SAWTOOTH WILDERNESS AREA, IDAHO
You guys ... Idaho is GORGEOUS!!
Wait until you see the pics of Goat Lake & Goat Falls I'm about to show you! It's located about 1.5 hours north of Ketchum, ID, in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area, just west and south of Stanley, ID. The Sawtooth Range is part of the Rocky Mountains and is named for its jagged peaks. And oh my gosh, the entire drive from Ketchum to Stanley is INSANE!
When I pulled off Route 21 to head south to the trailhead, this is what I saw. Incredible.
I got to the trailhead and I was the third car there, which surprised me because 8:00 am isn't exactly early to start hiking. There was a couple in the parking lot loading actual SNOW SKIS and boots into their backpacks. I told them I felt grossly unprepared for this hike if they were taking skis. They assured me they were hiking up to some peaks beyond Goat Lake. I was glad to hear it.
The first part of the hike was relatively flat, following a winding stream through a forest of pine trees, with glimpses of the Sawtooth Mountains slipping in and out of site behind the trees. The dirt trail was cushioned with pine needles and I had it all to myself. The weather was high 50's. The sun was shining. It was a perfect day.
Here are some pics of those Sawtooth Mountains in the distance.
Just over a mile in, I came to a stream crossing. Most of the time, you can find a narrow part of the stream with rocks sticking out of the water to serve as little stepping stones. Not this one! This one had logs across the water. I did a little investigating to figure out the best way to cross. Certainly not any of these logs! :)
Also, I know the water is green which makes you immediately think gross. But it was actually crystal clear. You can see all the logs and rocks underneath the water and it looked to be a good 4' to 6' deep. In other words, if you fall in, it's going to be a long cold walk, straight back to the car, do not pass go.
In the pic below, you can see the trail on the other side of the water. And see that log in front of the uprooted tree roots that ends right at the trail on the other side? That's where you cross. Just to add to the excitement, the water is probably 3' deep under that log AND the log moves when you step on it. I found a couple branches nearby tall enough to serve as walking sticks to help me keep my balance. I'm sure other people are far more sure-footed and confident than I was, but at least I made it across without getting wet.
The hike continued with a gradual ascent and kept getting closer to the mountains.
This particular hike is classified as difficult, but wasn't physically demanding. It was, however, technically demanding. With a good mile to go, that trail blanketed in pine needles turned into a bucket of rocks turned upside down.
Here's part of the trail. You don't see it? I couldn't either. But this is how you get to the top. The stream is still to the left, except now you can hear a waterfall roaring somewhere in the distance.
Do you see my shadow in the lower right hand corner of the photo above? This gives you a good idea of just how HUGE these rocks are.
And now, we are So. Close. to the top. See that line of pines across the ridge? The lake is just beyond that ridge. But I have no idea how to get there. My AllTrails app is telling me I need to cross this stream and go up and to the left of the stream to get to the lake. But wow. There is a LOT of snow covering those rocks.
The reason I am so hesitant to even go near that snow is because, a couple weeks ago, I had brunch with Kim's dad, Calvin, in Salt Lake City, and thank goodness I did! He told me about a time he was hiking in spring snow and hit a soft spot. His foot sunk so far down, the snow was up to his thigh. And under the snow? Piles of jagged rocks, just like the ones in the pics I'm showing you here. He realized how dangerously close he had come to twisting or breaking an ankle, or worse yet, getting his foot stuck in something.
And to top it off, there was also a stream of water running around and under all the rocks you can see in these pics. I made up my mind I was not going to step even a single toe on the snow. All dry ground, ahem, dry rock for me.
I am about a quarter mile away from the lake at this point and I have no idea how I'm going to get there, but I refuse to turn around!
Even though AllTrails was leading me through the snowiest side of the stream, I decided to give it a go, thinking maybe I'll come across a trail on the other side that I can't see from here. Here's the view from the other side. MORE SNOW!
I tried picking my way up a little further. More snow, but at least I got this pretty cool shot:
Back down and across the stream I go, and then up the other side where there is very little snow, but huge rocks to scale. I took this pic just to show you how big these rocks are.
And finally I made it up to the ridge. See that water in the center of the photo? That's the stream I had to cross twice.
And then ... I saw the lake. Oh my gosh.
Usually when I make it to the destination, I snap a couple pics, soak it up, and head back. But this time, I made my way across those boulders and spent a good twenty minutes perched on a rock, just basking in the perfect day. I ate an apple. Drank some water.
If you know me well, you know that logic trumps emotion in a lot of what I do. That I'm not much of a crier and not overly sentimental. But today, as I sat in awe of the incredible view before me, I suddenly teared up. I thought, here I am, a farm kid from South Dakota, who somehow made a series of life decisions that led me here, to this very spot. That I've spent the last few months seeing and doing things I didn't even know existed a year ago, experiences I couldn't have even imagined as a kid. I'm not sure why I have been so blessed, but I am humbled and overwhelmed at how much of His creation the Good Lord has allowed me to experience.
It was time to head back. I grabbed my backpack and as I crested the ridge to head back down, I ran into that couple I had seen in the parking lot that morning - the ones with the skis! They were planning to hike up that mountain I had just spent the last 20 minutes staring at, and ski down it. I thought that was a *terrible* idea. They were pretty sure they wouldn't ski into the lake. Maybe I should have watched the news that night ...
Ok, just when you thought I was done with this blog post, nope. I have a couple more shots for you of the hike back down. I seriously can't get enough of this place. Idaho!!! Why have you been such a secret?!
Love this photo below. See the little lake at the foot of the mountains?
Ok, now I'm done with pics from this hike. :)
Oh, one last thing. Remember how I mentioned the empty parking lot when I arrived and how I had the entire trail to myself? Well, on the way back, I passed *dozens* of people hiking in and when I got to my car, I could barely get out of the lot because there was a car jammed into every conceivable place a car could possibly park. I totally lucked out on my timing. It truly was a perfect day.
Total miles = 8.5
Total elevation gain = 1,945'
Peak elevation = 8,227'