Last night, we had the storm of storms come across the Palouse. It was a quick, but powerful cell the big lightning strikes every few seconds that produced enough power to disrupt phone service (land line) each time a bolt struck the ground. Luckily, we had no major power surges and all of the electronics in the house work just fine. But the ligntning and thunder show was both awesome and a bit frightening. I stood outside with the camera as the storm approached, but quickly retreated into the house as the storm came atop of me. Winds picked up and the temperature dropped twenty degrees. Unfortunately, as with all scattered storms, the effects were short-lived. As the storm passed and the winds died down, the heat came back, but at least it wasn’t nearly as hot as it was during the day.
I tried to get some shots of the storm leaving the area, but I had waited too long to get any good lighning shots with the barn in the foreground. This represents my first successful lightning photography. The last try failed to capture the bolts, but did capture that amazing red sunset.
Escaping the Heat at over 6000 feet. This view is from Crater Peak. Below is Crater Lake and Lookout Mountain is the rocky peak in the distance.
While the east coast has contended with an earthquake and a hurricane, we have been enduring our summer heat wave, temperatures in excess of 90 degrees. It rarely gets to 95 out here, but when it does, it’s brutal. Of course, when it’s in the mid-90’s up on the Palouse, it’s over 100 down in Lewiston. Currently, our weather station reads 98 outside and 92 inside.
We don’t have air conditioning. There’s really no need for it. While it’s in the 90’s now, at night, it will cool off below 70, sometimes getting downright chilly. We wake up in the morning and the house is quite comfortable. It’s also only this unbearably hot for maybe 2 weeks out of the year. But this brings up some the question: how do we beat the heat? During the week, the answer is simple. I work in the lab. But I go home as the temperature has crested and the temperatures are still fairly brutal. The house, made of cinder block, holds that heat for a good time into the night, so as the sun sets, it can still be uncomfortable inside while very nice out. It does help keep the house from getting too cold in the middle of the night. So how do I beat the heat? Here are a few ways:
1. Seek Shade.
I know what you’re thinking… What? 98 is 98, and 98 is hot in the shade or not. But here in Idaho, we don’t have the humidity levels seen by much of the eastern half of the country, and while 98 is brutal in the beating sunshine regardless of humidity, it does make all the difference in the shade. It is also the reason why the night cools down so much. Water is very good at holding its temperature, and it takes quite a bit of energy to change it. In Virginia, where the 95 degree day would be accompanied by a balmy 70-90% humidity, the sun heats up that moisture in the air, and that moisture retains the heat well into the night. Because the air is saturated, liquid, such as sweat, doesn’t evaporate as readily and you feel miserable. In contrast, the humidity reading out here is 18%, and with less water in the air to hold that heat, temperatures plummet as the sun goes down. But this also works in the shade too. So, 98 in the shade outside, especially with a nice breeze, is a much different place than 98 in the direct sun.
But 98 is still 98, and dammit, I need to cool off.
2. Cool off in Water
Yesterday, we had our annual Bio Department float trip on the Snake River. I was a bit worried that the 100+ degree temperatures were going to pose health risks being out in the sun all day with no shade. But it turned out to be quite a pleasant ride down the river. I have no idea what the actual water temperature was in the river, but I was so hot in the sun that the initial dip was chilling. But almost immediately, I acclimated and the water felt good – not too hot, and not too cold. I also wore a shirt the whole time, which I kept damp and that helped keep me cool out of the water.
It was good to be on the water again. I haven’t done any river activities since leaving camp last summer, and I miss it, especially since the rivers here have enough flow in late summer to run and still have fun. And the scenery is different. It’s new. The canyon walls are so fun to look at. I think I’ve run the same section of the Shenandoah so many times that I’ve gotten bored with it.
I have no desire to submerge myself in the Snake River again. While it felt good, the water is pretty dirty and gross. After all, it has been flowing from the Tetons, past the cities, farms and cattle feed lots of southern Idaho. I can only imagine how dirty the water gets downstream of Lewiston where we add shipping traffic to the mix. The nearest water sources to home are the Potlatch River at Little Boulder Creek or Elk River. The Potlatch River would be a good place take the dogs to wade in the water. It’s not really deep enough to swim. Elk River has a little swimming hole below the upper falls and might be good to check out, though the water originates high up in the mountains and I hear it’s quite cold.
