With the Fourth of July falling on a Friday, we had long planned on making it a special extended week-end by taking Colin and Sidney camping. The popularity of camping during this annual holiday prompted us to reserve a campsite as early as January. Our destination was Stanley Lake, Idaho (elevation: 6,513ft or 1,985m). We started our journey on Thursday afternoon after successfully managing to pack food, clothes, camping gear, Dutch oven cooking set, bikes and four bodies in our puny car.
The drive from Boise towards central Idaho traverses a multitude of landscapes with magnificent scenery. Starting the drive north, we pass the top of the Boise Ridge just before the quick dive down to Horseshoe Bend from where the winding road takes us along the Payette River. At the Banks intersection, we veer East and now follow the South Fork of the Payette River and its white water rapids on the edge of a steep rocky canyon all the way to Lowman. By then, the tall and skinny Ponderosa Pines become more abundant as we enter the Boise National Forest. The climb up Banner Summit shows glimpses of the snowy peaks to the East through the dense forest. Up and over Banner are a couple of long straight stretches of road with tall pines towering the side of the road. It is very reminiscent of driving along the Alaskan highway. Then, appears Valley Creek, irrigating the Cape Horn Valley and its gardens of blue and yellow flowers. Finally, after 2.5 hours of driving, we noticed our turnoff to Stanley Lake. Nestled in the Sawtooth National Forest at the bottom of the Sawtooth Range, Stanley Lake and its clear waters offer spectacular views of McGown Peak (elevation: 9,860ft or 3,005m). The moist winter and cool spring had brewed an above normal spring runoff that started late and produced high water levels and brain numbing water temperatures. Yet, as soon as we had pulled in our campsite, Colin and Sidney were already in the cool lake water knee deep hunting for frogs and other water creatures.
With camp set and our stomachs appeased, we enjoyed a calm evening by the campfire with our friends, the Spanneuts. Our eyes bewitched by the flames, we were listening to the crackles of the burning logs while roasting marshmallows. It was quite a contrast to the start of the day, rushing to that sea of concrete buildings, working on the computer and attending meetings, and then finishing the same day in the middle of the tranquil forest by a campfire and a pristine mountain lake. We are very lucky to live so close to such magnificent endless beauty. In fact, StanleyRiver of No Return Wilderness Area is considered to be the gateway to the Frank Church – At 2.3 million acres (9,300 km²), it is the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness in the continental United States. Together with the adjacent Gospel Hump Wilderness and surrounding unprotected roadless Forest Service land, it is the core of a 3.3 million acre (13,000 km²) roadless area. The wilderness contains parts of several mountain ranges, including the Salmon River Mountains, the Clearwater Mountains, and the Bighorn Crags. The ranges are split by steep canyons of the Middle and Main forks of the Salmon River. The Salmon River is a popular destination for whitewater rafting, and is colloquially known as the "River of No Return" for its swift current which makes upstream travel difficult.
This relaxing evening would quickly become the calm in the proverbial “calm before the storm” idiom. With the approaching dusk and its blood sucking mosquitoes, we decided to call it a night and retire to our tents. But first, I had to extinguish the campfire. As I was smothering and spreading the ashes, I took a glance at the sunset and the colorful sky through the trees and noticed some dark clouds luring in the distance. They seemed to be traveling our way so I told everyone to put all their shoes, towels and other water sensitive equipment in the cars or tents. Then, I walked to the animal proof garbage container at the entrance of the campground to deposit our trash bag. On my way back, I started hearing a humming sound in the distance. The sound quickly grew louder and soon was as loud as a locomotive coming in the distance. It couldn’t have been thunder since the sound was continuous. For a few seconds, I had absolutely no idea as to what could cause such a deafening noise. It was not until I saw in the distance the Lodgepole Pine trees moving that I understood the cause of the noise. A wind storm was coming! It was a very surreal experience to see in the distance 60ft (20m) trees flapping back and forth like wild grass in the wind while the trees within my proximity were simply standing still. My moment of stupor did not last long. The wind was traveling so fast that in the blink of an eye, I was in the midst of a dust cloud with flying particles whipping every exposed parts of my body. There was almost no visibility as I was running back to the campsite. I jumped into the tent to thankfully see Laura and the boys tucked into their sleeping bags. The wind was so fierce that it was lifting the bottom sides of the tent. We decided to strategically place the heavy items like clothes bags in the corner of the tent in an attempt to keep it anchored to the ground. To no avail, the tent was rocking like a boat. Dust was coming through the tent mesh. The tent ceiling, normally standing at 60 inches (1.5m), was occasionally making contact with the tent floor under the strong wind gusts. As our last attempt at keeping the tent stable, we positioned ourselves in each corner of the tent. It was now raining. The winds were still very strong. The rain drops were now coming through the same mesh that previously had been coated with dust. It was transforming our tent into a mud bath. We attempted to see if the Spanneuts were ok in their tent, but it was impossible in the dark and in the middle of the storm. Laura and I tried to keep up the mood in our tent with some humor. I asked Colin where the tent would land and we started listing far away places like China and Australia… Those summer mountain storms are usually powerful, but short in duration. Sure enough, within 1 hour of the storm starting, it was back to complete calmness. After verifying that the Spanneuts were fine, we got back into our sleeping bags and eventually fell asleep. At 1:00am, a family of South Koreans was still making noise in the next campsite watching a movie on their laptop!. I played cop. I told them to go to sleep or else I would confiscate their Kimchi!;-> It must have worked because they quieted down quickly. I walked back to our tent and jumped into my sleeping bag for some peaceful sleep. Take two! Asleep I was, until suddenly I was woken up by a flash of light. It was our campfire burning and it was not a dream. With the confusion caused by the storm, I neglected to drown the campfire coals. It was 3:10am. I raced back out, bare foot and all, and poured a couple of gallons on the flames. I eventually crawled back into my bag for another attempt at some sleep. Take three!
