Sawtooths Backpacking - July 2012

[Shan]

My fiance and I did a nice little 3 day backpacking trip through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and used Pioneer Day (an official holiday at our work) to make a long weekend out of it.

We put a car at Pettit Lake and paid Sawtooth Transportation ($95 ouch!) to take us, our packs and our dog to Redfish Lake Lodge. We had breakfast at the Lodge (Sunday), the dog hung out under the trees, then we all loaded up on a boat to head to the trail head on the other side of the lake. $10/pp for a boat ride and I think my dog was free.

We went to Cramer Lakes, over a pass, to Hidden Lake, passed Edna Lake, over Sandman Pass, to Toxaway Lake and down to Pettit Lake. We had fabulous weather, didn't really get cold at night, mosquitoes were not too bad, but we did use head nets when lounging around at camp. The dog went in the tent to sleep and escape the skeeters.





Start of the trip!


Only a couple creek crossings:


Middle Cramer Lake


This is Idaho!


Camp #1


My 8 year old dog did so great. She was pretty tuckered after each day and a little gimpy, but the by the morning she was like a puppy running all around and sniffing. She rarely ate thought. Maybe 1/2 cup of food per day! It was a little worrisome. She carried all her own food too. (Dogs have to be on leash during a certain time period. I'll admit we leashed her only when we saw people coming down the trail.)


Temple peak?


Above treeline, heading to first pass:



Self portrait:


Pink Mountain Heather:


View from top of second pass:



Looking down into valley with White Clouds/Boulder in the horizon:


Toxaway Lake from a great viewpoint:


Well established camp #2 (we found half burned Mountain House meals from AL's in Logan!!! WTH!!!)


Toxaway Lake


Plenty of water for the dog and for us to refill 2 Nalgenes as we needed. We used this 90 second Steripen which was very convenient.


Love this dog



The drainage would have come down (Alice Lakes), but decided we didn't want to do another pass, so we cut 4? miles off the trip and headed to Petitt Lake this way. Would have been 30 miles I think.


Stanley, ID


Pie and Beer Day, Stanley, ID - 7/24!

[accadacca]

Epic report! BEAUTIFUL photography!

[DesertDuke]

Good timing. The place is swimming in smoke right now. It is even over here to the East where I am, 150 miles as the archeopteryx flies.

Nice pics and TR. Go Aggies.

[mtnrunner]

Looks like a great trip. Someday I need to try out the Sawtooths.

[tmartenst]

This looks fantastic!

[Terrell]

I. Need. To go there!

[TJ Sheridan]

Wow, those are some amazing photographs. I've never been to the Sawtooths. Looks like I need to make it happen.

[bobb169]

Nice pics. Was there in 2011 for a nine day traverse. You just missed being smoked out, was in Idaho for some of the fires. Plenty of smoke cover from mid Aug to Oct. Wow....transportation socked you, was $60 for us to go from Redfish to Iron Crk TH......must have been a charge for the dog!?