In Virginia, we would hit up one of the swimming holes on the creeks coming down the Blue Ridge in Shenandoah National Park. While these creeks weren’t fed by snow melt, they did take on ground water throughout their journey to the Shenandoah River, and so the temperature of the streams was probably 50-60 degrees, or quite fidgid. But on a 90+ degree humid day, a dip in the cold water felt refreshing.
3. Head up in elevation.
When summer camp came around, I generally had a 2-week session (7-8th grade, or 9-12th grade) during the hottest weeks. We couldn’t really change our trips around the weather, so we had to make due and work with what we had. Backpacking in the heat is no fun, and backpacking with a bunch of students who don’t usually do this for fun in the heat is no fun. Our philosophy was to teach the kids leadership and responsibility and let them choose and plan their own trip. But I was able to slyly craft my suggestions into their plans. I’d often convince them that a hike in the central district of Shenandoah National Park was the way to go: best views, most attractions, and, most of all, highest elevations. Nearly all of the AT in the central district is above 3500 feet, with high spots reaching 4000 feet. That’s almost 3000 feet higher than camp, and more importantly, at least 10 degrees cooler than camp. So if it was supposed to be 90 in Luray, it would be around 80 up on the trail. Pretty crafty.
Last weekend, it was a brutal 85 here at home in Deary (elevation 2800). So I loaded the dogs into the car and we took a drive up to Freezeout Saddle (elevation ~6000). The car read 71 degrees. It was wonderful. 70 in the sun out here can be quite warm, but when we retreated into the shade of the trees, I thought I might need a jacket. Boy, did it feel good. We actually drove past Freezeout Saddle because I wanted to see what was beyond and maybe even hike out to Lookout Mountain (elevation 6800). The road was quite rocky and slow, but nothing the Subaru couldn’t handle. It did take me an extra hour to go the extra 11 miles (I think it was 11), and when I got to the trailhead at 4, I figured it was too late to start an 8-mile hike. There are some nice facilities up there. At Crater Peak, there is a picnic and camping area, and another couple of sites just down the road at Crater Saddle. And at the trailhead to Lookout Mountain, there is another little campground. All of these are primitive, but they come with picnic tables and fire rings and a relatively new pit toilet. Instead of hiking, we kept driving on FS 301 taking it all the way to Avery and the St. Joe River. We came home on the paved road via St. Maries. The point is, if you can go up in elevation, do it. With today’s 95 degree temperatures, it’ll probably be 80 up at the saddle.
So here I am, trying to decide how I want to cool off. Do I go swimming, or do I head up to higher elevations? Both require me to get into the hot car and waste gas. And here’s the other caveat, by the time I get anywhere, the sun may have fallen enough to provide me with the evening refuge. Maybe today I’ll just endure the heat and wait it out for sunset. Indecision sucks.
The heat wave is supposed to break in a couple of days, and we’ll be looking at much cooler temperatures for next weekend’s backpacking trip in the Eagle Cap Wilderness.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending three nights in Idaho’s Seven Devils. The devils are a series of craggy peaks between the Salmon and Snake river canyons. They rise over 7000 feet above the rivers and offer spectacular views and recreation opportunities, and for about three months of the year, they are accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
I went camping with seven other graduate students from the department and we had a blast hiking, fishing, enjoying the scenery, and spending time in the outdoors. We left Moscow Thursday afternoon and made it to Riggins by early evening. All descriptions of the road to the Seven Devils campground were way off. We were prepared for narrow, steep, unmaintained driving suitable for high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. While the first half of the drive was steep, the road was quite wide, enough for two cars to pass each other, and the surface was fairly smooth for a gravel road. I think anyone could make this drive in just about any car. We ascended for 17 miles, and when we popped out of the forest in to the alpine meadow, it became apparent that this place was going to be awesome.
