though still a reminder that the mountains will one day come down. Off ahead, the bottle-top Pt. 10,272 and a more conventionally crowned, but unmeasured, peak over 10,400 feet divide this drainage from Hellroaring.

Unnamed peaks line the trail toward the Cramer Lakes

Wildflowers were more numerous among the branching braids of the creek. Butterflies flew lazily in the warming air, and, unfortunately, a large number of flies flew with a sense of urgency. I was 2 1/2 hours from my previous campsite but had not covered even 3 mile yet. Rounding a corner, I spotted a portion of Upper Cramer Lake, the largest of the three, with a marshy flat lying between it and a field of conifers.

The surrounding mountains were lovely. The final descent to the lake was easy, and I would’ve made fast progress except I found myself stopping to look at the mountains with great frequency. The trail passed beneath Pt. 10,272 and crossed the creek repeatedly. Some hops were easier than others; a few times I had to leave the trail to find an easier place to cross. At last, I reached Upper Cramer Lake. The trail hugs its northern shore. At about a quarter after 11, I dropped my pack and relaxed in a little patch of shade by the shore.

Pt. 10,579, Mt. Cramer and the Arrowhead, as seen from Upper Cramer Lake.

I spent about half an hour staring at the mountains and the water. The flies were terrible. So was the protein bar — I was officially sick of them. Peanut butter Clif Builder’s Bars were my clear favorites, but I only had one per day, and I’d eaten it on Cramer Divide. The one at Upper Cramer Lake was one of the other kinds, and I had pretty much had it with them. Still, it was a beautiful spot, but, still, I had many miles to go. Wearily, I put on my pack and continued on my way. Downhill, at least.

A waterfall graced the south end of Middle Cramer Lake. Sadly, but typically, the trail goes nowhere near it. The sound was soul-stirring, and it gave me a little bit of pep. Lower Cramer Lake sits beneath a black-capped mound of rock which looks out of place. Its waters were still, reflecting the trees and marsh grasses growing at its margins.

Leaving the lakes and Mt. Cramer behind, the trail continues to descend toward Redfish Lake Creek. For nearly 45 minutes, the trail stayed in the tall trees. Then they opened up just enough to provide one last spectacular view of Mt. Cramer and its brethren.

Mt. Cramer and its brethren wave goodbye as I trek north.

From here, the trail continues a long, lazy descent to Redfish Lake Creek. The creek flows down from an adjacent drainage before meeting the creek I’d hopped several times. Together, they flow to the trail’s left (going downhill or north). Views of the mountains to the north improve as the trail descends. It was getting hot, reaching the mid-80s, a far cry from the chill of several days ago.

I had to ford Redfish Lake Creek. It was shallow but swift, and very cold. Once across, I found a spot to lay my wet wading shoes, which doubled as camp shoes, in the sun while I refilled my water and had my hot meal of the day. About half an hour after I forded, a party of eight arrived, having hiked up from the Redfish Lake trailhead. They proceeded to make it the longest water crossing in human history. Including changing shoes on EACH side, I crossed the creek in 3 minutes. It took them over an hour. Of course they talked the whole time.

It was now 3:30 p.m. as I loaded up for the hike up to Alpine Lake. That would be as far as I’d get today, imperiling the final loop of the hike. I had a nearly 1,000 foot climb immediately in front of me, and it turned out to be shadeless, dry, and very hot. It didn’t take long before the trail began its long switchbacks, passing the same near vertical creeklets, over and over. Views back toward where I started the day improved with every hot switchback.

A hot climb was rewarded with ever better views to the South.

The slope was steep. Every time it looked as though the trail would find some shade, it abruptly changed direction and re-crossed the dry, open slope. Flies approaching biblical proportions waited by every seep, drip, and creek. The wildflowers here were fading; the grasses and low plants were turning gold. Summer is going fast. It’s time to go to seed.

After an hour of climbing, the trail finally prepared to enter the forest again, and, presumably, stop climbing. I took one quick look downstream, toward Redfish Lake.

Looking toward Redfish Lake from the shelf above Redfish Lake Creek

Alpine Lake sits on a high shelf, like a hanging valley, almost 1,000 feet above Redfish Lake Creek. Once the trail entered the trees, it turned southwestward and continued climbing. I had misread the map during my hot meal and was not disheartened by this unexpectedly long climb. In fact, I climbed 500 feet from the point where the trail finally entered the trees until I found myself at Alpine Lake.

It was a little after 5 p.m. when I stopped hiking. The entire northeast shore area of Alpine Lake looks like a giant campsite, like Lake Ingeborg, but much worse. For large stretches, there is no grass, only dirt and dust. Swaths of the area are closed off in feeble attempts to re-seed native plants. It is clear that the Sawtooth’s Alpine Lake is loved to death.

It wasn’t hard to find a place to tie up, and in fact a fallen tree provided a long, straight shelf upon which I could array my gear. To my relief, the breeze picked up, holding the hordes of flying critters at bay. A doe and two fawns walked right by me while I was sitting by the lakeshore. She huffed at me as they passed, but the fawns did not even look at me. I was amused at the dancing fish in the lake. As the sun went down, the fish leaped at flies hovering just above the water. Their splashes and plops, and endless sets of concentric circles, made quite a show.

As did the setting sun, which painted the peaks with a pinkish orange alpenglow, reflected in the still water, interrupted only by the acrobatics of hungry trout.

Sunset at Alpine Lake

The Knife’s Edge at Cramer Divide, SW09-0819-5968R, UTM 11T 0660738 E 4875340 N NAD27; Snowyside Peak and Hidden Lake, SW09-0819-5946R, 0660266 E 4874293 N; Pt. 9,844 From Above Hidden Lake, SW09-0819-5949R, 0660322 E 4874400 N; 500 Feet Above Hidden Lake, SW09-0819-5951R, 0660560 E 4874720 N; Mt. Cramer From Cramer Divide, SW09-0819-5964R, 0660703 E 4875335 N; The Temple, SW09-0819-5978R, 0660976 E 4875508 N; Descending From Cramer Divide, SW09-0819-5989R, 0661234 E 4875942 N; Pt. 10,579, Mt. Cramer and the Arrowhead, SW09-0819-6011R, 0661390 E 4877142 N; Mt. Cramer and Its Brethren, SW09-0819-6026R, 0659640 E 4879205 N; Looking Back Toward the Cramer Lakes, SW09-0819-6040R, 0659888 E 4881582 N; Looking Toward Redfish Lake, SW09-0819-6048R, 0659518 E 4881401 N; Alpine Lake Sunset, SW09-0819-6064R, Sawtooth Wilderness, Boise National Forest, Idaho | ©2009 Jeff Blaylock

Potentially related posts:

• Alpine Lake to Baron Creek
• Lakes of the Sawtooths, Part 3
• Imogene Lake to Hidden Lake
• Sawtooth Wilderness Waterfalls
• Hellroaring to Imogene Lake
• Lakes of the Sawtooths, Part 4
• Snowyside Pass