Sawtooth Mountain Vacation
Redfish lake in the early morning - beautiful light and no people
2018 had been a very busy travel year for us, so in 2019 we were taking it a little bit easier. To be honest it was more than just a change of pace. Both Sandy and I were nursing minor injuries. Sandy's foot was bothering her while I was having knee problems. In addition I had a nasty wound on my knee from a freeze burn that took about six weeks to heal. (It's a long story. The short version is - I did something really dumb.) Rather than push it we decided to cut down on our summer trips, which usually involve a lot of hiking. But while we were staying home most of the summer, we did decide to do one trip - to Redfish Lake. It's close by and every year we say we are going to do it, but somehow we never seem to get around to it. This year we did. Since we knew the area well we would know exactly what was involved in any hiking that we did. Our plan was that the trip would be more relaxed rather than hard core.
Hiking beside Hell Roaring Creek
Even planning ahead, we found that Redfish Lake Lodge was booked up well in advance. In the middle of the week we could only get one night at the lodge. It worked out ok because I was able to book two more nights at the Stanley High Country Inn, a sister property in the town of Stanley. Then all we had to do was line up a dog sitter for Abby. With all the arrangements made we were set to go.
When the time for our trip came we took our time getting going and driving up to Stanley. We didn't plan to do anything special. We checked into the lodge and then spent the afternoon wandering around the lodge, marina and lake area. The beach in front of the lodge was jammed with people, which was typical for a summer afternoon. Lots of families were there, some with blankets and tents and other stuff set up - clearly making a day of it at the beach. That's never really been what Sandy and I do when we go to the Sawtooths. We prefer to hit the trail and leave most of the crowds behind.
Hell Roaring Lake and the Finger of Fate
For dinner we just ate at the outdoor grill on the patio. There is also a restaurant inside amd years ago we used to really enjoy coming back from a hike and having a big Redfish burger in the rustic dining room. But now they have gone upscale and feature "Limbert's by Redfish Lake Lodge". They serve items like Thai style curry lamb and fancy salads that just seem incongruous in a wilderness lodge setting. You even need to make dinner reservations. It's a bit too yuppie for us. I half wonder if they check your REI card before they seat you and have a strict Royal Robbins and Patagonia dress code.
The next day was bright and sunny. Redfish Lake was beautiful in the early morning light. And it was quiet and peaceful - there were no people out yet. After breakfast at the lodge we checked out and were ready to try at least a moderate hike. We picked Hell Roaring Lake as our destination, only eight miles round trip and twelve hundred feet of elevation gain. When we parked at the trailhead we were the only car there, which was a good sign.
Trying to coax the dog across the log over the outlet
The hike up to the lake was pleasant. The trail climbed gradually to the lake without any big, steep hills. Part of the way it followed Hell Roaring Creek. While the name may be a bit of an exageration, there was a lot of water in the stream and a long series of pretty cascades.
When we reached Hell Roaring Lake there was a beautiful view looking across the water to the Sawtooth crest, where Mt. Sevy and the unusual rock formation known as the Arrowhead stood out. Lower but very prominent was an incredible rock tower, appropriately named the Finger of Fate. Back in my climbing days I spent a lot of time exploring on the other side of the lake, looking for a good approach to try to climb the Finger. Although it looks extremely difficult, back then there were lots of rumors that it had a surprisingly easy route that was only fourth class. I never found it though and I don't think it exists. Modern climbing guides list the easiest route as 5.7.
On the hike out Sandy was the only one smiling
We had a little entertainment watching a party of backpackers as they crossed the outlet stream. There is a large log so it's no problem to get across, at least not for a human. But these people had a big labrador retriever with them. I'm sure the lab would have had no trouble wading across the stream. When I did this hike with Abby, she made it across the outlet stream just fine. But this was a group of backpackers and their dog was carrying his own pack. They obviously didn't want it to get wet so instead of letting the dog cross the the water on his own, they made him cross on the log. And he obviously did not want to use the log. It took a long time and a lot of cajoling before the dog finally made it across. Personally I think you gotta let a lab be a lab.
The hike back didn't go so well. I had new boots - a pair of Oboz. I have worn Merril's for many years but switched based on Sandy's experience. She has had several pairs of Oboz and loves them, and she is much fussier about boots than I am. I wore them once this spring on a trip to Canyonlands National Park and had a major problem. My right heel got a terrible blister and was completely shredded by the end of my first hike. They were expensive boots though and I didn't want to just toss them. When my foot had finally healed, I experimented with them on shorter walks at home, with different socks, and they seemed to be fine. I decided that I had broken them in and I wouldn't have any more problems.
View of the Sawtooths from the hill above Stanley
Boy was I wrong. It turned into quite an ordeal on the hike out. As an old experienced hiker I should have had moleskin with me but it's been so long since I had a blister problem that I stopped carrying it a long time ago. By the end of the hike it was pretty bad. My right heel was completely ripped up again. Sandy's foot was bothering her too so we both ended up hobbling the last bit to the car. Hey, at least it kept my mind off of my knee.
After the hike we drove to our hotel, the Stanley High Country Inn. This was the first time that we stayed there and it was really nice. It's quite new and we had a large room with a nice patio in back. Since it was in town the view wasn't as nice as at Redfish Lake, but at least we only had to hobble a few steps to Papa Brunee's for dinner. It's Abby's favorite pizza place because they allow dogs on their patio. When we got home we didn't tell her that we went there without her.
Dinner at the Bridge Street Grill
The next day we were a pretty sorry bunch, both of us limping around but especially me. We did take a short hike up the hill behind the hotel. From there we had a nice view of the Sawtooths. We decided that would have to be good enough because we weren't doing an ambitious hike that day. We used our standard fall back - shopping. I got a chance to check out the tshirts at Redfish Lake Lodge and in Stanley, which has not one but two gift shops where I could look for tshirts.
For dinner we went to one of my favorite places - the Bridge Street Grill in Lower Stanley. I really like eating on their patio, next to the Salmon River with a beautiful view of the Sawtooths behind. Oddly enough Sandy had never been there so I was anxious to take her there. They had even improved things a little. When I had been there before, they just had some picnic benches out on the patio. Now they had built several real booths. We enjoyed our dinner. The food was good and the view was awesome.
That was about it. The next day we drove back to Boise. A fun trip but I felt badly that I was walking wounded by the time we got home.