The first thing I noticed was the carpet of flowers through the grassy field. And then the view; wow, we were high up. We hit Windy Saddle during that golden evening light, but rather than start photographing, we had to secure ourselves a campsite. To our surprise, the trailhead parking was pretty full, and so was the campground just beyond. We found a spot that seemed like it would work, though I don’t think it was an official campsite. So Tim and I drove over to the horse facilities to find several of the sites open. When I went back to inform the rest of the group, they had found an open site, but it wasn’t very optimal. On our way back to get Tim and look at the sites in the horse facilities, we ended up finding two more sites, one of which was tucked away from the road near the lake. That ended up being our site for the three nights. We got camp set up just as darkness fell over the mountain.
Our campsite was quite optimal. For one, we were away from the main hustle and bustle. Many of the other sites were within visibility of neighboring sites, and we were afraid that we’d be too loud for other campers. Our site was tucked away, next to the trail to Seven Devils Lake. From the site, we could see a giant 1000+ foot cliff towering overhead. The morning sun bathed the rock and made for a most spectacular view to wake up to. Though as much as I tried, I failed to wake in time to catch the pink alpenglow the first two mornings. I did make it to the lake for some fairly early morning shots.
Friday morning, Tim and I drove out to the Heaven’s Gate Lookout before everyone else had gotten up. Though we missed the early morning light, we had a pretty spectacular view and brought back some good images of the mountains and the canyons. Later that day, we all packed our day bags and headed over to Sheep Lake. Normally, this would be a 12-mile hike, but the unofficial climber’s route drops the trip down to two. This trail is very steep and very strenuous. In half a mile, we must have gained nearly 1000 feet to the first pass on a trail made from loose rock and gravel. Once on top, there is a spectacular view of the Tower of Babel and Mirror Lake. Then there’s a fairly steep decline to Sheep Lake. It took us two hours to hike two miles, but it was worth it. Sheep Lake is the largest lake in the Seven Devils and it is surrounded by four of the seven peaks: He Devil, She Devil, Mt. Baal, and the Tower of Babel. A few of us had planned to make the scramble to the top of some of these, but after the strenuous hike over with the return trip looming, we decided it was going to be too much to do in one day. So we spent the afternoon lounging and fishing around Sheep Lake. The hike back isn’t nearly as bad as the hike out since the incline isn’t as high or steep. However, because this is an unmarked trail, it’s easy to follow a false path, and this slowed us down quite a bit. I’m not sure how others make this route with full packs, but I don’t think I want to give it a try.
Since we were all tired and sore from Friday’s hike, we spent Saturday relaxing at camp. Some of the group spent the day fishing at Seven Devils lake, but there was no major activity. I headed to the Heaven’s Gate Lookout in the afternoon with Tyler and Genevive, and returned again at sunset with everyone else. The hike to Heaven’s Gate is only .3 miles and very easy to a fire tower with a 360-degree view of the surrounding area: Seven Devils to the south, Hells Canyon and the Wallowa Mountains to the west, The Salmon River canyon, Frank Church Wilderness, and the Bitterroot mountains to the East, and the Snake River Canyon and Cottonwood Butte area to the north. At 8300 feet, I don’t think I could get tired of that view.
Sunday morning, I finally got up early enough to catch the pink light on the mountain behind Seven Devils Lake. The color was so good that I want to return and capture it from the lookout. In fact, the Seven Devils is quite easy to get to, so I may return for more trips. I certainly would like to return and backpack the devils. There aren’t a lot of day-hiking destinations from Windy Saddle, so an overnight trip would get me to more lakes, more views, and maybe even up one or more of the peaks. However, if you only have a day to kill, it’s worth driving to the top to get the view from Heaven’s Gate.
There’s a new book in my bookstore. I finally got around to completing 2010: A Year of Change, Vol. 2. Volume 1 followed the first half of the year as I finished working in Virginia, got married and prepared to leave the eastern United States. Volume 2 continues the journey, starting with a visit to Idaho in February to visit the school and the area, then the road trip from Maryland to Moscow, and some exploration around my new home as we settled in and started school. Pick up your copy by clicking on the badge below.
