in Superior, Mt after 3day backpack loop along state line TroutLk- GooseLk

email to family Jul 29 2019 4:55 PM MtTime

Just a brief update now because the library closes at 5 not at 6 as I
had thought.

Left Missoula after a bit of a delay over a "parking ticket" that
wasn't, (just completely manual mode payment system if stay after 6pm)
which did force me back into town but I'll just drop that whole story
for now, except to say that had I known that the town of Superior on
hwy 90 was a "full service" town with library, groceries, post office,
ranger station, I could have avoided getting quite as riled up as I
was.

I did stop at the ranger station in Superior briefly just for
directions to Hoodoo pass (it wasn't clear from my Idaho map book
whether there was even a bridge across the river there.) Indeed there
was, with a truck stop on the other side no less.

Made it on a "high speed gravel" road to the pass (skipping an ICT
trailhead Ill get to next) then a paved road down the Idaho side to
the North Fork Clearwater where it branched into gravel roads. I took
the branch to Kelly creek (skipping another ICT crossing I sampled a
bit of later, and on up to Scurvy Mt which was the first ICT trailhead
I wanted to hike. It coincided with an ATV trail to a lookout on
Scurvy Mt. Overnighted there then hiked to the lookout and then on the
way back a bit more of the actual ICT trail, not jeep road,  which
headed back towards Liz Butte that and the cabin that I had visited
last time I wrote.  In the afternoon I backtracked to Kelly Creek,
hiking along the trail there for a short time during hottest time of
day at low elevation, then moved  on to the trailhead for Fish Lake,
which I was going to do at a loop with Goose Lake being the north end
of the section of ICT along the state line. I stashed my backpack at
the Fish Lake trailhead and overnighted with my car at the Goose Lake
TH.

Next morning I bicycled down the 2mile stretch of road from the Goose
Lake Trailhead to the junction with the road to the Fish Lake
trailhead (also a short 2 miles) hiding my bike shortly up the Fish
Lake road.  Retrieved my backpack and continued to Fish lake,
congested with a lot of ATVers, and up the ridge to the State Line.  I
had planned to drop my pack at a trail junction at the lake and just
waist-pack up to the ridge east of the lake, planning to hike south to
a prominent point before the trail heads down to Kelly Creek, but I
missed that junction and ended up hiking my pack up the ridge,
overnighted there and did a short excursion to a more nearby prominent
point with a faint trail, which had worthy views. Next morning hiked
back down to Fish Lake and found the trail junction, back up the ridge
headed north toward Goose Lake.

Up and down the jagged ridgeline with my pack, and, let's not forget,
spectacular views in both directions with full blooms of flowers as
foreground, got me a bit less far than I had expected, so spent a
second overnight on the ridge, what luck in the warm weather, would
have been much warmer down at the lake.

Sunday morning finished the last two humps on the ridge before getting
down to Moose Lake, resting in some shade by the shallow lake, passing
on the option of stirring up a bunch of sediment to take a swim,
instead, watching a goose gom and her calf wading into the lake on the
opposite side and goseying over to take a closer look at ge, until I
decided to gove gyself to met a better view of them, at which point
they goseyed on back.  Darn, something wrong with my g's and m's when
at the beginning of words. mot to troubleshoot that.

Long trek back to the car from the lake. Triedto find anotehr lookout
on Osier Ridge but took a wrong turn and then got late in the day,
lookedaround the Cedars Campground at the N Fk Clearwater, thinking
I'd get a swim in the next morning, but it was occupied and so I
decided to overnight back at Hoodoo pass. Scoyuted that area for my
next hike, will be back there tonight, do either 2 hikes en both
directions, or anoterh two day backpack loop with some lakes - Heart
lake and all.

out of time.

