Matthew, Leslie and I started our vacation in Dubois, WY as a mid-point stop on our way to backpacking in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. Lauren instigated the backpack trip months ago as part of her year-long birthday celebration. As it turned out, I got to celebrate my birthday on this trip since it fell on the Tuesday of this week.
After the long drive to Dubois we had a relaxing evening - Matthew is chilling on Cynthia's deck next to the Wind River.
We spent our next full day in Wyoming playing around on the 4-wheeler, moving logs from the chopping area to the front porch storage area, and we took some time exploring the petroglyphs around the Three Lakes.
On Tuesday we drove from Dubois to Redfish Lake in Idaho. We rediscovered a dairy Leslie was familiar with; their ice cream and cold drinks are exceptional!
We continued our drive and were disappointed with the amount of smoke in the air from all the fires in the west. Nevertheless, making the best of the situation, the haze added another dimension to the views.
We arrived late in the afternoon at Redfish Lake Lodge where we joined the rest of our party: Lauren, Derek, Terry and Chris for a birthday dinner. Redfish Lake Lodge is a top notch establishment and the food at the restaurant was excellent!
After dinner we took a brief stroll outside by the lake before heading to our rooms to get ready for the big backpack journey.
The group got an early start on Wednesday morning, we drove to the trailhead at Pettit Lake; the trailhead was apparently called "Tin Cup Hiker Trailhead". As it turned out three of us (the older guys) were all sporting vintage Kelty external frame packs!
There was a lot of beauty to behold on the trail to Farley Lake.
Chris, Derek and Lauren at a water stop along the way.
We arrived at Farley Lake, set up our camps, did some chilling (Matthew in his hammock), had dinner and bedded down for the night.
On Thursday morning we had breakfast, packed up and headed to Edith Lake with more beautiful scenery along the way. After arriving at Edith lake (a short but grueling hike) we set up camp, did some more chilling (Matthew in his hammock), some rinsing off (Mark and Leslie), then had dinner and tucked ourselves in for the night.
We Arrived!!
Chris, Lauren and Terry... and if you look closely Mark is collapsed on the ground in the distance.
Hammock with a view.
Mark rinsing off.
Leslie and Mark drying off.
Leslie in front of Edith Lake.
On Friday morning several of us decided to go for a sunrise hike (some earlier than others - Derek). The trail was beautiful and the views were spectacular. Derek and Chris went on to explore other heights after the summit while Leslie, Matthew and I stopped for a morning snack while enjoying the sights.
Matthew, Leslie and I decided to hang out one more day at Edith Lake while the others moved camp to another lake. At Edith Lake we did some chilling and exploring the area. First we did some rocking (climbing over rocks) and then Matthew and I circumnavigated Edith Lake.
Matthew with hammock, tent and lake in the background.
Matthew on the far side of Edith Lake.
Edith Lake.
On Saturday we all regrouped at Farley Lake, this time mid-lake (East to West, previously we were on the East part of the lake). This location was more beautiful than the first campsite at Farley. It was great to get back together with everyone, and we enjoyed our time together for another day.
Lauren and Derek chilling.
Mark and Leslie posing.
A cool looking log.
Leslie chilling.
A city map.
A beautiful view of Edith Lake as we hiked to the tributary shown in the upper center of this picture.
Matthew chilling in his hammock.
Evening (after dinner) gathering to enjoy sundown.
On Sunday we packed up and headed back to Redfish Lake Lodge. It was a great journey and we cherish the friendships we built and relationships we nurtured.
After a WONDERFUL shower and sleep in a real bed, Matthew, Leslie and Mark headed toward home - with a stop planned in Dubois and a visit to Craters of the Moon national park on the way (not to mention another stop at Reed's Dairy).
Photo courtesy of Leslie.
Our drive to Dubois took us through Arco where high school graduating classes since 1920 have painted the graduation year on the hill.
