I was in Boise for a couple weeks on business. I drove from there to Stanley at the gate of the Sawtooth National Forest. I did a couple day hikes to Alpine Lake and Bridal Veil Falls. The mosquitoes were ferocious in the campground. I have always been affected by altitude in the mountains but the Sawtooths are fairly low. The valleys are in the 7 to 8000 foot range and the peaks go up to the mid 10's.
Then over to Mackay close to Mount Borah. I attempted to go up Mount Borah but was wiped out by the initial climb. I was kind of upset by the whole deal. I stopped in Mackay and asked about camps sites up on Borah's ridge and was told there were not any. There ended up being some great spots, if I would have known I would have carried by bivy gear up high and slept. The first few miles up Borah is a 45 degree slog up dirt. I think I was strong enough to make it up to the peak but with my knee I think my strength would have given out on the trail back down. I will go back, absolutely beautiful. I was up to about 11500 on Borah.
I found an online guide for a traverse of the Lost River range and it describes very little water. I think in the next few years I will give it a go in a mid June time period where there would still be snow to melt.
I was checking out these areas on the way back to north Texas. I had time to do a few day backpacking trip around Santa Fe which I put in the Trip Report forum
