We wake to the dawning light, then quickly have coffee, apples, and Brian’s crappy Walmart blueberry muffins. We attend our last seating at the pit toilet and top off our water bottles (at the water faucet not the pit toilet). I quickly move the car to the last remaining trailhead parking space and fill out our walkup wilderness permit. At the trailhead we meet two groups doing the Sawtooth Loop. One is going counterclockwise and one clockwise (our route). A woman from the other group agrees to take our picture, and then we begin.
Years earlier this area from Grandjean to Sawtooth Lake had suffered a significant fire. I dread the hot exposed treeless grind. The first half is surprisingly pleasant. There are way more water crossing than we expected. The last part, however, lives up to expectations. We overcome our misery consuming Gardettos, Costco Korean BBQ jerky, and Costco dried organic mangos. We also munched from a massive 2-pound bag of peanut M&M’s. Cresting the saddle, we arrive at the classic Sawtooth Lake vista. We snap a few pictures of the emerald blue lake which reminds us of a mini Lake Tahoe. Although the lighting is not ideal, the grandeur is indeed grand. We then hustle down a long traverse across and above the north shore, to a campsite near the lakes outlet. We rest, setup camp, and go fishing.
When I pull my collapsable rod and spinning reel out of its plastic bag, it is an absolute mess. The line is all tangled in the gears under the reel. Brian is fishing, and I am cursing. Kevin, Brian, and I each brought a collapsable rod and reel. We had debated brining a fourth, in the event something goes terribly wrong. Because of the extra weight and bulk, we ruled against it. I am now regretting the outcome of that debate. I take the reel apart, hoping not to lose any critical parts in the dirt or the lake, and begin untangling and cutting the line. Brian’s luck is not much better than mine. Nothing is biting, except for an underwater log. Brian works hard to retrieve his snagged Mepps lure. Striking out with fish, we resort to our Trader Joe’s Indian curries and rice. They are good but also heavy, so we usually eat them on the first night.
A young park ranger, perhaps too young to be out here alone, stops by to check on our permit and chat. Based on his appearance, we are tempted to ask if he actually completed all his junior ranger passport stamps, but instead we ask about the best places to fish. He responds that he doesn’t fish, so he doesn’t know. We talk about the animals that we might encounter. He seems confused between the chipmunks and the golden mantled ground squirrels. He mentions recently seeing a pine marten, which has us excited, but not quite sure if he means a long slender furry black mammal or some kind of tree. He eventually moves on to talk to other backpackers. We are pretty sure his backpack is full of crayons and construction paper.
On this trip, I am testing my new Motorola Defy Satellite Link, a blue tooth hot spot which allows me to text from my cell phone through geostationary satellites to my wife. As long as I point it in the general direction of south, it appears to be working. Brian and Kevin struggle setting up my borrowed Tarptent, but preserve, if only to hide from mosquitos. I am using my new Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 without the rain fly. I am hoping to enjoy views of the stars. Bedtime comes early as we try to recover from our lack of sleep.