The past week, my parents were in town visiting and we spent the week exploring and showing them our favorite places in the area. We’d usually leave fairly early in the morning and get back kinda late, always exhausted. As a result, I haven’t been able to post some detailed updates on the awesome places that we’ve been. I’ll try to summarize the week here.
Saturday, July 23: Picked my parents up from the Lewiston airport. Turns out, there was some kind of airplane festival going on so we decided to have a look. There were planes out on the tarmack for people to check out, mostly navy planes, but still neat to see them up close. It was hot and out in the open, so we didn’t stay long. We had lunch in Lewiston before making the scenic drive back to our house.
Sunday: We started out the morning hiking the Potlatch River Trail near Little Boulder Creek in Helmer. It’s the little 5.5 mile loop behind us. We did the whole loop and it was much easier than the last time when there was still snow on the trail. We spent the afternoon in Moscow taking care of some shopping and other errands to prepare for the rest of the week.
. This is a great place to bring the family. It’s a short walk from the parking area to the “mine” where $10 gets you the privilage to sift through dirt and sand looking for the prized star garnet. Emerald Creek is one of two places in the world to find star garnets, the other being a place in India. We came home with some nice garnet pieces and later in the week, took them to the local rock shop to have them looked at. Turns out, we had a couple of star garnets, one of which was nice enough to cut into a pendant. After rock hunting, I took everyone to the Hobo Cedar Grove to walk among the awesome forest and big trees.
Tuesday: We went to Spokane to shop and explore the city. After dropping a friend off at the airport, we headed to Manito Park where the botanical gardens are and finally got to see them in full bloom. Then we headed ot REI where Erin traded in her hiking boots for another pair that should hopefully be more comfortable. Surprisingly, I was good on this trip and didn’t buy anything. Then we went downtown to check it out. I was interested in Huppins, the local camera and electronics shop. I was disappointed to find they were more of a TV and stereo dealer than a camera shop. Looks like the nearest pro photography store might be in Seattle. We had dinner at Anthony’s, overlooking the falls and finished the evening with a walk through Riverside Park. Did I mention that we saw a moose on the way into the city?
Wednesday: We had one “big” hike planned for the week, and for this trip, we kept it local and headed up to Freezeout Saddle. My initial goal was to hike to Lookout Mountain, but we ran into snow on the road that forced us to turn around and hike Grandmother Mountain instead. Last year, we hiked up there in early September and the area was showing signs of Autumn. Now, in late July, the area was showing signs of early Spring with tons of wildflowers in bloom including Beargrass! But what really surprised us was the ammount of snow up there so late in the season. I would expect a few patches here and there in some cool shady areas, but we were climbing over some good-sized mounds on the trail. The last push for the summit was nearly entirely on a snowfield under the trees. As a result, we stopped at Grandmother and did not continue to Grandfather Mountain on this trip. Nevertheless, that area is beautiful and quite awesome and a great place to go to beat the heat. I’m reminded that there’s such a short window to enjoy the high country between the time the snow melts enough to get up there and it becomes blocked off again by the next winter’s arrival.
Thursday: We can’t have visitors without taking them to Elk River. It’s such a neat place and so close that it’s impossible to pass up. We started at the Elk River Falls, hiking our usual route backward by starting at the lower falls and ending at the upper, giving the dogs a chance to swim in the pool below the upper falls before hiking back to the car. Then we stopped in the town itself to get some of their famous Huckleberry ice cream. Finally, we headed out to the giant cedar to show my dad… well… the giant cedar. Unfortunately, the road to the Morris Creek Cedar Grove has been closed all season for construction, so it looks like we’ll have to wait until next year to check it out.
Friday: We took a down day, spent the morning at home, and the afternoon in Moscow walking around town since most of the shops were closed on Sunday when we were in. We had one last nice dinner at Nectar and then headed to Lewiston where my parents were spending the night to catch a 5:30 am flight the next morning. And thus concludes a week of exploring the sights of the Moscow area.
