Daytrip: Swan Valley

August 11, 2007

Swan Valley is a great day trip from Idaho Falls since it is not too far and has an abundance of outdoor options and terrific scenery. It is one of those don't-blink towns and is located along the banks of the south fork of the Snake River. Much of the year you will see anglers in hip boots trying their luck along the stretch of river leading into town. This section of the river is actually renown throughout the country for its world-class fly fishing. The Big Hole Mountains that lead to the Tetons are located north of the valley and the Caribou Mountain are to the south.

A couple of our favorite activities include mountain biking the abundant singletrack off Fall Creek Road or hiking up to the Palisades Lakes, neither of which we did this summer. Tony and I did do a 50 mile back roads mountain bike to Swan Valley a few weeks prior to meet up with David and the kids. David had taken the kids and dogs on an epic 5 hr. hike up Baldy Mt. I think that perhaps our 50 mile ride was easier than what those kids did.

This day we arrived with boats to try out Owen's mad, new kayak skills. We put in at Fall Creek boat ramp and paddle the short distance to the Conant boat ramp just of few miles west, as a sort of test run before heading up to Palisdades Dam to do the longer run. Good thing. It was a learning experience. We learn just how swiftly the Snake runs, how quickly one can go from vertical to horizontal in said, swift river and how doing a planned wet exit in a calm lake differs from doing it quite unexpectedly in a running river. All turned out well but Owen was rattled. We ended the day at Ririe Reservoir. That was fun too.

McCall, ID

August 6-10, 2007

This was Owen's favorite trip, he said. We drove to McCall, ID for a some kayaking clinics with Devon Barker, 2006 world champion whitewater kayaker http://www.hughesriver.com/devon-barker.htm and sponsored Jackson Kayak team member. http://www.jacksonkayak.com/teamjk/teammember.cfm?member=devon Owen was psyched enough to choose this clinic over a week long climbing camp he had wanted to attend that fell on the same week. Idaho is a big state and this was on the far west side of the state from where we live. Great, a part of Idaho I had never explored.

We left the afternoon before the women's clinic to give us plenty of time to get there and still be able to stop and see the sights along the way. We took the interstate to Boise instead of the more scenic route through Sun Valley. It is actually considerably shorter, time wise, even though the mileage is much longer. Those mountains of south central Idaho really get in the way and slow you down, you know. Along the way we stopped at a couple places I had meant to visit when I drove to Boise a few times in 2004.

Massacre Rock State Park

Twin Falls

Twin Falls is a picturesque little town that is at the center of the fertile farming region of the Snake River Plains. Compared to Idaho Falls, it wins out in charm, largely due to its geographical location alongside a deep gorge cut by the Snake River with a pair of waterfalls as the crowning centerpiece (thus the name). A Twin Falls website claims that the average home price is currently $71,500. Hmm....could this be possible? Kinda unbelievable. We camped that first night a little west of Twin Falls on the north side of the river.

Our next stop was McCall, fantastic town. Along the length of highway 55 from Boise rages the north fork of the Payette River. http://www.paddling.net/idaho/payette.html Paddlers and rafters come in droves to test their mettle on this river. On our drive up we picked up a 17 year old kayaker who was hitching a ride to his car in order to do another run of one of the more difficult sections on that stretch of the river. Route 55 runs alongside part the length of the Payette River from Boise and takes a 90 degree turn upon reaching the southern end of Payette Lake. Right at this turn is nestled the historic commercial district of McCall. I completely forgot to take a snapshot of downtown, which is quite unfortunate since it is very much a picture-worthy destination.

We headed up the west side of the lake to North Beach Boat Ramp. This is where we would spend the next three days for our kayaking clinics. While Owen was working on paddle strokes, wet-exits and hip snaps, I was venturing into a maze of boundary waters on the north side of the lake. The waters were serene and crystal clear and I was able to see to the bottom in sections that were surely over 10 feet deep. This ecosystem was teeming with wildlife and I was the sole human inhabitant as far as I could see. This was the life. I was in love.

The second evening, after 4 hours of paddling for Owen, we took a 20 mile bike ride around the lake and into town for dinner at a great little bistro that featured boccie ball in the front gardens. We arrived back at our car in the dark and the kid still had the energy to play on the moonlit shore for quite a while before we headed to our campsite.

