Return to Freezeout

ByMatt

Sunset on Freezeout Ridge

Any time someone visits us, their stay would not be complete without a trip to Elk River and Freezeout Saddle. We were limited in our acitivites because one of our guests were not fit for any major hiking, but luckily, we have options for that. So Sunday, we took an easy morning and headed out mid-afternoon for some local adventure. In Elk River, we stopped at the general store for huckleberry ice cream and then headed out to see the giant cedar, which always amazes anyone who has never seen big trees.*

The allure of Freezeout Saddle is that it’s the closest place to exceed 6000 feet, and it’s also the closest place to find alpine flora. Retta had never been this high up before, so this was certainly a novelty. We also found out the hard way that she has a fear of heights. Since we weren’t going to hike to Grandmother Mountain, we decided to drive past the trailhead out on Freezeout Ridge. Last year at this time, the road was blocked by a patch of snow after leaving the open slopes and reentering the forest. This year it was wide open. Unfortunately, the road is quite bumpy with a steep drop on one side, so I can see how anyone with an issue with heights might be nervous.

Freezeout Ridge is nice. There used to be a fire lookout, but the tower is now gone. The area where it stood is still bald of trees and provides a 360-degree view of the clearwater mountains. We spent some time enjoying the cool air and the awesome views and then I realized that we might as well just stay up there for the sun set, which looked like it may turn the sky a fiery pink. Unfortunately, there were clouds on the horizon that blocked the light, but it was a nice sunset anyway. We headed down in the dark hoping to see an Elk, but no such luck this time.

Similar Posts

  • Float Trip 2012

    View Float Trip 2012 in a larger map Every year, the graduate students from the University of Idaho’s biology department embarks on a float trip on the Snake River. It’s an annual tradion that carrys on well before my time. Actually, I’m not sure when the tradition began. In 2010, the float trip was held shortly after I arrived in Idaho. By that time, the daytime temperatures had cooled and I was not feeling up to floating in the river. In retrospect, I wish I had gone my first year. I made up for it by going last year. Actually,…

  • Oregon Butte: The Successful Failure

    View Oregon Butte – 5/26-27/2012 in a larger map Things don’t always go according to plan. Along the journey, you discover new interests or find obstacles that end up providing you with a totally different experience than originally expected. This lesson was hard hit this weekend as we attempted a backpacking trip in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington. The trip was a success, but certainly not what I had expected. It’s really a lesson in not getting enough information ahead of time. On paper, it looked like the perfect trip. It’s a 16-mile loop up Panjab Creek to the…

  • 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,…

  • Our Weekend Away, part II

    Sacajawea, originally uploaded by Matthew Singer. Day 2 Friday morning, I woke up in time to catch the sun rising over the Seven Devils. I went outside with the camera to catch the morning glow on the snow-capped peaks of the Wallowas as the sun rose in the sky. It was a beautiful morning, and quite warm, even at 6:00. We were told that it was the first time this season that breakfast was hosted outside. Breakfast was amazing. Each breakfast starts out with fruit and yogurt with their own home-made granola. Erin had some toast from her bread. I…

  • Wallowas Weekend 2015

    After a long summer with not much exploring, the pace has changed and I’ve had a fairly busy two weeks. The series begins with the return of the Annual Wallowas Weekend. In the six Septembers that I have lived here, I’ve led a backpacking trip to the Eagle Cap Wilderness four of those years, with this year being the fourth. Each time I bring someone new, and each time we explore new trails. This is the first year that we didn’t spend a night at Mirror Lake and the first year that Tyler didn’t join us. Instead, Wesley returns for…

  • |

    Fourth of July

    For many years, I have spent my Fourth of July basking in the part of America that I enjoy the most: its wild and natural beauty. It started in 2011 when I explored the Hobo Cedar Grove for the first time. Then again in 2013 when I hiked Grandmother Mountain. In 2015, I spent the fourth in the Seven Devils with friends. This year, I returned to Grandmother Mountain for what may be my last visit to one of my favorite peaks in the vicinity of Moscow.