Saturday June 28, 16.0mi/25.8km
Upper Priest Falls (995.6/3280ft) to Big Cedar Camp (981.8/2630ft) (ID) + 2.2mi approach trail
I was awake at 6am like usual, got a shower and some breakfast I had bought the night before. My packing routine was a little different, as I now had to deal with a bear canister and bear spray. Ideally I would have my urSack, but it’s locked away in my van. So I bought a cheap used bearVault off Facebook Marketplace in Spokane. I had been texting with Matt the night before, and we had settled on an 8am pickup time at my motel. The first hour of the drive was on normal paved roads, and as we headed north the roads dwindled in size, until eventually it was just a dirt road.
Matt hiked the ICT in 2021 together with his spouse, and was so entertaining to talk with during the drive. We mostly discussed hiking things, but at one point the topic of mental health came up and Matt shared with me their non-profit organisation, Ethan Murray Fund. I think it’s awesome they’re helping teens with access to mental health services. Mental health is a topic that our society doesn’t place enough emphasis on, or give enough resources to. Before I knew it, the 3 hours flew by and we were at the trailhead!
We took a photo together before I started off down the trail.
To get to the Northern Terminus I had to hike just over 2 miles on a spur trail. I descended into a very verdant valley.
It was clearly a popular trail as it had many well-built bridges.
I got to follow the Upper Priest River for half a mile, enjoying the sounds of the brook.
Everything was so mossy and green. It felt like such a different world compared to Nevada.
Pretty quickly I was at Upper Priest Falls, which is the Northern Terminus.
I happened to have the good timing to arrive at the same time as two ladies out for a long day hike. Christy grabbed a starting photo for me, thanks!
And then we took a photo together, because why not?
After a long lunch, I started hiking south from the falls, so now these counted as real miles. I loved the mature cedar forest with all the ferns on the ground.
After a couple miles, I inexplicably came by a random bench in the middle of nowhere.
The green forest continued for the whole afternoon.
I could tell it was probably a hot day, but in this dense ancient forest, it felt quite cool.
By 5pm I had finished hiking the Upper Priest River Trail, and had about an hour of roadwalking to connect to the next trail.
Christy passed me on the road as they were driving home, and gave me a nice cold seltzer. Thanks! (And sorry if I spelled your name wrong).
When I arrived at the trailhead for the Upper Priest Lake Trail, I entered an amazing open cedar forest. It was a little after 6pm and it looked like the perfect camping spot.
What a great first day on the Idaho Centennial Trail! I love that the Hot Springs Trail basically uses the ICT as its route through Idaho.