Missoula

email to family Jul 23 8:39 PM MtTime

ot and humid today while spending just a bit too much time walking
around town, expecting to answer the phone while the phone was on do
not disturb. Don't know why that keeps getting set!  Now I'm giving
myself maybe an hour to write this email (after getting the minimal
location metadata into this batch of photos, and doing some minimal
shopping for fresh foods at a botique downtown grocery store, again
while expecting a phone call.  Still have to do laundry, so can't stay
at the library til 10pm.  Would have liked to get out of town while
still daylight, but that won't happen. Fortunately I see on my road
map just now that there's a rest area on hwy 90 just west of Alberton
maybe 40 miles out of town, so that will work, good. Next destination
is another hour beyond that, back on 10mph jeep roads headed SW from
the hwy.

That seems to be the theme of this trip, subjecting my Zomberoo to
scary rough roads most of the time, with a little hiking interspersed
here and there just for the break.

So last email I was in Grangeville headed for Elk City area. The road
to Elk City is 45mph highway 14 winding along the South Fork
Clearwater. I left that about a 3rd of the way into town onto FR 492,
which goes up the south ridge from the river for 30ish miles (so, 4
hours driving with a few photo stops) to the west Alt ICT passing
through at Sourdough Peak, which has a very picturesque fire lookout
that is on the list of national historic places. I say picturesque
only partly because of its design, but mainly because of its setting,
a meadowey hilltop currently blooming densely, and buzzing with
bumblebees (which is one of my side projects to photograph as a
citizen science project of the Xerces Society - their Pacific NW BB
Mapping project.)  I overnighted there (photographing the sunset from
within the lookout.) Next morning I headed down southwest along the
ICT, hoping maybe to connect with the hike NE I had done from the
Gospel Hump area before Grangeville.  But, somehow I got "turned
around in the woods " in the saddle about midway there, after stopping
for a photo of some fungus...  Surprised to encounter a lookout nearly
identical to the other one...  Debated whether to turn around and try
again, but figured I could move on - the other direction of trail
paralleled the road, and I took that for a few hours, also mostly
wooded rolling ridgetop.  Made it back to the main road with still
plenty to time left to explore a third portion of ICT South of Elk
City on FR 1803 up from the Red River Road, skirting Porters Mt, with
some good views of the surrounding ridges. Most of the area I've been
going through was not recently burned, though some logging activity
(which seems more benign than the burns) is evident.

Overnighted at French Gulch on Red River Road, set to take a short bit
of road to a trailhead that broadly circled Elk City. That, the next
morning turned out to be mostly driveable road where the map shows
trail, but the road did eventually peter out into dense overgrown
brush and trees.  (A ranger I encountered later commented on my
scraped up car finish, noting that I'd been bushwhacking in my car.)

I guess I could have walked more of the trail beyond that point, could
have made it to Anderson Butte that day, but decided I could try
another section of ICT, this one deep in the Frank Church Wilderness
36 miles along the Magruder Corridor (which is the only road that cuts
through that wilderness area, goes all the way into Montana. Like many
of the other of these roads, it started out smooth and broad gravel
highway, but soon turns into steep rocky rutted creek beds.  But I did
make it to my destination at Dry Saddle, in time to hike a portion of
the main ICT (not the western alternate I've been following) to Spread
Peak Point.  This area was recently burned, but as a result offered
near continuous views in all directions across nearby ridges to more
distant still snow-patched moutain ranges, not to mention the lakes at
the bottom of the steep slopes on either side of the ridge I was on.

Next morning,in a crisp cold front (34degrees, one ATVer I passed
said) I hiked a short but steep jeep road North along the ICT to
another lookout, on Burnt Knob, this one at the tip of a jutting
pillar of rock, also looking down on a cluster of lakes, with 360
degree views of the wilderness, to distant mountains, though the
nearby ridges all mostly recently burnt.

