Last September my friend Wendy and I escaped to Idaho for the Alice-Toxaway Loop backpacking trip. We discovering it was seemingly the only place in the region not getting hammered with rain during the exact dates we had free.
Sometimes the weather gods take pity on you.
I’d heard the Sawtooths were beautiful, but honestly, this loop exceeded expectations. Lake after lake after lake, granite everywhere, and some of the stillest water I’ve ever seen in the mountains. The reflections looked almost fake at times.
We took two nights to complete the loop, which gave us time to slow down a little instead of just grinding miles. Definitely the right choice. There were multiple moments where we just stopped talking because the scenery was ridiculous.
Mild mornings, sore legs, mountain air, and endless alpine lakes. Hard to complain about much.
Trips like this remind me why I love the mountains in the first place. Not for speed. Not for races. Just for those occasional moments where everything gets very quiet and very simple.
