ICT East alternate route

it was planned as a 30+ mile section of the Idaho Centennial Trail, East alternate route, from near
Alturas Lake, through Johnson Creek, over to Emma Creek, up Emma Creek to Big Smoky Creek, then down FR215 to Highway 75 below Galena Summit.   Jerry and I planned it for Labor Day weekend.   We started on Sunday, August 31st, at the trailhead near Alturas Lake.   things went well for the first 6 miles or so.  We reached the Idaho Centennial Trail near Mattingly Divide, and were on the main ICT for just a half mile or so before reaching the junction with the ICT East trail going into the Johnson Creek drainage.   About a mile and half down this trail, my ankle suddenly gave way beneath me.   My momentum caused me to do a complete somersault, and I landed on my back with my feet facing down the slope.   Fortunately I didn't continue to roll.   The damage was done, however.   My ankle was severely strained though not broken.   Through the rest of the afternoon I hobbled on down the trail.   Our campsite was not the greatest (see previous post) and the next morning we continued on.   We had accepted that we would not get done by Tuesday and were trying to figure out how to get a message out to our wives.    As the day progressed, it became apparent that I was not going to get even to the half way point of the hike.   We decided to come off the trail at Emma Creek, where it meets the South Fork of the Boise road (NFD road 079).      We were helped by Roger and Mary Ann on their ATV.   They got us down the road to a Methodist church camp where we were able to send messages out by satellite internet.   Jerry's wife and son came to the rescue.    Sometimes it's better to live to hike another day......


pictures here....

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0ActGbJq2YsWrDTA

Site selection

Sometimes home for the night is what you make of it. 

Not the most ideal sleeping spot. this person-sized depression up slope from a tree was where I made camp. 

Jerry's spot down the hill from me was only slightly better.

 I need to improve at taking "selfies", but this is the morning after I rolled my ankle and the pain is showing through. this shot shows the angle of the slope. Believe it or not this was the best camp location we could find in that stretch of trail

Better than Television

This particular evening, the campfire is more for entertainment value than warmth......

Lick Creek Road

this is the start of another walking project 

on Saturday I drove up to McCall, then about 30 miles east on Lick Creek Road, as far as the Secesh River.    This is where the ICT crosses the road at Ponderosa Campground.   

I mapped out an 11 mile stretch of Lick Creek Road, starting from the ICT, to the west up to the summit of Lick Creek Road.    Elevation gain is about 2,400 feet.

walked 6 miles (3 x 2) Saturday evening, and found a free campsite with a fire ring!   the campfire was more for entertainment value than for warmth.   a campfire is way better than television any day!

on Sunday I walked the remaining 16 miles (8 x 2) up to the summit and back.   The road was not terribly steep, it was just a steady grade uphill.    I moved the car three times, each time walking up roughly an hour and then back.   

Meal preparation

DIY dehydrated meals

here is my meal preparation for an upcoming hike.

there are 5 meals, and 5x2 = 10 grits packets for 5 breakfasts.

each meal has 2 cups each of the dehydrated soup + 1 cup of Minute Rice

the flavors are 1 Black Bean soup  1 Pilaf Chicken  2  Tortilla soup  1  White Bean & Pasta

the flavor packets are inside the bags. 

for a couple of them I added an extra half scoop of rice. 

they can be rehydrated directly in the ziploc bags, but from experience they are a pain to eat out of.   that's why I carry a "My Fair Share"  32 ounce Lexan cup.   

all I do is boil water and stir. 

season with salsa packets or Tabasco.

somewhere in Idaho

Sawtooth flashback

I think this was our first day hike into the Sawtooth Wilderness.    This is from the summer of 2001.    We were camped at Stanley Lake.   sons Steven and Dan were 10 and 14 at the time.