Alas, all good things must come to an end and we headed back home via the scenic route through the mountains. We camped just outside Stanley, a town I had wanted to visit since arriving in Idaho, having heard rave reviews of it from a former New Hampshire neighbor who use to visit it every summer. With a dirt road downtown and a reputation for being the jumping off point for epic back country adventure, it exceeded my expectations. Not a single, visible housing development, one bakery/coffeehouse/restaurant, a watering hole or two and not much else. Note to self, check real estate prices upon return home.

On to antithetical Sun Valley. Ironically enough, while there I saw an historic photo of Sun Valley circa early 1900s and it looked a heck of a lot like present-day Stanley. We stopped for coffee and a book on tape and had to get out of there. The Mercedes SUV quota is ski high in Sun Valley. It was making me nervous.

One last stop in Arco for fried pickles and then we were home.

Hut to Hut Route Scout: part 1

August 3 & 4, 2007
The plan is to have a 7 day mountain bike tour through the back roads of the Salmon-Challis Nat'l Forest http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/ with the cyclists spending the nights in huts that provide food and shelter, thus enabling relatively unencumbered travel. No re-inventing the wheel here. I want to do it just like the San Juan Huts in Colorado, cheap and basic.


I had no idea what I have been missing for the past 4 1/2 years we have been Idaho residents. This previously unexplored, by me, area of southeastern Idaho is largely overlooked by the hordes who are destined for the Tetons. That is a mistake for them, a bonus for those of us looking to avoid the masses. AS BEAUTIFUL AS the Tetons without the ski resort to expose the secret, not to mention inflate the real estate prices.


There are several significant mountain ranges contained within the Samon Challis National Forest: portions of the Beaverhead and Bitterroot Ranges near the Montana border, the Lemhi, Lost River, White Knob and Pioneer Ranges further south, to name just a few. Loosely, the boundaries to this vast expanse of wilderness are route 93 running northeast, route 26 to the south, route 75 going up through Sun Valley and through to Stanley and ending somewhere north to including lower portions of the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return. The relatively small chunk this proposed bike route addresses is located between Sun Valley, Mackey and Arco.


We (Tony, Owen, Nellie, Sammo and I) scouted this route in two sections, east and west, over the course of two weekends. This first weekend we tackled the eastern portion. Although the actual bike trip will begin and end in Sun Valley, for the purposes of route-finding we began our trip in Arco, a sad and dusty town. Within 12 miles we had left sad and dusty and had entered beautiful and interesting. Remnants of history remain all along the road, Champagne Creek Rd, leading into the nat'l forest in the forms of an old cabin, water dam, mining shafts and the like. The area is riddled with rivers, streams, lakes and majestic mountain peaks with colorful names like The Devils Bedstead at 11,865 ft. and Smiley Mountain at 11,508 ft. The highest visible peak on the ride is Hyndman Peak, 12,009 ft., northeast of Sun Valley. The highest pass we climbed, 8,934 ft., was Antelope Pass along Cherry Creek Summit Rd.

The purpose of these first trips was twofold, figure out the exact route and locate potential hut sites. The route location was easy since I have been poring over maps for a while. The locations of the huts is a bit more tricky since I have to take into consideration daily mileage, nat'l forest boundaries and asthetic, flat locations, preferably hidden by trees. Each of these locations will have to be assessed by a national forest employee for environmental impact.

Weekend Trip: Driggs/Victor, ID

July 13-16, 2007
This is a standard destination for my family and I on the weekend. This was my third time this summer in the Teton Valley. Once to Driggs on my road bike. Once to Jackson ,WY to Mountain bike the Cache Creek Trail with the family and intern. Out west any trip under 100 miles is a treat. When I was living in New Hampshire, an 80 mile drive would get us well into Vermont or Massachusetts and to the Maine state line. Often, I would opt for a closer destination because I would consider that an was awfully far drive. Its all relative, eh?

The drive via Swan Valley and Pine Creek pass is the most scenic way to arrive in the Teton Valley. Much of the way is along the Snake River or Pine Creek and Targhee National Forest. Victor is the last town before enter Wyoming and is situated at the base of Teton Pass. It and Driggs are currently being ruined by short-sighted developed with seemingly no other purpose that to put as many mini-mansion as possible on every acre of land. The development is certainly keeping up with the pace of greed. Since this is "progress", I have recently decided that when we do ever manage to live IN the mountains I will choose a non-progressive locale if we are going to stay in Idaho.