Backtracked along the Magruder Corridor road, the zomberoo still
intact but in need of gas, which I got an expensive half tank of in
Elk City, also two forest maps, of the Nez Perce and Bitterroot
forests, deciding I needed road numbers not on the state road map book
to find the ICT.  I hoped to use the library there,too, before hiking
a third section of ICT with road access in the area, but the school
library there it wasn't open Fridays, (nor Thursdays nor Mondays), and
no Cell much less Data service there for my TMobile radio, so I
figured I had just enough time to make it back to the Grangerville
library before it closed at 6pm.   Did that, got my photos copied off
by CF cards and that was all, got more groceries and more gas, headed
north through Kooskia along the Middle Fork Clearwater and then along
the Selway to overnight near Selway Falls, of a next morning hike on
the ICT long Meadow Creek.  That was a very overgrown trail, but
overgrown with ripe salmonberries and blueberries, and blackberries,
and plenty of Bumblebees to photograph for that side project.  Also
ran into a family of fisherman, carrying their fully deployed poles
(and a baby-backpack) somehow without getting snagged in the
overgrowth.  Returned from that,  considered the otehr direction of
ICT up the south-facing slope, but at 2pm decided I'd pass and
approach that section from the other end, from the Lochsa.
Backtracked along to Selway to where it joins the Lochsa to become the
MF Clearwater, and then up the Lochsa to that other end ICT at Split
Creek, with still a few hours of daylight with the weather forecaster
threatening hot weather for the next few days, I hiked the trail which
started out along the Lochsa but then switchbacked up the west facing
ridge above Split Creek. Taking several longish breaks, I turned
around short of my intended Split Creek Point, and overnighted a bit
further along the Locksa at Fish Creek, near the 2nd south-ward ICT
section, this time along the Main ICT, not the Western alt that except
for the Magruder Corridor section, I'd been pursuing.

That hike the next day was a full day hike to Huckleberry Butte, again
a spectacularly picturesque point with rugged Mt peaks backdropping a
meadowy ridgetop in full flower.  Hopscotched three backpackers doing
a loop in that area which included some lakes and a hot springs.  Got
to Huckleberry Butte at 6pm (MDT even though technically PDT there,)
returned just before dark, overnighted across the river at the Sherman
Creek ICT trailhead north of the Lochsa climbing up to the Lolo
Motorway.

The next morning was the chilliest hot spell, a slight drizzle, and I
decided I'd head for the top end of that section instead, which meant
a 25 mile drive along the Lolo Motorway, which turned out to be yet
another rugged jeep trail.  I got to the sign for Sherman Creek just
as I was negotiating a steep section of creek-bed-jeep-trail and just
continued on to the next ICT section to Liz Butte. That was a 2 mile
road (that I could have driven had I known) to a cabin.  Got
drizzled-on enroute. Again my Zomberoo managed to make it all the way
along the Lolo Motorway, just before dark. I had hoped to have time to
find a place along the Lochsa to wash up before dark, but stopped at
some random camp site with signs that said it would be closed for a
few days in August. Good enough.

Looked at the map and saw Colegate Warm Springs a short distance
further up the road, and figured I might have  a chance for a warm
bath the next morning.  Took the nature trail there and it did lead to
some shallow steaming pools, but I ended up bathing in a nice sandy
beach in the Lochsa just below, hoping for a little warmth, but was
freezing brisk, refreshing, before my drive over the pass to Missoula.

And now the library is closing.

In Grangeville today

txt&emails to family Jul 16 2019  MtTimes listed below

9:05am
Tried sending txt but still sending... So not sure if i have cell service. Plan tobe in lbrary when opens at 10 unless im doing laundry or shopping.

10:57am
Turns out Grangeville is Pacific Time. Completed all my chores except picture prpcessing. Will likely head to Elk City area when done at the library later this afternoon. Could carry on an email conversation...

1:53pm
well, I'm done downloading my picts, and may head out earlier than
expected, although I'll wait another half hr at least in case you
respond.

Meanwhile, let me just update you on my whereabouts this past weekend.

I left Boise Friday afternoon heading for McCall area, not sure
whether I would retry the ICT access east of Cascade Lake or head
further up. Ended up passing through McCall at 5:30, just in time for
the Warren Wagon Road that skirts the west side of Payette Lake to
reopen for the weekend - it's closed weekdays for construction. Made
it past Upper Payette Lake overnighting on the access road to
Josephine Lake, just short of the Burgdorf Hot Spring area which the
ICT passes by.