The next morning, we woke up to the disaster the storm had caused. Some Lodgepole Pine trees, which were already weaken by the mountain pine beetle infestation, were laying in the middle of the dirt road. One tree had fallen on a camp table and another right on the center of a tent which was luckily empty at the time. At another campground located a few miles away, camper trailers were turned over by the strong winds. The damage in the area was mostly contained to the vegetation since the worst injury suffered was a broken leg.
After a hearty breakfast, we headed out for a hike to Bridal Veil Falls by following Stanley Lake Creek upstream. The first mile is a flat stroll through mountain meadows decorated by heavenly fields of beautiful wild flowers. Larkspur, cinquefoil, and penstemom by the thousands paint a multicolor carpet laying at the feet of the tall, snow patched McGown Peak. What a sight! This is truly eye candy. After another mile, the trail ascends a rocky hill, bends left through trees swept down by avalanche, until it reaches a granite chasm. We then dropped down to the Stanley Lake Creek crossing at mile 2.4. Off came the shoes and socks. We took our chance by wading through the glacial and fast current. Knee deep in the numbing water, stepping on unstable rocks and stones, we concentrated on reaching the other bank safely. The kids were entirely captured by this moment of extreme adventure. Alive on the other side, we took a moment to watch the torrent while the kids played captain with a piece of wood turned into an imaginary boat. Onward soldiers. The trail kept hugging the creek until we reached a clearing in the forest. This was our final destination. In the distance, appeared Bridal Veil Falls cascading down the west mountainside, fed from Hanson Lakes 1000 feet above. We ate our packed lunch while enjoying the view and promptly turned around to make the trek back to camp. The return trip was especially long for Colin as we found out later, his complaining during the hike was due to a mild fever. He even took a nap in the tent that afternoon.
Back at camp, Laura treated us to her first Dutch oven meal: Roasted chicken with peppered potatoes for the main course and a cherry clafoutie for dessert. A camping Dutch oven pot has three legs, a wire bail handle, and a slightly convex, rimmed lid so that coals from the cooking fire can be placed on top as well as below. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an oven. Laura’s mix of food and spices in the cast iron pot was perfect. Dinner was absolutely delicious!! Besides the great dinner, we also had entertainment brought to us courtesy of the boys. Julien, Colin, and Sidney were racing their bikes on an out and back loop in the campground against other boys. The competition was so fierce that it soon drew the attention of all the campers. People were cheering on the side of the dirt trail for those little kids racing against each other. It was hilarious to see them fighting for the finish through an Alpe d’Huez worthy crowd of fans… We finished the evening by driving to Stanley to watch the much underrated Fourth of July fireworks. On our way out of the campground, a deer almost ran into the car while crossing the road. A fraction of a second sooner and we would have had an extra passenger in the car! For such a small town, the show was a long and spectacular display of pyrotechnic. Add to it the Sawtooth range as heavenly background, and you have a very inspirational sight.
The next day, we traveled to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery which is operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game five miles south of Stanley. This facility was built in 1984 in response to the Chinook and Sockeye Salmons along with the Steelhead Trout being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. These fish perform staggering feats during their lifetime. From birth in the headwaters of many rivers in the Northwest, they travel downstream to the Pacific Ocean where they can swim thousands of miles. After a couple years, depending on the species, nature prompts them to head back to their natal streams and lakes. An incredible journey upstream of 900 miles (1,500km) and an elevation gain of 6,500ft (2,000m) used to be accomplished in as little as 30 days. Sockeyes historically returned to lakes in the Sawtooth Valley by the tens of thousands to spawn. Redfish Lake got its name because there would be so many fish spawning there, it appeared to turn the lake red. Unfortunately, with the building of 8 dams along the rivers linking the Sawtooth region to the Pacific Ocean, the journey became close to impossible. The implementation of fish ladders and catch-releases around dams did not help the situation since only 1 adult sockeye returned to the Sawtooth Valley in 1994. In an attempt to restore the presence of these endangered fish in the ecosystem, emphasis has changed from production of large numbers of fish to conservation of the gene pool. A portion of every season's adult harvest, as well as eggs and milt are examined, treated, and cured of fish disease. Fish health and reproductive performance are also studied in order to optimize the hatchery process. The Idaho Department of Fish and Games' goal for salmon and steelhead is to restore their populations to harvestable and self-sustaining levels. All the regional players are recognizing the need of a consistent and healthy salmon population and the impact it has on the ecology and economy with thousands of anglers and tourists spending millions of dollars every year in central Idaho. At the hatchery, we witnessed the daily counting of the adult fish caught at the top of the fish ladder. Some of those fish are very impressive in size considering that they lose up to half their weight on their journey back up the Salmon river. The highlight of the visit was without a doubt when we had the opportunity to cast some lines in the ponds that are stocked with Rainbow Trouts. Out of all eight of us fishing, Sidney was the only one able to catch a trout. And, who said fishing had nothing to do with luck?!
The afternoon was spent at Stanley Lake. The cold water was a nice refreshing contrast to the warm temperatures and mountain sunshine. The kids enjoyed stumping in the water and building sand castles. Spanneut’s inflatable boat was quite the hit.
That evening, we had planned to take the kids to a hot springs but they were all fast asleep by dusk. So, Eric and I left Rachelle and Laura with the kids and drove to Stanley to take a dip into an hidden pool of hot water smelling like rotten eggs. With the sun setting on the Sawtooth peaks, it was a very memorable sight.
Before heading home on Sunday, we spent the day at Redfish Lake playing in the water and enjoying the sunshine. Unfortunately, the bliss had to end much to soon.
Posts
