Friday August 1, 22.2mi/35.7km
Marsh Creek Camp (291.0/6480ft) to Nip and Tuck hilltop (268.8/6450ft) (ID)
Because I got to camp so early yesterday, I actually fell asleep at sunset and got like 10 hours of sleep. It was a quiet little camp spot and it rained a little bit overnight.
Within a half mile I passed the big orange sign that meant I was leaving the Frank Church Wilderness.
The massive Frank Church Wilderness is like 2.3 million acres, and despite its reputation for being difficult, I thought it wasn’t that bad. And definitely easier than the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The rest of the morning was on the same Forest service Road.
I passed by the very upper part of Marsh Creek, it’s tiny up here by the headwaters.
For a mile I hiked a private ranch, with this cool zigzag fence.
About halfway through the morning I got my first look at the Sawtooth mountains!
Even through the morning haze/ mist, they looked pretty impressive and rocky. And there were more little markers today for the Idaho Centennial Trail. It’s kinda funny that I only see them on roads.
Eventually the forest service road ended and I had to hike on a paved highway for about half a mile, which had a little roadside interpretive sign for the Sawtooth National Recreation area.
There is also a Sawtooth Wilderness, which is not the same as the National Recreation area, though they are contiguous. All day was walking on dirt roads, farm tracks, and gravel roads.
Eventually the haze cleared and I got a better view of the Sawtooths.
They really are huge mountains, I can’t wait to get in there and go explore. It was an easy day of hiking, flat and fast, but I was still thankful for the clouds. Much of the hiking was through farm pastures which would be shadeless and hot otherwise.
That’s probably the best portrait that horse will ever have.
There was nothing super special about today, just pleasant scenery and easy hiking.
Just a couple miles before the end of the day, I got my best view of the Sawtooths yet.
As I got closer to the town of Stanley, some of the dirt roads became larger, and they started naming them. The last one was called Nip and Tuck Road, ha! I followed that road for a couple of miles, and just before leaving it, grabbed some water from the nearby creek. Then it was a quick half mile up a small hill to my camp spot overlooking town.
It was a surprisingly scenic camp spot for being only a mile from a town. Tomorrow I’ll get up at my usual 6am and be in town in time for 7am breakfast.