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Malachai Constant
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Joined: 13 Jan 2002
Posts: 16092 | TRs | Pics
Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
Nepal has way better tasting potatoes. Peru not only better tasting but way more interesting and colourful ones than Idaho.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
Joined: 20 Mar 2012
Posts: 7732 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle |
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
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 Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:01 pm |
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| CC wrote: | | Washington: Evergreen State
Idaho: Famous Potatoes
That about covers it. |
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drm
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Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 1376 | TRs | Pics
Location: The Dalles, OR |
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drm
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Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:15 am |
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| olderthanIusedtobe wrote: | | I can't believe this thread never ended up happening after all the other various WA vs X threads. |
I await the Washington vs Alaska thread, not holding my breath. I get that Idaho is a lot less crowded (I did a big loop in the Frank Church some years ago, and a good trip in the Selway too), though I find that a knowledgable PNW local can usually find secluded areas. But when I want truly remote and wild, I have gone to Alaska. True, it's not a one-day drive, logistics are tougher. But once you get into the backcountry . . . (my avatar of caribou is from the Skolai Valley in Wrangell / St Elilas NP)
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Gwen
LO Girl-of-the-Month
Joined: 14 Feb 2010
Posts: 1673 | TRs | Pics
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Gwen
LO Girl-of-the-Month
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Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:51 am |
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On the topic of WA vs ID, or, more specifically, on the topic of ID, I'm looking for suggestions for a week-long road trip in either mid-Sept or mid-Oct (early on the mid part, either month). I would be traveling solo and so am hesitant to backpack. Grizzlys, really, are my only concern. I could be convinced to change my opinion on that if those with experience in ID had compelling arguments. Anyway, looking for suggestions.
Tomorrow's not promised to anyone, so be bold, scare yourself, attempt something with no guarantee of success. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve. -Olive McGloin
Tomorrow's not promised to anyone, so be bold, scare yourself, attempt something with no guarantee of success. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve. -Olive McGloin
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Chief Joseph
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Joined: 10 Nov 2007
Posts: 7703 | TRs | Pics
Location: Verlot-Priest Lake |
I think the grizzly fear thing is way over-rated. I went to a lake in the Selkirks and someone had left hot dogs i the fire pit, looked like they were there for several days...saw a young grizzly while hiking in the Bob and I made a noise and it quickly ran away. We also found if you hike until near exhaustion, you are too tired to care about bears.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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altasnob
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Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 1406 | TRs | Pics
Location: Tacoma |
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altasnob
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Wed Aug 19, 2020 12:46 pm |
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You are much more likely to be killed in a car crash on your way out to Idaho than killed by a grizzly hiking in Idaho. Take the necessary precautions (bear canister, bear spray, be vocal when hiking, cook away from where you sleep) and you will be fine.
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josh_pnw
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Joined: 09 Dec 2016
Posts: 22 | TRs | Pics
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josh_pnw
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Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:52 pm |
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| Gwen wrote: | | On the topic of WA vs ID, or, more specifically, on the topic of ID, I'm looking for suggestions for a week-long road trip in either mid-Sept or mid-Oct (early on the mid part, either month). I would be traveling solo and so am hesitant to backpack. Grizzlys, really, are my only concern. I could be convinced to change my opinion on that if those with experience in ID had compelling arguments. Anyway, looking for suggestions. |
The trip along Hwy 12 is a great one with plenty of hiking options in the northern Bitterroots. A lot of hot springs in both the front country and the backcountry for those that enjoy hot water.
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Conrad
Meadow bagger
Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 2298 | TRs | Pics
Location: Moscow, ID |
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Conrad
Meadow bagger
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Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:15 pm |
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| josh_pnw wrote: | | The trip along Hwy 12 is a great one with plenty of hiking options |
I'll second that. Lots of hikes S of Hwy 12 in the Selway-Bitterroot. And from Missoula you could continue S and take hikes into the Selway-Bitterroot from the east side.
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80skeys
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Joined: 22 Jul 2019
Posts: 183 | TRs | Pics
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80skeys
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Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:38 pm |
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| zimmertr wrote: | | I stumbled across some older threads today that I found interesting.
