[whitebark]

Drove down to Idaho for a week of hiking and backpacking in some new terrain. First stop was the Seven Devils. I camped at mediocre Lower Cannon Lake and dayhiked to fantastical Upper Cannon Lake, nestled between The Ogre, The Goblin, and the Tower of Babylon:

Devils

Adding to the diabolical atmosphere of these mountains was the smoke from the 30,000 acre Hells Canyon Fire, which turned the sun blood-red in the afternoon and dropped flakes of ash like some snow flurry from hell. Next stop was the fabled Sawtooths. It was Saturday and the area was crawling with tourons. My first impulse was to hike some uncrowded, "secret" trail in the Sawtooths, but then I realized I was a touron too, having never been to the area before. My mind thus freed, I chose the most scenic, jam-packed trail in my guidebook, a leisurely two night hike on the fabled Petit Lake/Toxaway Loop, 19 miles of pure granitic glory:

Sawtooths

Shown above is Alice Lake, one of the many pretty puddles in the region. The crowds subside greatly during midweek as all the tourists return to Boise, so try to hike the Sawtooths then if you can. The final stop on the trip was in the lesser known but impressive 12,000 foot Pioneer Mountains east of Ketchum. Dayhiked to magnificent Kane Lake, tinted green by the rock flour from remnant glaciers:

Kane