Fern Falls, along the South Fork Payette River.
Despite logging more than 100 miles in the Sawtooth Wilderness, I only saw a handful waterfalls. I suspect there were more, even along the trails I was taking, but terrain and vegetation kept them audible but invisible. Water definitely falls great distances — thousands of feet from snowline to the Salmon River — but big waterfalls are rare. This post highlights six of the significant ones.
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Tags: aug09 idaho trip, baron creek, campsite views, cramer lakes, lakes, rocks, sawtooth wilderness, south fork payette river, trees, water, waterfalls
Dead trees eerily stand guard over the hot waters as they slowly construct the travertine ledges which comprise Mammoth's Main Terrace.
I was last in Yellowstone National Park in July 2002. I intended to stay there for four nights but left after two, frustrated by the crush of tourists and an inconvenient wildfire burning near the campground. I retreated to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and had the place to myself. Because I had cut my last visit short, there were several places I’d planned to visit but missed. I planned to see them this summer on my way to Idaho.
Two months ago today, I left the rainy Tetons behind and was immediately glad I had purchased an annual federal lands pass. The south entrance to Yellowstone has a special lane for pass holders. I drove by the dozens of cars stacked up in the fee lanes and breezed into the park. The first stop was a short walk to Lewis Falls, then on to the West Thumb Geyser Basin. It was a cloudy, chilly morning. Great plumes of steam rose from the many pools and holes in the ground. Beyond the smokescreen sat Yellowstone Lake. The trail is comprised of a boardwalk loop bisected by a second boardwalk. I walked the outer loop in a clockwise direction.
Abyss Pool
Abyss Pool is one the park’s deepest springs. It is a mostly quiet feature, though it has gone through periods of remarkable eruptions, the last being 1992. It sits off to itself, with the best view coming from a viewing platform a short distance from the main trail. From there the boardwalk descends to the lakeshore and various on- and off-shore features including the Big Cone and Fishing Cone. Big Cone justs out into the lake like a small shield volcano. Its little caldera bubbles and swirls while shorebirds engage in elaborately choreographed flybys.
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Tags: aug09 idaho trip, bald eagles, dead trees, eagles, geysers, hot springs, lakes, pools, steam, terraces, travertine, water, yellowstone lake, Yellowstone National Park
Upper Cramer Lake
Previous posts showcased the beautiful lakes I encountered during the first six days of last month’s backpack through the Sawtooth Wilderness. Days seven and eight had their share of spectacular scenery, and nine of those lakes are featured here.
Day seven (August 18) began with the final leg of my resupply loop and ended back on the main backpacking loop by way of Sand Mountain Pass, the only mountain pass I encountered twice. There were two passes to cross before “Sandy,” and neither had a name. The first climb began immediately after I left my campsite alongside gorgeous Imogene Lake. I got off to a bit of a late start and didn’t hit the trail until nearly 9 a.m. It was quite a bit warmer than the previous morning but still quite chilly. It took me about an hour and 20 minutes to reach the first pass.
From it, the view back down to Imogene Lake, 850 feet below, was inspiring.
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Tags: alpenglow, alpine lake, aug09 idaho trip, boise national forest, campsite views, cramer lakes, edna lake, hidden lake, lakes, mountain passes, mountain vistas, payette peak, reflections, rocks, sawtooth national forest, sawtooth range, sawtooth wilderness, trees, water
One month ago today, I visited the last three lakes in the Sawtooths as part of my epic journey. The first was the most spectacular, and the hardest to reach. This was to have been the day I ended my backpacking trek, but I ended up getting off the trail a day early. I opted not to loop around to Sawtooth Lake, the largest lake up in the mountains, and instead spent a wonderful afternoon, evening, and night in the nearby town of Stanley (population: 100). On this day, I had a choice of hiking to Sawtooth Lake, but the locals turned me on to Goat Lake, accessible from the same trailhead.
I reached the Iron Creek trailhead at 7 a.m., and it was in the upper 30s. There were just two other vehicles at the generous parking area. I was on the trail 10 minutes later. The trail roughly follows Iron Creek upstream for a little over a mile before entering the Sawtooth Wilderness. Shortly thereafter, the trail forks. The right fork climbs 1,400 feet to Sawtooth Lake via a different Alpine Lake than the one I camped at a couple nights earlier. The left fork, which I chose wraps around a narrow canyon before climbing 1,200 feet to Goat Lake. Well, the trail doesn’t make it that far, but we’ll get to that.
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Tags: aug09 idaho trip, goat lake, lakes, mountain vistas, reflections, sawtooth mountains, sawtooth wilderness, Snow, trees, water
Just a couple of photos from yesterday afternoon’s romp in Zilker Park, including some time beside the Barton Springs pool spillway. Chisos played with the other dogs, splashed around in the water chasing tennis balls, and even went swimming.
Chisos Goes Swimming, TX09-0705-0040J, Austin, Texas | Chisos Wading in Barton Creek, TX09-0705-0041J, Austin, Texas | ©2009 Jeff Blaylock
Tags: barton creek, creeks, jeff's dog chisos, reflections, water
June 30th, 2009 | in
Photo Post,
Travels |
1 comment Two days ago, I hiked more than 13 miles in a loop from the Bear Lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. Part of that hike took me deep into Loch Vale, one of several spectacular gorges falling east from the Continental Divide.
Here are photos of the Loch, the largest lake in this particular gorge, which sits at 10,190 feet above sea level. Clouds were streaming over the Divide, reflecting in the sometimes still, sometimes churning waters. Thatchtop is the hulking mass along the left shoreline, and The Sharkstooth is the jagged peak on the right (The vertical photo shows it better.).
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Tags: alpine vistas, cirques, clouds, jun09 colorado trip, lakes, loch vale, pine trees, reflections, rocky mountain national park, Snow, the loch, timberline falls, water, waterfalls
