[Backpacker Joe]

Thank you so much. Happy new year. I wonder if there is a good hiking book that covers the area?

[trailmo]

Backpacking Idaho by Douglas Lorain has a couple entries in the area, and lots of other tempting trips. Happy new year to you as well!

[Langdon Greene]

Nice. The [Idaho] Sawtooths are one of my favorite places to backpack. The camp at the main (lower?) Baron Lake might be my favorite campsite ever. I have wondered about that front-of-the-range trail that you did on the last half of the 2nd day, between Hellroaring and Redfish. I have never hiked that trail (as you mentioned, few people ever do). I see you didn't post any photos from that segment.... Was it decent? (Note that I enjoy forest hikes too, unlike some on this site.) I am guessing it was probably similar to that front-of-the-Tetons trail, that connects Death canyon with Phelps Lake and Taggart / Bradley Lakes.... allowing one to avoid a shuttle by looping it up. ETA: also, I was thinking of taking that segment from Hellroaring to Decker Creek, then going off-trail further up the Decker Crk valley, to sneak up over/through the notch just WSW of Peak 9847, to shortcut into Saddleback Lakes. Not sure how doable that is....

[trailmo]

Hi Langdon, It was a really fun trip! There was a big group at Lower Baron Lake the night I was in the area so I opted for the lonely upper lake. The trail between Hell Roaring and Redfish was in decent shape, there were quite a few blowdowns, some of them in large pileups but with the open vegetation they were all easy to get around. If I remember right, the route on maps is a bit off and you drop into Decker Creek and come across an abandoned trail. It gets a bit swampy and the trail is harder to find but still pretty straightforward. It was a bit of a boring slog, compared to the rest of the trip, of climbing then dropping then climbing and dropping again with little in the way of switchbacks. I think these were the pictures I took, got a few nice glimpses out towards the valley and the White Clouds but otherwise it's just open piney woods. Just an FYI Huckleberry Creek trail looks pretty abandoned and neglected.