Backpacking 32 Miles in the Idaho White Clouds Mountains | Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 сер 2021
- If I had more room in the title, I would've titled it as "Backpacking an insane and epic 32 rugged mile loop trail in the Idaho White Cloud Mountains." This trip was unlike anything I've ever done. It was technical, at times dangerous, and it took a lot of route finding. We devised this route and based if off a blog post we found by a couple of individuals who backpacked this similar trail a few years back. I'll link it down below. The Idaho White Clouds are an underrated range, and much less popular than the Sawtooths just a few miles to the Northwest. I would definitely check these mountains out if you are ever in Stanley, ID area.
This was our Itinerary:
Day 1 - Fourth of July Creek Trailhead to Born Lakes
Day 2 - Born Lakes to Iron Basin (We pitched camp just to the south)
Day 3 - Iron Basin to Bighorn Basin
Day 4 - Bighorn Basin to the D.O. Lee Saddle, Summit of D.O. Lee Peak, and then down to the Big Boulder Lakes. We camped at Sapphire Lake.
Day 5 - Saphire Lake to Boulder Chain Lakes via a cross country, off-trail route. Camp at Scoop Lake and then an evening hike to Lonesome Lake.
Day 6 - Scoop Lake, up Windy Devil, to the Devil's Staircase and down, and then back to Fourth of July Creek Trailhead.
In total we hiked 31.75 miles with a total moving time of 22 hours 8 minutes and a total ascent of 8,781 vertical feet. The off-trail scrambling really made it feel like so much more than that.
If you enjoyed this video, I'm planning on uploading the entire trip split into individual episodes that are more of a Vlog Style. I filmed so much more that what was shown in this video, so be sure to stay tuned for that.
Hit that like button, comment down below, and subscribe to the channel by clicking here: / @dannyjschaefer
Blog Post that we followed and owe a lot to for making this loop come together: idahoalpinezone.com/index.php?...
My favorite gear items that I used on this trip:
Hyperlite Junction 3400 Pack: bit.ly/3ngDVxz
Hyperlite Versa Fanny Pack: bit.ly/30cZkwJ
Hyperlite Shoulder Pocket: bit.ly/3rit1Zg
Tarptent ProTrail Li UL Tent: www.tarptent.com/product/prot...
Black Diamond Alpine Carbon WR Trekking Poles: bit.ly/3txb21k
Toaks 1100 ml Titanium CookPot: bit.ly/3awxW1t
Backpacking Chair: bit.ly/3xlNVsE
**Note: This description box may contain affiliate links - meaning that if you were to use one of my links and purchase a product than I would receive a small commission with no extra cost or hassle to you. This helps to support the channel, and it's much appreciated!
Thanks so much for watching the video!
"Epic" is an often over-used word, but not in this case! I could feel the danger and drama on those high, steep, scree slopes, and it was non-stop views. Amazing video of an amazing trip!
Ahh thank you so much! I agree as well that epic is an overused term, but I felt like this qualified to be described as such. This trip kind of sparked a peak bagging itch, and I can’t wait to get back out there. Thank you guys!!
Love any boulder white clouds content!
Digging this video! So want to hike that area! Great job as always!
It was beautiful! I don’t know what’s better, this or the Sawtooths.. hopefully you can get down there and check out both. Thanks Len!
That was a HELL of an ADVENTURE! Nice job on the video 👍
Thanks for being one of my cameos! It was an awesome trip!
Danny - I've been watching your videos for awhile. Moved up to the PNW this year, and you've inspired a few trips here in WA I'm hoping to knock out this backpacking season. Love your videos and excited to watch more of them in 2022!
Hey thanks Christian! Glad you’ve enjoyed the videos and that they’ve given you some ideas of places to visit! That’s what the channel is always about so I really appreciate this comment, and for you always giving the videos a check. Let me know if you have any questions anytime if you’re planning on doing some of the trips that we’ve done here on the channel. Thanks again, and cheers to 2022!
Always like it when videos show the route on a map. Looking forward to the detailed videos. -Lynnette
Thanks so much Lynette! Can’t wait to make the other ones and share them.
Another great video Danny!!!! White Clouds are now on my list for this year. We did the Alice/Toxiway last year & fell in love with the area. Keep inspiring us Danny🌲
Hey good deal! This is one of my most favorite trips to date, and wherever you decide to go in the White Clouds I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. It's crazy scenic and is a beautiful spot. Thanks so much for the view, the comment, and for the support to the channel!!
Nice.
2.31 😳 That view is stunning!
That was Antz Basin and was hands down one of the best views of the trip! Thanks for checking out the video!
Looks like a blast man! Even the rain! Hahahaha
Thanks dude! I was really trying to keep my patience there on camera. Haha
MY FRIENDS AND I DID THE TRIP TO WALKER LAKE AND CAMPED THERE SEVERAL TIMES BUT THEN DID DAY HIKES ABOVE TO FISH COVE, SAFFIRE AND CIRCE LAKES, GREAT FISHING
Oh man it’s a beautiful area for sure. Sapphire Lake was one of the highlights of the trip. My buddy caught a nice fish out of there! Thanks for watching!
WC is probably one of my favorite areas to offtrail and get away. Have done that route and many others. Castle Peak is a must next time
That's awesome. It was my first time down there, and I already want to go back to explore more of the southern portion.. including Castle Peak. Assuming you've done it, how technical is the climb? Thanks for watching!
@@DannyJSchaefer Yes. We did the climb last year - ua-cam.com/video/pfpkzMdXyeY/v-deo.html - Non-technical class3 but requires some routefinding
New sub ! Liked 😊😉😆🔥🙏
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Looking for 6-7 night trip, what time of year did you do this? Certainly looked like there were some good scrambles and a peaks to summit, my friends and I love a challenge.Didn't look like it was overly crowded? Would love it if I could pin your route down.
Hey Amy! Sorry for taking a little while to get back to you. We did it a couple of years back from July 18th-July 26th. There were some excellent scrambles and going up and over DO Lee Peak from Bighorn Basin to the Big Boulder Lakes is one of my most climbs out of everywhere I've been. It looks intimidating but is doable and I highly recommend it. We only ran into a handful of people, and the off-trail stuff we did there was no one. I'd tracked the entire route, and would be happy to email you over the GPX file of if that would help. Shoot me over an email and I'd be happy to. You can find it in my 'about' section on the main channel page. Thanks for the comment!
@@DannyJSchaefer
Is that road in the beginning pole creek?
I’m sorry I don’t remember the road name.
I’m doing the same route in 3 weeks. Where can I get a map of the route you took?
Awesome! This is my favorite trip to date. Hopefully the snow melts away a little for you. Will you send me an email and I'll forward the map on to you? If you have Gaia GPS I can share the route. You can find the email on my channel page in the 'About' section at the bottom.
@@DannyJSchaefer you bet. I’ll DM you on instagram.
Excellent video and all info. Thank you for filming it!!!!
CAMP AT SAFFIRE LAKE .. GREAT FISHING