Yesterday we headed north for about 50 miles to the Sawtooth Mountains and did a great hike up to the Fourth of July lake. Last year's fires scoured this area and driving the ten miles from the highway we traveled through burnt stands of pine and aspen. The aspen are regenerating madly (some plants more than 5' tall) and the wildflowers are intense. Great stands of purple flowers scattered through the tall skeletons of trees.
The hike itself mostly went through unburned territory but evidence of that fire and previous ones was omnipresent. The lake itself was beautiful and there were fish jumping enthusiastically at the hatch of caddis and grasshoppers. Too bad we had no rod although many of the hikers we met were carrying their's in. It looks like a popular backpacking area. Probably the last trips of the year, though. One backpacker mentioned being chased off the mountain last year on Sept 1 by snow and indeed, there were remnants of last year's snowfall still populating the higher peaks. It gets cold here at night -- 44 this am when Alan, Suz, and Rick got up to wish Jim off.
On our way back, we lunched at Galena where Jim was crushed to discover no River Bend lager -- they were reserving their last keg for a wedding that night. We consoled ourselves with other beverage selections and the usual tasty food, including the favorites french fries. At our table outside, the hummingbirds buzzed overhead -- not very far overhead! -- and battled for dominance at the feeder. A big green one appeared to be the boss.
Last night's dinner featured delicious lamb chops and a special bottle of wine Alan procured in honor of Jim's last night -- a magnum of Elderton Command Shiraz, which tasted a berry pie with a hint of mint. Yum. "It went awfully quickly," Alan said ruefully just now.
More flickr photos.
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