[Washington vs. Colorado vs. Idaho] |
Idaho has been my favorite place to go backpacking the past several years. It's uninterrupted mountains all the way from Sun Valley to the Canadian border. My first visit was to the Selway Bitterroot back in the mid-2000s and I was immediately intrigued by several things. The vastness - when you pass Lolo Peak the highway sign reads "Winding mountain road next 90 miles". You can drive on forest roads for hours in one direction without leaving the mountains and still see mountains ahead of you all the way to the horizon. The wildness - it felt more primitive and pristine than any other place I had been. The clearest, brightest stars I'd ever seen. The amount of rivers and water. The amount of wildlife. The lack of people. It's the largest area in the continental U.S. without any electric power lines. Everything about the area fascinated me. The ruggedness of it - Lewis and Clark were thwarted on their first attempt to go through. I've gone back several times since, and my love for the area keeps growing. The guy who wrote A River Runs Through It was stationed in the Selway Bitterroot as a young Forest Service employee in the 1920s and described it as an "ocean of mountains" which is an accurate description. It's changed not much if at all since then because they made it into a roadless wilderness back then - making it the largest wilderness in the continental U.S. Basically the condition it is in now is the same as it was prior to the 20th century.
You can tell I like the area. Anyway, I grew up in New Mexico and spent most of my life hiking and camping in New Mexico and Colorado - the southern Rockies. Both states are nice. Much drier than north-central Idaho. Far fewer streams, less water. Afternoon thunderstorms that pop up quickly are definitely the norm. In Colorado you are always at a much higher elevation, often above treeline. Compared to Idaho there's far fewer bugs in these two states. Where Idaho has more vegetation, huckleberry bushes, trees, Colorado is overall drier and less vegetation.
One advantage to the Rockies in New Mexico is a much longer hiking season (shorter winters). Once you cross over into Colorado winters start getting longer and more brutal. And even moreso in Idaho.
Washington I can't compare. Never been camping there. My first backpacking trip there is coming up in a couple weeks.
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80skeys
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Joined: 22 Jul 2019
Posts: 183 | TRs | Pics
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80skeys
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Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:49 pm |
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So far there's only a very small grizzly population in Idaho. There's a lot more in Montana. The ones in Idaho are coming over from Montana and from Canada - young males that are traveling by themselves, establishing territory and looking for mates (but heading in the wrong direction). The Game Department has been keeping tabs on them with trail cameras and the like, and noticed that they go out of their way to avoid people, such as walking around the outskirts of someone's yard rather than through the yard.
So you got two things in your favor: so few grizzlies in such a vast area that your chances of running into one are miniscule. And (b) the grizzlies there are wary of people.
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altasnob
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Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 1406 | TRs | Pics
Location: Tacoma |
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altasnob
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Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:18 pm |
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Good description of Idaho wilderness. Never backpacked there. Would like to someday.
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kiliki
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Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 2324 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle |
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kiliki
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Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:08 pm |
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The vs. thing is something that people that live in lame states do to each other. My in-laws are in the Midwest and they like to make jokes about or rag on other Midwestern states. They think it's hilarious. If you live in WA or ID you are secure enough in your state's greatness to not knock the other.
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Gwen
LO Girl-of-the-Month
Joined: 14 Feb 2010
Posts: 1673 | TRs | Pics
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Gwen
LO Girl-of-the-Month
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Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:20 pm |
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I don't find the posts in this topic to be trashing one state or the other but rather a simple compare and contrast. No one's claimed either state to be inferior.
Tomorrow's not promised to anyone, so be bold, scare yourself, attempt something with no guarantee of success. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve. -Olive McGloin
Tomorrow's not promised to anyone, so be bold, scare yourself, attempt something with no guarantee of success. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve. -Olive McGloin
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Chief Joseph
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Joined: 10 Nov 2007
Posts: 7703 | TRs | Pics
Location: Verlot-Priest Lake |
| kiliki wrote: | | The vs. thing is something that people that live in lame states do to each other. My in-laws are in the Midwest and they like to make jokes about or rag on other Midwestern states. They think it's hilarious. If you live in WA or ID you are secure enough in your state's greatness to not knock the other. |
Imho, it's simply a joke (albeit "tasteless") and a traditional practice. When I lived in ND, everyone knew that the reason our state was so windy was because Montana sucks and Minnesota blows...actually these days Minnesota really does, again just imho.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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