A “Man’s Trip” to the Sawtooth Mountains
Re-posted Article from Happy Hikers (https://medium.com/happy-hikers), publication by John Willkom
Back in 2014, my brothers, father, and I took a “man’s trip” to the Porcupine Mountains in Northern Michigan. We hiked a crazy amount of miles, took a frigid swim in Lake Superior, and set up camp in a log cabin near the shore. It was remote, almost creepy, but the perfect locale to just “be.” With no phones, no people, and no distractions, we were forced to just talk and get to know the “adult” versions of people that you thought you knew but really didn’t. We left that trip in that weird state of physical exhaustion, but mental refreshment. Most importantly, we left with a respect for each other…we made it through, and we did it together.
On the ride home, we all threw out ideas for next year’s trip. This would become a yearly staple; it had to be. What we didn’t anticipate was the weddings, cross-country moves, kids, new jobs, and every other change possible that, while intentions were good, would stall any future trip planning.
Six months ago, covid hit, and 2020 would mark the 6th straight year of no man’s trip. Maybe we could swing something in 2021?
In early August after a bbq at my brother Bryan’s house, I was driving home and thought, “maybe this could be the year after all? Maybe this should be the year.”
After much debate and concerns over air travel, we booked flights to Idaho and started planning our trip to the Sawtooth Mountains.
We arrived last Thursday in Stanley, Idaho, with high hopes but wet clothes because we decided to stop at Kirkham Hot Springs on the way:
When we finally got to the top, we were met with a sight to behold:
The water was so clear that we watched a rainbow trout swim near the shoreline.
After 8 hours on the trail, we finally made it back and had some pizza from Papa Brunee’s. We finished our day at Sunbeam Hot Springs, a local spot on the Salmon river. Worth noting: an older couple, probably in their 70’s, got out of one of the pools right as we were walking over. While it was awfully nice of them to give up their spot, we stepped into pool of water so hot that we all looked each other in a somewhat confused unison. That’s Idaho toughness.
The next morning, we tackled the popular trail up to Alice Lake. It was a much more gradual climb than the previous day, with sections in deep forest, meadows, boulder fields, and creek crossings.
While it was already cold to begin with, it would get colder as we climbed higher. Near the top, it started to snow and an eerie fog covered the peaks:
After close to 4 hours, we made it to the top to view the almighty, Alice Lake, which is one of several alpine lakes on a loop route that many people turn into a 2–3 night trip.
We had an awesome dinner at Sawtooth Luce’s, where we learned that while Google says 500 people live in the town of Stanley, there are actually 64 that live there year round (and our waitress probably knew them all.)
Going to place like Stanley, ID, reminded me of what gratitude looks like. We passed several backpackers that had spent an overnight in non-stop rain. When asked, “how was it up there,” every single one smiled and just said “awesome.”
Similar to our trip six years ago in the Porcupine Mountains, going to the Sawtooths was a trip I’ll never forget. We were challenged physically, and 17 hours on a trail forces you to chat a bit:)
Last, but not least, I have to recognize the people of Stanley. On our first night in town, the owner of the Kasino Club gave us some great tips, and we would actually see him the next day on the trail to Goat Lake. Later, a grocery store clerk summed it up best when he said, “I came here for the beauty, but I stayed for the people.”
I’m thankful I was able to spend such awesome time with people I care about. Hopefully, we won’t wait another six years for our next one.
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