Hike from this weekend...

My first Wilderness backpack trip.

Took some of my wrestlers into the Selway-Bitterroot on Saturday morning for an over-nighter.

Left the truck at 8:45am.

11 miles up an old road (pre-wilderness construction) to Bass Lake Dam. It is 8 miles past the Wilderness boundry.

100° heat. My pack was 44 pounds on my 145 pound carcass spelled out a long 12 miles.

We stopped and swam at the dam and then headed around the lake to our little spot.

GREAT fishing. GREAT swimming. GREAT full moon. Cool pics taken in the dark with a 30 second delay.

Great hike out. 2 hours of hike time taken off our exit yesterday afternoon. LOL

All tough and ready to go....don't know what's about to hit them. LOL


3 miles in...no probs so far...but the young-ans not so tough looking now, are they?


Not hot is it?

Not tired (when my pack is off). LOL






After about 9 miles...you can finally see the waterfalls coming out of the dam.

Looking back down the valley.






That pool is over 15 feet deep, believe it or not. About 50 degrees on the surface, and about 45° at 5 feet deep.

Looking back down at the dam as we move on.



We're headed to the far end.




THIS is the spot. One of the only sandy beaches on the whole lake.


Looking WAY back at the dam...and St. Joe's Peak on the left of the dam.

Time for some fun.

And WHO catches the biggest one? LOL











Time to cook:

It got cold FAST when the sun went down an hour earlier than in the valley...but we had almost 3 hours of dusk. VERY cool.

We SLAYED the fish on flies. I can't tell you how many I turned loose.

awesome pics.

cool pics.. great to get those kids out there..

This thread makes me want to throw on a pack!!!

This is my first post EVER!!!!! I usually just read and look at pics.... Breath taking... Oh my..... Simply amazing...... I love your pictures. My hub and I love to hike and see beautiful places. We like to invision us playing on our sleds in all the areas we find hiking. Very cool, looks like a lot of FUN!!!!

Good on you for getting the youngsters away from the TV and Vid games. It's gooooood for them, (sweat, complaining, worn out, etc)

Great pics of some beautiful country!!!!!!!

awsome way to spend the day Scott !!!

Taken @ 11:00 at night with a 30 second exposure.

Full moon.


I just sat the camera up on a rock above camp and took one looking back at the dam, down at camp with everyone sleeping, and even back to the west at some snow patches.

looking east toward the dam


Snow up high.


western shoreline


My favorite...looking down at camp.

thats it scott work em like a rented mule, teaches em character and work ethic, i do the same with my boy and from lookin at teenagers know a days you can really tell,

Those night shots are Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! Get some shots of the sunrise if possible. Those would be even more beautiful if you can get them.

Zipped the bag shut and closed off the top and tucked way down inside.

I slept in a hoody, long sleeve T shirt, beanie hat, fleece leggins, socks and wind pants...INSIDE my bag...and I shivered until the sun hit my bag...then I slept better once it warmed up. LOL


Yesterday morning at 9:45 when I finally came out of my cocoon.








Left camp after a couple more swims and some fishing. Left about 1:00.

I see a chute to climb.


Looking back at camp site:






Looking ahead toward the damn...and one last good swim. OKAY, maybe two more swims.

"Making" some water along the way. Found out when we hit bottom it was 100°.


Back down lower in the canyon.






Back at the truck.
25 miles round trip....and it's still easier than wrestling practice though. LOL

sweet pics Scott! almost as good as mine lol. jk those night pics were really cool! looks like it was alot of fun!

awesome pics Scott.

really cool pics. wish i could have went. probably still be up there though.

rare breed said:

really cool pics. wish i could have went. probably still be up there though.

Click to expand...

No. You don't. Not really.

Woke up yesterday morning to give my baby a bottle about 6:15...and my wife says "Hey, did you put your campfire out before you left yesterday?"

I look outside between St. Joe's Peak and Sawtooth ridge...and there's a BIG plume of smoke...almost right ontop of where the lake would be. OMFG...my heart went ape schiiit.

I thought, there goes my freedom, my reputation, my dignity...my job....HOLY CRAP!!!!!! Well, time to man up and greet the sherrif at the door when he arrives. I tried to go back to bed after giving Sophie the bottle and wasn't even close to falling back to sleep.

I was going through it in my mind. I KNOW I pissed that fire out when I went to bed at 11:00 after taking the night shots. I KNOW we didn't put anything on it in the morning and restart it. We were at camp for 13 hours after I pissed it out. We built the fire in a huge rock outcropping and there wasn't ANY combustible withing 50 feet of it. The firering (it was already there) had huge walls...3 to 4 rocks deep and thick. Nothing could crawl out. It was well contained. There is no WAY we started a fire.............is there? There is always the chance something got away, I guess. CRAP!!!!!!!!!!

I went and got on Google Earth to line up the peaks with my view from the house...I felt a little better cause it looked to be a few hundred yards east of the lake..which is in the next drainage over. I'm still sweating bullets. FAWK this is not a good thing.

I tried to get ahold of a guy I knew who took some fisherment in there from Pennsylvania on Sunday to tell him about it. I'd seen him on the trail on the way out on Sunday. He was already on his way in with the horses to get out his dudes. Wow. EVERYONE's gonna know I started a forest fire. I am so screwed.

I finally called the Stevi Ranger Station when they opened up...(THAT was a LONG wait until 8:00)..and they informed me that it was in the Clearwater Forest just over the state line in Idaho. And that it WAS indeed lightning caused (had a big dry lightning storm last week). The fire is only about a mile from the lake though, from my understanding.

MAN did I feel BETTER. You can't imagine the HUGE relief I felt when I hung up the phone.