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.
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Tags: alpenglow, alpine lake, aug09 idaho trip, boulders, cliffs, cramer divide, cramer lakes, hidden lake, lakes, mount cramer, mountain passes, rock spires, sawtooth mountains, sawtooth wilderness, snowyside peak, sunsets, trees

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.
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Tags: aug09 idaho trip, campsite views, finger of fate, hellroaring lake, imogene lake, islands, lakes, mount cramer, pines, reflections, rocks, sawtooth national forest, sunsets, trees

Typical view of the South Fork Payette River south of Grandjean

My adventure across the Sawtooths began at the Grandjean trailhead of the range’s western side. The plan was to acclimate to the terrain slowly by taking a long, gradual ascent up the South Fork Payette River to Benedict Creek up to the Tenlake Basin. My goal for that first day, August 12, was 14 miles to Smith Falls, one of two significant waterfalls along the river. But the terrain and trails proved more challenging than I’d imagined, and I barely made 10 miles that first day.

In my notebook, I described that first day as “forgettable.” The South Fork Payette River Trail “is overgrown & frequently impeded with downed trees.” I later noted, “Curious that the SFP and Benedict Creek trails rarely see their namesakes.”
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Tags: aug09 idaho trip, baron creek, boise national forest, campsite views, cliffs, creeks, dead trees, fords, marshes, meadows, sawtooth wilderness, south fork payette river, sunsets, trees, waterfalls

A late summer storm brings rain to Jackson Hole and snow in the Tetons' higher elevations.

Three months and a day ago, I visited Grand Teton National Park on my way to the Sawtooths of central Idaho. It rained, and the spectacular peaks of the Teton Range were hidden by thick storm clouds. Though the clouds broke apart now and again on the ground, the sky never cleared, and the rain seldom stopped.

Taking it in stride, I drove to some of the park’s viewpoints and pull-outs, reflecting on what they look like when the weather is gorgeous. I spent some time admiring the view from the overlook of the Snake River, near where Ansel Adams took his famous photo and I witnessed a stunning sunrise. Cascade Canyon’s lower reaches are clearly visible directly behind the bend of the river, but the Grand, Teewie, and the other peaks were lost in the clouds.

Cascade Canyon and the Snake River, under the cloud deck.

Tags: aug09 idaho trip, campsite views, cascade canyon, clouds, grand teton national park, jackson lake, lakes, mount moran, mountain vistas, rain, snake river, stormy skies, sunsets, teton range

As seen from my sixth backpacking campsite, the purple and pink dusk descends upon tranquil Imogene Lake, bringing a touch of winter chill to the Sawtooths.

Sunset is a special time on the road and trail, and seldom am I in a better position to savor daylight’s last moments than when I’m in camp. I got to just about every campsite well before sunset during last month’s road trip to Idaho, so I had many a front-row seat to the show.

In order, here are the prettier sunsets:
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Tags: alpenglow, aug09 idaho trip, campsite views, clouds, cloudy skies, flaming gorge national recreation area, grand canyon, grand teton national park, lakes, reflections, sawtooth wilderness, silhouettes, sunsets, Yellowstone National Park

My campsite for the third night on the trail was located on a high point between Vernon and Edna Lakes. A short walk down to Vernon Lake provided a stunning view of Pt. 9105 and Pt. 9941 at sunset.

The trails in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains are designed to provide access to dozens of beautiful lakes nestled beneath the craggy peaks. I hear the fishing is terrific, though I did not cast a single line. In fact, I got lots of strange looks when I answered “Do you fish?” in the negative, as if their unasked follow-up question were, “Then what are you doing here?”

This post highlights most of the named lakes I visited during the second and third days on the trail, plus the first lake of the fourth day. I add this last one because it was the last lake before the first major mountain pass. There were no lakes seen on the first day, but there are plenty more where these came from.
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Tags: ardeth lake, aug09 idaho trip, backpacking, clouds, edna lake, lake ingeborg, lakes, reflections, rock slide lake, rock slides, rocks, sawtooth wilderness, spangle lakes, stormy skies, sunsets, tenlake basin, vernon lake, wildflowers

SEDONA, Ariz. — Call this a victory lap for this now 4,000-plus mile epic trip. I’m in the city of red rocks celebrating the near-completion of this incredible journey. Tonight I met several folks also completing their journeys, in one way or another, from days to weeks on the road. Strangely fitting that we all found each other near the end of our wanderings.

Before getting here, I spent a couple days on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Yesterday, I hiked the North Kaibab trail to Roaring Springs, a 9.2+ mile round-trip walk losing and then gaining 3,200+ feet, in less than 8 hours. My miles in the Sawtooths definitely had me ready for this hike.

My two nights at the North Rim campground were the first consecutive nights spent in the same place on this trip. Sunsets, which were hard to come by in the Sawtooths, were never better than two nights ago on the North Rim.

Today I visited the Lee’s Ferry historic area and the ancestral Pueblan ruins at Waputki National Monument on my way to Sedona. Here, I let myself have some celebratory relaxation before the last grinding miles home. Tomorrow, I turn toward Austin and drive the final 1,200+ miles.

The hotel I’m staying in here has private balconies, and this is the view I have of Cathedral Bluff and the surrounding red rock peaks:

Not much else to report other than the fellow wanderers I’ve met have been encouraging and interesting. The next couple of days will be focused on chewing up miles — without interstates — so I doubt I will meet any other fascinating folks on the remainder of my journey home. To those I have met — safe journeys, and may the road rise to meet you.

My goal is to be back in Austin late Sunday night. If all goes as expected, a late Sunday night arrival reunites me with Chisos early Monday morning. I can’t think of a better reason to get home.

Tags: aug09 idaho trip, canyons, cliffs, Grand Canyon National Park, sedona, sunsets