Backpacking… sort of

ByMatt

It’s good to be back on the trail. Backpacking has been absent from my life for quite some time, and I am excited to change that. On this trip, I hiked 2.5 miles and 1500 feet up to a forest service fire lookout that has been converted into a cabin for rent.

Shorty Peak tops out at an elevation of around 6500 feet above sea level with a view that is as spectacular as it sounds. The mountain is located in Idaho’s Selkirk Mountains on a ridge adjacent to the ridge that hosts the US-Canadian border. When Heather found that someone was unable to use their reservation, she quickly jumped on the opportunity and we were soon heading up the winding forest service road to the trailhead. On paper, the trail isn’t bad – 2.5 miles to the lookout with an elevation gain of 1300 feet. However, two challenges made this hike feel tougher than it was. First, neither one of us had backpacked in years, and so we were not used to carrying so much weight. Second, There is no available water at the lookout, so our packs were exceptionally heavy having to carry all of our water with us. Now, I have since learned that there is a spring about half a mile and 500 feet down from the lookout, which isn’t much better for collecting water. Either way, it’s not easy. We also happened to go in the prime of mosquito season, and we were surely getting eaten alive on the hike up. But the mosquitoes all but disappeared as we emerged from the forest to the bald summit.

Sleeping in a fire lookout affords some comfort that you don’t get on a conventional backpacking trip. The lookout comes with beds, and while we had to carry our own bedding (we chose sleeping bags), we didn’t have to bring shelter. There are also chairs, a table, and lots of room to spread out. The lookout also provides shelter from the wind. But aside from that, it’s still a primitive camping experience.

The view is worth the pain and effort. There is a 360-degree panorama to enjoy. The view to the west peers into the Selkirk Mountains. To the north, we could look into Canada and the impressive peaks of the Kootenay Mountains. At night, we could see the lights from the town of Creston. To the east, we gaze upon the Cabinet Mountains and into Montana.

This was certainly a unique experience, and I hope I get the chance to do it again.

Similar Posts

  • Dolly Sods, Revisited

    Dolly Sods Meadow, originally uploaded by Matthew Singer. In the fall, I visited West Virginia’s Dolly Sods with my parents. The foliage on the blueberry bushes was amazing, but the trees had not yet turned. I was planning to return a week later to backpack through the wilderness area during its peak foliage, but my car broke down and I was unable to make the journey. So I decided I’d make a spring visit instead. So, a week and a half ago, I did just that. I got together with Charlie (uvagolfer), another hiker and photographer I met on Flickr,…

  • Asotin Creek

    It’s funny that only two weeks ago, I was clearing snow from my driveway, and now there’s hardly any sign of winter left on the Palouse. Instead of snow, it rained for nearly a week straight. So when we caught a break in the weather on Saturday, I was quite happy to take advantage and begin my spring hiking season. I chose to go to Asotin Creek. The town of Asotin is located five miles south of Clarkston, Washington. It is here that Asotin Creek empties its water into the Snake River. But the hiking begins about 20 miles upstream…

  • Freezeout

    The heatwave has hit the northwest. Today’s temperatures on the Palouse rose into the high 90’s, and tomorrow it may break 100. I wanted to hike so I can get in shape for backpacking next month, so I thought I’d take the dogs up to Freezeout Saddle and hike to Grandmother Mountain. But when I got up there, it was also hot and somewhat muggy, so we didn’t make it very far. I brought the camera, but got no pictures on this trip. The summer wildflowers are starting to bloom: beargrass was in its early stages, and the lupine had…

  • Asotin Creek… sort of.

    The photo above was taken in February of 2010, my first visit to Asotin Creek. I’ve been back a couple of times as it is usually a reliable winter hike that is free of snow. I had never gone down in the spring when everything is green, and certainly not in the summer when temperatures can reach the 100 degree mark. So it was that Erin and I decided to spend a day down at Asotin Creek. The local wildflowers should be in bloom, and the hills might show hints of colors other than the drab brown of dried grass….

  • |

    Old Rag

    Spring!, originally uploaded by Matthew Singer. In April, I briefly lost my camera due to a bent pin in the card slot. I sent it to Canon for repair and got the camera back in a week’s time. Unfortunately, during that time, I had scheduled a hike up Old Rag with Jon, my supervisor at the time. So, after a trip to Fed Ex, I stopped at the camera store and bought a couple rolls of film. I’ve finally had the chance to get the old scanner out of the box and get this set of slides scanned and uploaded….

  • Attempting to Snowshoe

    This past weekend, we had a nice day on my day off for once. So I took advantage of the sunshine and warm weather to get out and hike. Or so I thought. I’ve been waiting to take my snowshoes out for a real winter trek, and the timing has been bad. I set my sights on the Gold Center trail, which leaves at the base of the mountains behind Clarkia and climbs its way up to the ridge just below Grandmother Mountain. I’ve always wanted to hike this trail, and winter seems like the best time to do this…