Blossom Lakes, Wallace, Idaho
Blossom Lakes once tried to kill me. Dramatic, huh? It began with the forecast saying the high would be 60 degrees and the night would be 40 degrees with clear skies. We planned to arrive at the trailhead an hour before sunset with Thing 4, hike up to set up our camp, and have a […]
Revett Lake, Wallace, Idaho
Revett Lake, in the Lolo National Forest, near Wallace, Idaho (one of my favorite towns), is my go-to recommendation for new hikers and backpackers. It’s an easy and beautiful 90-minute drive from Coeur d’Alene, with an easy and beautiful trail to a big payoff. It is hike 24 in 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest, […]
Roman Nose Lakes, Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Looking for a recommendation for an easy hike to see alpine lakes? Roman Nose Do you want to see incredible fall colors? Roman Nose Do you want an easy backpacking trip? Roman Nose Looking for an ADA-accessible place in the North Idaho wilderness? Roman Nose Kid-friendly hike? Roman Nose Fishing? Roman Nose Roman Nose Lakes, […]
Lake Estelle, Hope, Idaho
Lake Estelle-Four Lakes is hike 54 in 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest, where it is described as: An easy, well-maintained 2.7-mile hike into the lake gives hikers an opportunity to get into high country without much sweat or difficulty. Estelle is the queen of the four lakes in the area. Side trails to Blacktail […]
Scotchman Peak, Clark Fork, Idaho
No single mountain ever came to me, so I will always go to them. -said this really, really attractive man who was my favorite race director (Yeti Trail Runners) until Barbarian Scientist just became one for Mountain Magic. Scotchman Peak, in the Kaniksu National Forest and part of the Selkirk Mountain Range in North Idaho, […]
Chilco Mountain National Recreation Trail, Bayview, Idaho
I’ve never had so little physical activity. I’d like to say that I would be embarrassed if it was my fault. But it’s not my fault, and I’m still embarrassed. “The content of your days becomes the essence of your life.” The shame I carry for having cancer and not being unaffected by it is […]
Lakeshore Trail, Priest Lake, Idaho
Lakeshore Trail is in Appendix A of 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest: From Beaver Creek Campground at the northwest end of Priest Lake, Trail 294 heads south along the lake, with bridge crossings over five creeks, to Granite Creek in Reeder Bay. Hikers could carry packs and camp at several beaches off this trail. […]
Fault Lake, Sandpoint, Idaho
Less than two hours from Coeur d’Alene is one of my favorite hikes. Okay, I usually say they’re all my favorite hikes. However, facing mortality has me asking a lot of questions. And trying to find the answers. One of my staples while torturing my friends is to ask what their final meal would be. […]
Lookout Mountain, Coolin, Idaho
Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god. Aristotle Call me beasty. It was the first summer of Covid-19 and quarantines rearranging the world and what we thought of it and forcing most of us to decide what kind of people we were. It was also my first full year of […]
Upper Priest Lake – Trapper Creek, Priest River, Idaho
North Idaho Bushwhacking Backcrappers (the hiker trash formerly known as the North Idaho Backpacking Babes). The Trapper Creek Debacle. Day 1: Do not find the trail, so bushwhack up and down and around an entire mountain in the pouring rain. Sacrifices were made: we lost blood, a can of bear spray, and a cell phone […]