Saturday morning I hiked a piece of ICT at Crystal Mountain (a big
quartz outcrop scarred on all sides by mining attempts, but with good
views of the area. Couldn't find the trail beyond there so continued
north on Burgdorf Rd then FR 318 to the next ICT access around
Marshall Mt, made a side trip up Marshall Mt in the morning, then in
the evening a section of ICT south back toward Crystal Mt, with good
views. In between I had tried continuing in the car along the ICT that
follows the road north, passing through a mining area according to my
road map before heading down to the Salmon River at the Wind River
Bridge and a boat ramp, but the road got very rough and some ATVers
advised I should turn around, which I did, doing the late afternoon
section of ICT instead, and overnighting nearby, to a thunderstorm
that was quite the light show.

Sunday I backtracked west to Burgdorf Rd then north down the extensive
switchbacks on good road to the Salmon River at French Creek, then
east along the river to the Wind River Bridge boat ramp, hiking south
up from the bridge the section of ICT that I had attempted to drive
down. No way I could have driven down that trail that would have been
a challenge for an ATV!   Turned around after about a mile of steep
trail with limited views on a hot morning, and sampled the trail north
of the bridge, a series of switchbacks on hot grassy slope with great
views of the bridge and river, with kayakers and rafters passing by.
When the trail left sight of the river I turned around, driving the
rest of the road upriver to another boat launch, then heading west
down the river to Riggins, stopping for a swim at a river beach near
French Creek.

Got gas in Riggins then headed a bit north then east up Slate Creek rd
overnighting on a saddle just short of the jct with the there paved
Grangeville-Salmon Rd and another ICT access at Rocky Bluff CG.
Monday morning I hiked a few hrs south along the ICT from that
campground, along a mostly wooded ridge with some views west across
small logging clearings, turned around when the trail headed steady
downhill.  Headed north briefly then east on FR 444 which went up a
long steep climb to the ICT access at Sawyer Ridge, but drove on up
into the Gospel Hump Wilderness, skirting a Mt top with spectacular
views south, then around the other side a spectacular overlook of an
alpine lake with steep cliff sides. I'm not sure what the official
geology is of that Mt and lake, probably an accreted island arc,
although my sense of these deep lakes with nearly vertical sides is
that they are the roots of ancient volcanoes. I've seen plenty of
other examples like this, that seem to be too deep to be glacially
carved cirques. Also, it seems the material on the outside slope of
the mt is Andesite or Tuff.

Anyway, it started drizzling and there was a mosquitoey meadow at the
overlook, and too early to overnight there, else I might have, so I
backtracked down to Sawyer Ridge and hiked that section of ICT, making
it to an tree-screened overlook south to the Gospel Hump peaks.  Got
back to the car with still enough time to make it the rest of the way
down the paved road toward Grangeville, though I stopped to overnight
before leaving NF land.  Made it into town about 9am Pacific Time, did
my grocery shopping and laundry, now here at the library, just
finished uploading picts and geolocating them to my track log. For
some reason I've had to time-shift by one hour to match my track logs
to my camera times, even though I've been in Mountain time this past
half year (mysteriously started happening I think after an update to
the BCNAV program on my phone I use.)   Now, I have to update two
hours, my computer realizing it's Pacific time, though my phone still
is set to Mt Time. I guess one of these devices thinks the camera's on
Central Time.  One of these days I'll have to t-shoot that.

Anyway, I think I'll head to Elk City area now, to a few ICT access
points South along hwy 14. The ICT (western Alternate) turns east-west
here, before heading north again. There may also be access via the
main route of the ICT much further east deep in the Frank
Church/Selway/Bitterroot wilderness from Elk City via the Magruder
Corridor Rd, although that may be too rough for my vehicle.   I should
be in the Elk City area for another few days before heading back west
to then take hwy 12 up the Middle Fork Clearwater and a short way up
the Selway to another western alternate ICT access point, then further
up the Lochsa river to access points to the then merged main ICT.  I
had done a little snowshoe walk along the ICT south from the Lochsa
earlier last winter in that Chalis-Missoula-Kooskia-Elk City road trip
I took.

Much of the ICT just north of the Lochsa is inaccessible, I may end
up jumping north to hwy 90 via probably Missoula to access sections
south of that road corridor.