We met some friends to camp for a couple of nights and go to the Music Festival at Targhee Resort. We camped off Ski Hill Rd. We did some climbing and playing in the creek building dams.

Afters Sunday's venue at the music festival we spent the night at a friend's house in Driggs. The next morning Tony rode his mountain bike back to Idaho Falls via the Big Hole Mounatains, something he has wanted to do for years. I took Owen over to Jackson Hole to play in the Snake River with his kayak before heading back home.

Roadtrip: Bozeman, MT

Independence Day Celebration: No loud bangs, no crowds
July 4-8, 2007

One of my favorite summer rituals is our annual camping trip to Bozeman. It's not real rugged camping, since we actually stay at a campground and make frequent trip to the Co-op for its organic offerings and refuge from the intense Montana summer sun. We actually managed to talk our friends into forgoing Luxuristan (i.e. the Marriott) for a taste of the plebeian, tree-hugging life. I think they had fun and weren't just faking it. Right, Heather? I know all the kids loved it. How can any man-made, pay-to-participate activity trump hours of dam building in the campside creek? Besides, we did not make them mount their bikes for any of those multi-hour treks that we have talked ouselves into believing that they enjoy as much as we do. We also took along our summer intern, Topher. He also seemed to enjoyed it but regretted the lack of cell phone reception in the canyon. The girlfriend thing, you know. Hmmmm.

We rode our mountain bikes, ran single track trails, ate good food, and slept in the cool mountain air. What better way is there to celebrate American Independence? Certainly not sitting on a blanket surrounded by a cesspool of humanity oohing and aahing over ridiculous fireworks. A little judgemental, eh?

This is the third summer I have rendezvoused in Bozeman with my good friend and former NH neighbor, Emily a.k.a. Emmo. Emily was enrolled in a Masters of Science Education program through the university in Bozeman that required her to spend consecutive summers in residence living the college life after so many years. She has graduated. Congratulations Emily. Now she gets a big fatty raise compliments of Conval school District! Try not to spend it all in one place Emily. Maybe spend a little on a ticket to Moab during winter break to meet up with your former neighbors? Just an idea. http://www.expedia.com/

Tony and Owen headed back to Idaho Falls with Topher and the Bruemmers and I stayed an extra 1 1/2 days to go ride with Emily on her weekend off.

Our first ride was sweet. We went up Hyalite Canyon past the reservoir to the Emerald Lake Trailhead. This trail was perfectly rideable singletrack that switchbacked up to an alpine basin. We did not tarry long at the lake due to the carniverous nature of the mosqitoes. The description on my map of this ride says it will make you "giggle like a school girl". Yep. Upon arrival back at the truck the heavens opened and it hailed to beat the band. Good timing. See photo.

Our second ride was less technical but equally as beautiful and longer. Across from our campground in the Hyalite Canyon is a is the Moser Creek Trailhead. We connected this short loop to the Bozeman Creek Road (the lower portion of the Mystic Lake trail).

San Juan Hut to Hut Trip

Durango to Moab, 215 miles, 26,000 vertical feet of climbing..yeeha!
june 21-27, 2007

http://www.sanjuanhuts.com/
This was the third time I've cycled the San Juan Huts system. The first time, in 1998, was the Ladies Trip and we rode the Telluride to Moab route. The second time, the same route in 2003, was with a friend from NH and we shared the huts with 3 twentysomething boys from California. They were a hoot.

This time was the best and the most difficult. I did the Durango to Moab route with my husband, dad, sister and brother-in-law. The trip was a 10 yr anniversary celebration for my husband and me. Not so romantic but way fun. My dad was amazing. After 4-5 strenuous hours on the bike he insisted on making the dinner each evening. Who were we to argue? Did I mention he is almost 70 yrs old? Did I mention he carried enough gear for a 3 week trip in mid-winter, ON HIS BACK.


Many people have written of their SJH adventures so I will not give a day by day report. For lots of info go the the SJH website or google the subject to read individual accounts of the trials and tribulations. The best reads come from those poor souls who booked trips in September and got caught in nasty weather, unprepared. There is always nasty weather in September. Be prepared. Physically, of course but more importantly, mentally. Seven days of slogging through sleet and muck and pushing a mud-laden bike up 26,000 feet of mountains must certainly be a mind fuck. No thanks. I choose to go in the height of summer. I am wise.