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80skeys
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PostFri Feb 07, 2020 3:47 pm 
Starting to think about where to go again this summer, hoping to get some suggestions from people here. Looking for a 5-8 day hike that's got plenty of shade and some streams/water (preferably fishable.) Washingon, OR or ID - all okay. No grizzly country. So we're looking at central Idaho and to the south, and central Washington and to the South. Last year we went to Big Creek area, Idaho. It was nice but not enough shade. Way too sunny and exposed for our taste. So hoping to find a shadier area. Tend to prefer wildnerness areas with fewer people, but up for any suggestions.

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Randito
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PostFri Feb 07, 2020 8:10 pm 
8 days -- I'd head into the Pasayten. The areas burned by the Tripod fire will lack shade in the scorched areas -- but it not usually a full day's worth of hiking through burned forest. Also I find that using an umbrella to be quite effective in improving comfort on warm sunny days with no wind and no shade. e.g. https://www.gossamergear.com/products/liteflex-hiking-chrome-umbrella

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BigBrunyon
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PostFri Feb 07, 2020 10:33 pm 
Go to the Olympics. Countless wild, shady routes to take up 8 days

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RichP
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PostFri Feb 07, 2020 11:05 pm 
Look into The Mallard Larkins in North Idaho. You could work out this or a similar loop for 8 days. Almost guaranteed to see few if any people unlike The Cascades. https://naughtyhiker.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/mallard-larkins-snow-peak-loop/

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forest gnome
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PostSat Feb 08, 2020 8:18 am 
ahhhh yes the bitter roots!!!!...we did a trip to darby montana....stayed a night at tin cup bed n breakfast. (single log cabin) right near the trailhead... then brutal (just long) 12.5m to tin cup lake ...up over the pass to basecamp near triple? lakes.. one horse packer on the way out...no one else for days...more of a base camp hike but amazing wild life and fishing...numerous day hiking stuff...

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forest gnome
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PostSat Feb 08, 2020 8:23 am 
YA KNOW WHAT?....FORGET EVERYTHING YOU'VE HEARD IN THE THREAD SO FAR... WIND RIVER RANGE....that's the best hiking at 10,000ft. you'll ever see!! take a fly rod!! if ya want solitude try a x-c route...take full bug netting though....and car camp for 2 nights to acclimatize! too altitude...

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80skeys
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PostSat Feb 08, 2020 10:24 am 
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm going to take some time to look into each of these. I hadn't thought about using an umbrella, I'll have to consider it. Wind River Range I have driven past coming up from Colorado and have been interested in going there. I'm going to sound like like a wimp and I know statistically it's a minute chance, but I'd like to avoid grizzly country, so this will probably rule out some of the suggestions posted so far.

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80skeys
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PostTue Feb 11, 2020 5:33 pm 
I like the Bitterroots, I've hiked in them before, but there are grizzlies there nowadays.

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Anne Elk
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 12:12 am 
If shade and "no griz" is the priority, that's the Olympics. Wind Rivers? You gotta be kidding! Pretty hard to stay much in the trees there, no? At least that was my experience, from the Dubois/Whiskey Basin side.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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Backpacker Joe
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 6:54 am 
There are routes you could take in the Alpine lakes, Glacier Peak, North Cascades, Pasayten, Olympics or even South Cascades. You neednt leave the state. If you want to leave the state then certainly Idaho, Oregon or the Winds would do just fine. Plenty of people head down to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Eastern Central Oregon.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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80skeys
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 8:54 am 
Anne Elk wrote:
If shade and "no griz" is the priority, that's the Olympics.
No griz in the Olympics? Intersting, that's good to know. I've never been. What's the rain situation in the Olympics in August? Is it something that's like constant rain every day all day, or is it clear, or ...?
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Wind Rivers? You gotta be kidding! Pretty hard to stay much in the trees there, no?
I think you're asking the previous poster. I've never been to the Wind Rivers.

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kiliki
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 10:31 am 
I think the Pasayten idea is a good one and maybe your best bet in WA. The one thing it will lack, in places, is plenty of shade. But, I don't think you are going to find everything on your wish list. I also like the suggestion of the Wallowas, in OR, but keep in mind that the Eagle Cap Wilderness there gets very busy. You can read guidebooks to that area to find lesser used trails, though. You want solitude in August, which is tough in much of Washington. A lot of people live here. The Olympics are not a great pick for solitude at that time of year. It's one of the most visited national parks in the nation. Also note you'd need permits in a lot of spots. Do you have to go in August? If you went in September, you'd have fewer issues with crowds, and shade wouldn't be as much of an issue (neither would bugs). You sound unfamiliar with the region. I'd highly recommend getting some books on NW hiking--get everything your library has, or buy books like 100 Classic Hikes in WA and 100 Classic Hikes in Oregon. These will give you not only hike ideas, but info about weather, geography, wildlife, popularity, etc.

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80skeys
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 1:23 pm 
kiliki wrote:
Do you have to go in August? If you went in September, you'd have fewer issues with crowds, and shade wouldn't be as much of an issue (neither would bugs).
I don't necessarily have to go in August. I could go in Sept and it would be more appealing to me for the advantages you listed. The only reason I have planned for Augusts in the past is because my understanding is that in these northern climes (Idaho, Wash, OR) it can start snowing in the mountains in September. I don't want to get caught in a winter storm and be snowed in. If someone could shed light on the snow situation in September, that'd be cool (you have to realize I come from the southwest Rockies whose snow season doesn't start 'til much later).
kiliki wrote:
You sound unfamiliar with the region. I
I'm quite familiar with Idaho mountains in the summer. But totally unfamiliar with Washington.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 4:09 pm 
80skeys wrote:
What's the rain situation in the Olympics in August? Is it something that's like constant rain every day all day, or is it clear, or ...?
It potentially can rain any time of year in the Olympics or Cascades, but summers are generally fairly dry. Cloudy days vs. clear and sunny is another issue altogether.

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kiliki
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PostWed Feb 12, 2020 5:25 pm 
September after Labor Day is a great time to hike. The weather is still generally good. The later you go in the month the more chance you have for fall (cool, rainy) weather. You aren't going to be snowbound in September. Sure some places may see some flurries, but nothing substantial. There are fewer people, fewer bugs, less wildfire smoke, and almost no chance of a heat wave. For a person that doesn't want to be hot and doesn't want crowds, to me that rules August out entirely. We generally take the second week in September off to backpack. I think last year was the first year that the weather really crapped out on us (we had a rainy September).

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