Once again I am sitting by the Salmon River. It is mid-morning and the sun is shining
through the fir tree above me. I am
enjoying the sound of the river and the birds singing. After two full days here it is time to pack
up and go home. I’m not sure that I am
ready.
On our first day here we stopped at the ranger station to check on
trail conditions and the status of the large fire to the west which is creating
smoky conditions in the Sawtooths. We
decided to drive to the 4th of July Trailhead in the White Clouds, a
place we had been about 30 years ago.
The terrain had changed; there had been a fire through the area several
years ago and now bare, dead lodge pole pines stood watch over small new trees and
a variety of colorful wildflowers.
After a quick lunch in the parking area we hit the trail which was
mostly uphill. I was thankful for my
boots because this is a very rocky area.
We crossed the creek a number of times.
Most of the crossings were easy –at first a bridge and later on a few
good rocks. The only challenge offered a
choice of a log or rocks. Bob chose the
rocks; the pointy ones required that you keep moving. The log was not even and required careful
footing but I was able to stop and calculate my next step. My favorite part of the hike was the
beautiful wildflowers. I stopped many
times to take pictures. 4th
of July Lake itself is not so impressive; the peaks behind it are what make it
a pretty spot. We decided to go a bit
further up to the ridge. We stopped at a
tiny unnamed lake which had large patches of snow above the opposite
shore. The view was worth the extra
climb. Later we realized we had been
near 10,000 feet elevation. No wonder I
was a bit out of breath! We hiked about
5 miles total. We managed to return to
our camp before too late. Bob was really
looking forward to the dutch oven chicken.
Yesterday we headed down the highway in the same direction although we
didn’t get as early of a start as planned.
We were tired—we’re not as young as we used to be. It was disappointing to see the Sawtooths covered
in a smoky haze. We stopped at the
Redfish Lake Visitor Center and happened to catch an open house, complete with
champagne and scones, for the display of art of the Sawtooth area. They had both photography and paintings,
including a couple by a church friend.
After a conversation with the hostess, we drove over to the day area and
ate our lunch by the lake, using rocks as stools. Now well into the afternoon, we drove over to
the lodge and caught the shuttle boat over to the Redfish Lake inlet. It was nearly 3:00 p.m. and we needed to be
back by 5:00 p.m. to catch the shuttle.
I filled out a permit at a box at the trailhead and we walked into the
wilderness.
I had never been in this area before and I was eager to get a closer
view of the peaks I had seen from a distance for many years. Of course this was uphill again, although not
as high as the day before. At first the peaks
were blocked by thick stands of trees.
The stream was running high and loudly made its way over rocks and
fallen trees. I stepped off the trail
for my first photo. The higher we hiked the more chances I had to glimpse the tall peaks between the trees. Although the climb was tiring, I rounded each
bend in the trail eager to see what was around the corner. I took lots of photos. As the time grew closer to when we needed to
turn around, Bob encouraged me to go a bit further. He ended up sitting and waiting for me—he is
10 years older than me. It was worth the
extra push. I came to an opening where
the trail leveled out and the mountain peaks could be seen on both sides of me. Beautiful flowers of all colors popped up
between the rocks. Breathtaking.
It was time to turn around. We
arrived a bit early but had to wait for a second shuttle because there were so
many people. Once back on the other
shore, Bob wanted a beer while I just wanted ice cream. We sat and enjoyed these at a picnic table
while watching families on the beach play.
A blue grass band was setting up on the lawn in front of the lodge so we
spread out our blanket among many other people and listened to the music for a
while. Once back at camp it was time for
a dinner of hot dogs (roasted over the fire on skewers), baked beans, broccoli,
and dutch oven berry cobbler. Our
sleeping bags and air beds felt good last night.
It’s about time to pack up the car and return to the complexities of the
world. Life is so simple here. I guess that’s why it’s so refreshing.
Written on 7/20/2014