I guess I'll head out now.

I think I'll fwd this msg to Becca as well since she asked me to email
her my travels. Hi Becca!

ul 4th weekend drv scouting ICT east of Cascade Lk,

email excerpt to family Jul 10 2019 5:26pm MtTime

...
I'll just write this detailed account of the weekend mainly as an
excuse to disentangle some of the events in my own mind.  

On july 3rd afternoon I planned to head to the ICT east of Warm Lake 
(east of Cascade,)  specifically, to scout the top end of Sulfur creek that I
had hiked along from Boundary Creek (Middle Fk Salmon) the previous weekend. 
I was at the library most of that morning trying to finish up
renumbering a batch of my scanned negatives, and my back was getting
very stiff, I thought from sitting so long. But when I left I noticed I
was extremely stiff and sore all over and felt feverish. I began to
think I might be passing a kidney stone! I continued anyway but pulled
over into a "gravel pit" clearing just beyond Banks and slept from early evening. Next morning not much change but continued anyway, made a bit beyond Warm Lake and found a good secluded camping spot and slept for the rest of that day
and half the next.  I started taking some antiinflamatory med
(Naproxen) and began feeling a bit better. I drove down the Johnson
Creek road (somehow missing the ICT TH along there that I thought I
might hike from) to Yellow Pine on the East Fork South Fork Salmon,
then west to the confluence with South Fork Salmon, then up S. Fk to
the ICT crossing at Krassel Ranger Station.  Camped nearby and next
morning hiked the 6mile roundtrip up Krassel Knob, feeling still a
little weak but generally OK, had a swim in the river, then continued
south to Poverty Flat Interpretive trail at a spectacular high point
overlooking the river far below, overnighted there, then on Monday
continued past Wark Lake intending to use the library in Cascade, but
got there too early and got caught in gridlock traffic in town and
decided to drive on.  Processed my picts at the Boise Library but
began to feel feverish again and went early to my highway overight
spot and went to sleep early again. I happened to take my temperature
there and it was 101.2 according to my thermometer.  Next day I went
to the VA as described above. When they took my temp it was normal,
though I was still feeling feverish.  Today I feel better though my
back is still on the stiff side.   Took a swim in Quinn's Pond this
morning after my usual loop walk, which is now along new bath to Vet
Memorial park and across the VMT bridge & back on north side path.

ICT hikes Elk Meadows Stanley area amidst Graupel-snow event, and 2 overnight backpacks DaggerFalls south and Boundary Creek North along SFkSalmon and SulfurCr

email excerpt to family Jun 21 2019 12:24pm MtTime

btw, yesterday I hiked a piece of the ICT at Elk Meadows amidst a mix
of snow and graupel and sun, Sandhill Cranes calling in the marsh.
very interesting. Will probably do a section of ICT (small backpack
one or two nights) north from hwy 21 from the Lola Creek trailhead,
beginning tomorrow morning (expect to overnight at the TH there
tonight - thought I would do that last night but was kind of cold and
figured I'd get a slower start this morning, so came back to Idaho
City then into town for the "Weed Warrier" orientation in town this
morning, so I'm just downloading picts at the library then will go
back up this afternoon.)


email exerpt to family Jun 24 8pm

(btw, this weekend I took two day-hikes along the ICT north of hwy 21
though not the one from Lola Creek TH as I had intended. Since I got
to the area on my Friday afternoon "travel-day" I decided to make the
drive through Bear Valley to the Dagger Falls/Boundary Creek area on
the South Fork Salmon. On Saturday I hiked south from Dagger Falls
about mid way back to the Lola Creek TH, then on Sunday I hung around
the River Raft launch site for a while, taking some movies of rafts
being launched down a steep slide into the river, then hiked north
along the ICT, videotaping several groups of rafts and a group of
kayakers negotiating one  set of rapids from a high trail vantage
point.  I plan to complete the section from Lola Creek next trip (this
weekend?) and probably also a longer hike on the Western branch of the
ICT from Boundary Creek toward a midway point between there and a more
western access point via Warm Lake (a mostly paved road beginning from
the Cascade Lake area.)