08/10/07 Hiking Baker Lake Trail (2.6 miles round trip):
Just a walk in the woods up to a pretty lake. The book claims 900 feet in 1.3 miles. Miles felt right but the elevation seemed a little less. A fair number of people on this short hike, mainly a couple of larger groups.
The lake is maybe 2 acres with a tall, good looking peak rising out of the lake. A smaller wall on one side of the peak and crumbled boulders on the other. The rest of the lake is tall pine trees.
08/11/07 Hiking Prairie Creek Loop (10 miles round trip):
Temperature down in the 40's the last few nights. Been climbing up in the 70's during the day though. Still no mosquitoes.
The first 2 miles are mostly flat with a downward bias. A couple of decent views of cliffs and peaks above the trees. 1 hour to get to the Miner Lake Junction. I took this route because it sounded steeper and I'd just as soon get 'steep' out of the way early. 400 feet in .4 miles and then another 400 in .4 miles after a flat stretch.
Another hour to get to the top of all that and to come out at the bottom of a large cirque. 15-20 minutes to Miner Lake. 2-3 acres backed by real rough looking walls to the north, east and west. Lots of twisted driftwood along the shores.
sign said .2 miles to Prairie Lakes. Book said .7 miles. Book also talked about Prairie Lake (singular) when I thought it should have been saying Miner Lake. I went down the specified 1/2 miles and dropped a couple of hundred feet I didn't think I should have with more to go without seeing sign of any more lakes so I turned back. A local had passed me on the way up to Miner Lake earlier and I was surprised to see him coming back down again. When I asked why he didn't do the loop he said he didn't have the stamina. All these things had me really confused so I went back the way I came up. I'm too old and feeble to be wandering around in the wilderness without confidence in where I'm going.
08/12/07 Hiking Alice Lake Trail (12 mile round trip):
This one was a keeper. The rises 1600 feet in 6 miles, most of it in mile 4 and 5.
It's 1.2 miles along the shores of Pettit Lake to the Sawtooth Wilderness boundary. Lake Pettit is about 1.5 miles long and appears to have camp sites on the far side as there were a fair number of power boats over there on this Sunday morning. Even with the boats out there, the far end of the lake is really pretty with huge walls rising up behind it and off to the left another sharply pointed peak.
You have to get a day hike or overnight permit at the boundary. I filled everything out except name and address. I certainly didn't want that information laying around a head with all the identity theft going on. I filled in my license plate number instead. They can look that up if they really want to know who I am.
Once in the wilderness these huge granite walls and peaks rise up behind the huge Douglas firs. Sometimes obscured by the trees, sometimes poking out above them and sometimes a nice gap in the trees for a good view. Passed a nice cascading waterfall roaring along 50 feet down in a gorge. Passed what was probably a pair of grouse, really dumb birds because they just looked at me as I went by without moving.
The first 3 miles or so from the head is mostly flat with a somewhat downward bias. At 3 miles the starts up switchbacks to a pass between the big granite wall and another peak and gains 1000 feet from the head. It levels off as it goes into some trees and surprisingly the big granite wall curves around and continues to follow the .
Another easier set of switchbacks eats up the remaining 600 feet as the makes several stream crossings, all of them rock hops this late in the season. And then there is a lake, a pond or something. It was gorgeous and I thought it was Alice Lake but no, it was only a pond flowing out of Alice Lake.
The granite wall was tucked away behind the trees out of sight. On the far side of the pond is El Capitan. Nope, we're not in Yosemite... this is a different one but quite impressive as it towers above everything. A mile or two beyond the lake are a range of peaks that could well have inspired the name Sawtooth Mountains. A small island with a couple trees just added spice to an already perfect picture.
I just plopped down right there and had lunch. Once done, I headed up the in search of Twin Lakes which I thought might be 1/2 mile or so ahead. Instead, I found another pond and beyond that... Alice Lake, maybe 3-4 acres in size... with same El Capitan and the same jagged peaks.
08/15/07 Hiking 4th of July Lake/Born Lakes Trails (8 miles round trip):
I didn't realize this went from 8800 feet to almost 10000 feet, then drops 500 feet which have to be regained on the way back.
It's 1.25 miles to 4th of July Lake most of it at a moderate incline. 10 percent of the way is burn area, not all at once but some here, some there. Nothing much to see on the way, just a walk in the woods.
At a junction turn right for 100 yards to 4th of July Lake. The views are nice but to the east so the sun pretty much screws up any pictures you might want to take in the morning. The to Washington Lake continues in that direction.
Turning left at the junction, the climbs sharply, 300 feet in .3 miles more or less right up the ridge. It then levels off a little and follows along below the ridge line still climbing at a fair rate another couple hundred feet in .5 miles. Then it climbs up on top of the ridge and presents great views in 3 directions.
It also shows the diving down into Ants Basin 500 feet below. I watched a group go down that steep slope and they had a fair amount of trouble keeping their footing in the loose dirt/pebbles. I would have gone 500 feet higher but not down and then up 500 feet later on so I just enjoyed the scenery and turned back.
08/16/07 Hiking Sawtooth Lake Trail (10 miles round trip):
Here's another keeper. The rises 1700 feet in 5 miles, most of it in the last two miles.
This hike is into the Sawtooth Wilderness and requires a free permit, available at the head. A one mile flat walk through the woods to the wilderness boundary. Another 3/4 miles to the Stanley Lake junction at 7400 feet, a rise of 700 feet from the head's 6700 feet.
Two towering peaks can be seen through the trees on the left much of the way. Soon, huge monstrous walls and peaks appear on the right. These are seen through and over the trees and are really impressive. After a short, steep climb, the levels off to a nice easy climb up some gentle switchbacks.
I crossed a creek at 7500 feet at 9:30am, 1.5 hours into the hike. This is the beginning of the switchbacks for the last 900 feet in the next 2 miles all of it moderate. Halfway up the switchbacks is the junction to Alpine Lake. This lake is worth the effort by itself with more towering walls. In fact, the leads up over a crest to the right of this peak. I caught the lake on the way back and missed the better sunlight for photographs.
As I climbed higher the walls I'd only seen through and over the trees could be seen without interruption. What a sight. Alpine Lake could also be seen below and I got a couple of good photos on the way up.
A lake appears as soon as the switchbacks are finished at 8400 feet and 3 hours into the hike. Really pretty with twin peaks beyond it. Didn't fool me though. I was pretty sure this wasn't Sawtooth Lake. There just seemed to be something more at the base of those twin peaks... and sure enough, after a break I found Sawtooth Lake a few hundred feet farther on.
With the same two peaks in the background and other walls towering above it it was quite a sight.