Frank-Church
Wilderness, Idaho-
Located outside of Salmon, Idaho, hiking in the Frank-Church
River-of-no-return Wilderness is
the closest to being alone in
nature I have ever been. We have gone twice over Labor Day the last two
years. The first year we hiked to Harbor and Wilson Lakes and
it
snowed the entire time we were there. We met a group of fisherman who
kept a fire going and caught some
big trout. They recommended the
Wind-River Mountains in Wyoming for more of the same.
This year we hiked in 11.5 miles to Ship Island Lake and we were the only ones there for days! We could see the fish swimming to our line in the clear alpine lake and climbed the crags to see just how big the wilderness was. It was cold at night, and the air was thin. Next time we plan to go with some pack goats to help carry supplies and to slow our ascent to get used to the elevation. One thing I love about this hike is you can bring your dogs and pack animals, which isn't so common in Washington State.
This year we hiked in 11.5 miles to Ship Island Lake and we were the only ones there for days! We could see the fish swimming to our line in the clear alpine lake and climbed the crags to see just how big the wilderness was. It was cold at night, and the air was thin. Next time we plan to go with some pack goats to help carry supplies and to slow our ascent to get used to the elevation. One thing I love about this hike is you can bring your dogs and pack animals, which isn't so common in Washington State.
