Idaho and the Sawtooths

Last time we saw my aunt Sherrie and uncle Rod, they invited us to stop in to see them anytime we found ourselves near Boise, Idaho. So, we made a point of making our way there this summer. Our friends Jay and Eunice were eager to get together for a backpacking/camping trip and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine the two!

We drove 13 hours straight to get from Eureka to Boise and were warmly welcomed by aunt Sherrie. We stayed there a couple of nights: ate delicious elk hamburgers and peach ice cream, swam in their pool to beat the heat and talked and visited a whole bunch. It's always so good to see family.

Next we headed to Stanley (the gateway to the Sawtooths, surprinsingly not the Sawteeth) to meet J + E. We had our packs all loaded with warm clothes and lots of food. We drove to Redfish lake where we caught a boat shuttle to the other side of the lake. We hiked for a little over an hour at a mild pace with mild incline; then we went straight up for what seemed like an eternity. It was grueling, but once we hit the Saddleback lakes we knew it was well worth the effort. We found a great campsite and settled in for dinner and hot chocolate!

We spent two nights there and one more night car camping at Lola campsite. It was fun and crazy! The time went by so quickly- we were sad to say goodbye to E and Jay.

We drove back to Boise to visit with uncle Rod and cousin Joe who had just returned from an exciting fishing trip in Alaska. They had lots of stories to tell, pictures and videos to share. It was thrilling to see the bears and the bear cubs! It was also great to finally meet Amy, Joe's wife. She is as lovely as in the pictures we had seen and glowing even more now that she is expecting their first child- a boy!

The trip felt too short and we could have visited much more. As usual I missed key picture-taking moments. Somehow I didn't get any with the family- I guess I was just too relaxed and felt so at home.... silly girl!

Here are the pictures of the hike/camping!