Sawtooth Mountains; Backpacking, Flora and Fauna

My daughter Vanessa and I and our friend Steph recently spent four days backpacking in the Sawtooth Wilderness area here in Idaho.

There was the usual gorgeous scenery;

















But being a gardener I was equally impressed with all the beautiful wildflowers. We had timed our trip well for viewing the flora.

Look at this breathtaking Little Pipsissewa which was quietly posed beside our first campsite:














According to my wildflower guide book; "The genus name, from the Greek cheima ("winter") and philos ("loving"), refers to the evergreen nature of the plant. The common name Pipsissewa is believed to be derived from the Cree Indian word pipisisikweu, meaning "it breaks it into small pieces;" the plant was once used in preparations for breaking up kidney stones or gallstones."









A less friendly plant is the Elegant Camas;









Still lovely, but according to my guidebook; "Camases are among the most infamous western plants, poisoning many livestock, especially sheep. Indians and early settlers were also poisoned whenever they mistook the bulbs for those of edible species, such as the Camas Lily."














I didn't haul up my wildflower guidebook, I had enough to carry, but I was pretty sure this was heather when I saw it.



I believe it is Pink Mountain Heather which has a range from Alaska to northern California, Idaho and Colorado.

















I just love what I've always referred to as "Indian Paintbrush." This one must be Giant Red Paintbrush as opposed to Desert Paintbrush. It was everywhere and so gorgeous.








In this field of flowers you can see Sulfur Paintbrush also. From the guidebook; "Most Indian Paintbrushes are bright red; this is one of the few yellow ones. The large genus is found primarily in western North America."



















Sulphur Flower (Eriogonum umbellatum) from the Buckwheat Family.


























Hooded Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana) from the Orchid Family.

























Probably Sticky Aster (Machaeranthera bigelovii) from the Sunflower Family.
















I was constantly tempted to stop, kneel down, and take wildflower photos which is really very difficult with a pack on your back. Luckily I only fell down once as I was attempting this maneuver. But really, how could I resist?







We did manage to see a bit of "fauna" but not much;

























Vanessa and I, standing on top of a waterfall.
(Our packs are covered with ponchos because of the many thunderstorms we encountered.)







It was a good trip but it's always nice to be back home with toilets, electricity, running water and a real bed.

Here is a video of our backpacking trip. Warning - it's about 20 minutes long, but I wanted to post it for those who may be interested.

Click To Play

Sawtooth Trip

Steph and I returned from our trip to the Sawtooths last night.
View pics of our trip here.
We spent four days and three nights backpacking. It was quite a trip.

Per Wikipedia, "The Sawtooth wilderness is considered by the EPA to have the best air quality in the lower 48 states. Wilderness areas do not allow motorized or mechanical equipment including bicycles. Although camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging or mining."

What that means is, once you're in there, you can't change your mind and get in your car and go home. You can't buy a pepsi, or use a toilet. There is no running water and the water you drink needs to go through a filter first. If you break a leg you will probably spend days getting to a hospital. If you see a bear you hope it will run away first.

The good stuff; quiet. Beauty. Peace. Breathtaking scenery. And the confidence and pride that comes with packing everything you need on your back and carrying it up and down steep mountain trails.

What we learned and/or remembered; walking poles are very nice to have as they help with balance, wetting a kerchief in a cold mountain stream and tying it around your neck really cools you off, walking straight and tall takes the strain of the pack off your back and onto your legs where it belongs, and good hiking boots and socks are essential.

The highest lake we climbed to had an elevation of 8455 ft. (In comparison, the closet town, Stanley, has an elevation of 6260 ft, and Boise is 2842 ft.) So yeah, we did a LOT of climbing.

I'm so happy Steph invited me along. And even though the first day's entry in my journal says, "Arrived at Toxaway Lake around 8PM. Exhausted. Sore. Too sore to make dinner. Chilly. Grueling day. We promise not to do the same tomorrow", I would, in fact, go backpacking again.

Gone Hiking

My friend Steph and I will be hiking in the Sawtooth Wilderness area for a few days. (Kim may or may not post something while I'm gone.) This will be my first overnight backpacking trip. I'm excited and a bit nervous. After all, I'm 52 years old and just in OK shape.



All this stuff....



has to fit in here....



Total weight; around 40-45lbs. Not too bad. And it will get lighter the more we eat! I've camped all my life, but never backpacked into a wilderness area. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll be taking my new trusty little camera so I should be able to post plenty of pictures when we return. See you in a couple of days.....