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August 26 – September 8, 2019 Jason’s Guilty Pleasure If Jason could have a guilty pleasure, a hobby he could indulge in without concerning himself with cost, it would be owning a classic car. His favorites are muscle cars (Chevelle, Barracuda, and Charger) from the late 60’s through early 70’s. I think his heart goes …
Pair of lovely mountain lakes without the typical Sawtooth crowds Distance: 8.0 miles round trip Type: out and back Difficulty: moderate with 1,800′ elevation gain Note the trail to Upper Cabin Creek Lake is not an official maintained route. Footing is over steep and rocky terrain. Hike at your own risk. Best time of year: …
Peaceful mountain stream and meadows with jagged Sawtooth peaks Distance: 4.5 miles roundtrip Type: out and back Difficulty: easy with little elevation change Best season: summer and fall In September 2018, we returned to Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains for a week of day hiking and backpacking. The big ticket item for this trip was a four …
The final day of our September 2018 Sawtooth Wilderness backpack (click here for day 1, here for day 2, and here for day 3) and man was it a cold one! We woke up to 26 degrees, our coldest morning of the pack. The sky dawned clear and it was going to be another beautifully …
Day three of our September 2018 Sawtooth Wilderness backpack (click here for day 1 and here for day 2). As usual, we were up early and were able to enjoy some star gazing while we had our coffee. The thing about backpacking in September is you really notice that the days are getting shorter! It …
Day two of our September 2018 Sawtooth Wilderness backpack (click here for day one). We rolled out of the tent at 6:30. It was still dark, but we could see faint light on the horizon. We had anticipated temperatures in the 20’s, so we were happy to see a balmy 30 degrees. We had coffee and …
Stunning lakes with towering mountain peaks on this Sawtooth Wilderness backpack Distance: 26.5 miles roundtrip plus boat shuttle Type: Y shaped out and back Difficulty: moderate with 4,400′ elevation gain Best season: July – September Nothing beats Idaho’s Sawtooth Wilderness in September. The bulk of the tourists have moved on, bugs are gone, fall colors …
Lovely pair of high mountain lakes in Idaho’s Smoky Mountains Distance: 10.8 miles roundtrip Type: lollipop Difficulty: moderately difficult with 1,600′ elevation gain (the section up to Miner Lake is relatively steep and rocky with blow downs to navigate over) Best season: summer and early fall Miner Lake, Smoky Mountains Day two of our Labor …
Pretty stream and impressive views in the new Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness Distance: 8.0 miles roundtrip Type: out and back Difficulty: moderate with 1,100′ elevation gain Best season: summer and fall (I suspect the wildflowers are spectacular in July) Smoky Septembers seem to be the new normal in the Pacific Northwest. Even when our area isn’t having …
Ambitious day hike to a rugged and beautiful high mountain lake in the newly designated White Cloud Wilderness. Distance: 13.0 miles round trip (including exploration at the lake) Difficulty: difficult with ~2,700′ elevation gain over rocky trail Best season: August and September It had been a wonderful vacation in Idaho’s Sawtooth and White Cloud Wilderness …