Idaho was once described by early surveyors as a “geographic monstrosity”. The pictures below surely do not give justice to that statement. I mention it because these images were captured at what is essentially Idaho’s only North South State highway chokepoint, White Bird summit on Highway 95. Essentially this is the one spot a proper … More Rainbows On The Salmon Breaks
Photo journey of a backcountry adventure in our backyard here in Central Idaho last Fall. Road based, this far away route takes you over 7 summit crossings. First block of shots showcase Pilot Peak, with views into the South Fork Salmon river breaks and the Lick Creek sub-range of the Salmon River Mountains in the … More 5 Days 7 Summits
In my ongoing effort to control the spread of beetle kill, I hired the skilled folks at Acker Tree Service to come in and take out some of the infested trees that are too complicated for me to take out myself. If you can get to the trees soon enough, burn, cover with plastic, or … More Spar On The Lake
Water flows all day ~ A creek makes its own path down ~ Snake to the river ~
After 18 years living in central Idaho, I FINALLY made the trek to City of Rocks National Reserve. What took me so long? Well, so much to see, so little time I suppose. Now that I have been, I already have plans to build another road trip around an extended stay at City of Rocks. … More Granite Paradise: City of Rocks National Reserve
Winter in the Salmon River mountains of Central Idaho covers up so much of what we love in the backcountry; colorful plants, insects (there’s a few if you pay attention), birds (the ravens, owls, goshawks, woodpeckers, and some resident song birds stick around), fast moving creeks, unique rock formations, archeological sites and so much … More Take a hike with me: South Bruin
The views on the East side of Lick Creek never disappoint. Everywhere you look there is a gnarly rocky chute, a prominent chunk of vertical granite, or a U-shaped hanging valley with a waterfall finding its way to the valley floor. Lick creeks headwaters form at Lick Creek summit, and flows 3000 feet down into the … More Moon On The Mountain
I recently spent a couple nights with an old friend at Buttercup campground on Lake Cascade. After 40 plus days with no measurable precipitation, 2 days of cloud cover and passing bands of moderate rain were a welcome sign of the waning summer days here in central Idaho.
I recently added another mountain top to my collection, Box peak (8240 ft. and unnamed on many maps). Box is the prominent peak to the North and East, as seen from downtown McCall, Idaho and Payette lake. It resides in the Salmon River Mountains in the Lick Creek subrange. Approach is a very straightforward hike … More Mountain Pose ~ Box Peak ~
