I think I finally have the Flickr thing figured out so this is my first real trip report. Been around the site for years.
The overall plan was for a 4 night point to point in the Sawtooths from Redfish Inlet to the Alpine Creek trailhead at Alturas Lake. About 60% of this trip would be off trail. Our friend Jon would pick us up at the Alturas trailhead with our resupply boxes and we would drive up to the Fourth Of July Lake trailhead in the White Clouds for a 3 night second leg of our trip.
The plan was for Glen and I to leave Snohomish Friday around 11am and make the drive to Boise to pick up the Phoenix boys Nate and Mark at the airport. From there we drove to Lowman through a gnarly and eerie wildfire area where we had reserved a cabin at the Sourdough Lodge.
Saturday morning we woke up and drove to Stanley and on to Redfish Resort to catch the boat up to the trailhead. We headed up past Alpine Lake and soon after we passed the lake we headed off trail to head up and over Warbonnet Pass down to Warbonnet Lakes. The way is steep with lots of scree and big boulders. Once you hit the saddle the traverse across the scree field up to the pass is straight forward with even a faint path to follow.
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The descent down to Warbonnet and Feather lakes is a really steep scramble but the whole basin is really awesome. You can tell that very few people make it back here ever year. We had it all to ourselves, with was the theme of most of the trip.
From Feather Lakes we headed around and down to Blue Rock Lake and then on to Oreamnos Lake for our first night's camp. The sky was hazy from the smoke on and off all week
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Woke up Sunday morning to clear skies. The plan for the day was to continue off trail up to Packrat Lake, over Packrat Pass down through Lake Kathryn and Upper Redfish Lakes with a nasty bushwack from there to the Cramer Trail and up to camp 2 at Cramer Lakes.
The route from Oreamnos to Packrat is up a really cool drainage. When we arrive at Packrat Lake, we dropped packs and did some fishing. Every cast with some nice 16+ inchers mixed in.
We had done Packrat Pass before and it is up there with the toughest and sketchiest I have done. So we knew what we were getting in to. But the loose scree and endless hand over fist climbing makes it brutal every time.
The views from the top looking down to the Redfish and Cramer areas are fantastic.
The bushwack from Upper Redfish to the Cramer trail is rough going. It is thick, and steep and feels like it goes forever. We finally hit the trail and headed up to Middle Cramer Lake where we camped just away from the waterfall.
Monday morning we headed out. Today's plan was to hit the Cramer Divide, down past Virginia, Edna, and Vernon lakes and up to Lake 8462. From there we left the trail again and headed up and in to Tenlake Basin.
Tenlake Basin is one of the best places on the planet. I love it. Lake after lake, total solitude, fish, swimming, and chilling out. It is paradise!
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The next morning we headed out. The plan for the day was all off trail from Tenlake Basin up and in to Flytrip Basin and then up and over the pass beneath Snowyside Peak and in to the Upper Alpine Creek basin.
The next morning we headed out Apline Creek to the trailhead where Jon was waiting for us with cold beers, Doritos and resupplies for the next 4 days in the White Clouds.
To be continued
Hey, can you be a pal and give me directions via I90?
"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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"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
Sooooo, where is part II? We hit Sawtooth loop out of Grand Jean last year and are eyeing the White Clouds this year. Curious what sort of itinerary you had on that leg of your journey. Like your combination of on and off trail routes!
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