Greg has reached the pinnacle of his "outdoor" career.... he finally saw a wolf in the wild!! And we got a pretty close-up look at it too. Let's back up...
Friday evening, we piled in the car and joined a caravan of 8 other people (and one brown dog) and started the 3 hour drive on Rt. 12 to Lowell, Idaho - part of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area contained in the Clearwater National Forest. (Dad, this is a popular stretch of road for motorcyclists!) We found a spot at the Wilderness Gateway Campground along the Lochsa River to set up camp for the first night. Saturday morning, everyone was finally ready to take off around 8:00. We strapped on our (heavy) backpacks and began the ~6 mile hike in to Stanley Hot Springs. We made decent time despite the terrain. The first 5 miles of hiking seemed to be mostly uphill (that could just be my imagination though). The trail was pretty dusty and rocky, and we had to cross Huckleberry Creek in two different spots which significantly slowed us down. The water was swift and the rocks were slippery so Greg had to scout awhile to find the best way for everyone to cross. The first time we managed to cross the entire width on nice dry logs that were down. The second time was a little more tedious. We had to rock hop across. I was wearing my Teva sandals, so I just got down in the water and crossed that way, and then tried to help the others navigate the rocks after Greg & Brian helped them across the logs. I didn't expect the water to be overly warm, but it was so cold that my toes were numb by the time everyone had crossed. We managed pretty well, although a few slippery rocks led to 3 people having to finish the last mile with wet shoes.
Shortly after crossing the river, we happened upon a wolf right on the trail! It was much larger than I was expecting, and pretty creepy looking. Luckily, Dixie's old eyes never even noticed it, so she didn't draw attention to us. Would you believe that - out of 10 people - not one single person got a good picture of it! What are the odds!!! We're pretty bummed about that, because it was cool to be that close to a wolf. Anyway... that was one of Greg's top ten wishes... to see a wolf, in person, in the wild. Check!
Everybody was happy to finally reach our campsite and unload our heavy packs. We set up the huge tent (we all stayed in one!) gathered some firewood, and headed immediately for the hot springs. I was pretty skeptical of how hot the water could actually be, but I was impressed. There were two streams coming down the hill. The one on the right was ice cold water and the one on the left was hot water...just like a bathtub! There were a series of pools set up in stairstep fashion. The highest pool was the hottest and each subsequent pool was a little cooler than the previous one. Being the wimp that I am, I started out at the lowest pool, and never did work my way up to the hottest. The water was crystal clear, and you could see steam rising off the water in the evening and early morning. We all enjoyed the soothing water after all that hiking, but perhaps nobody enjoyed it more than Dixie. After cooling off from the walk, Dixie gradually worked her way into the medium pool. It was shallow enough at one end that she could lay down and the pool was the perfect depth that just her head remained above water. This may sound ridiculous, but I have never seen a look of contentment on her face like I saw for that time she was soaking in the warm water. Her old, arthritic joints were thankful after all that walking! Later, she worked her way up to the second hottest pool. She layed there, panting, until she decided it was time to head back to camp and take a nap. She just got out of the water, and made a beeline for the tent without looking back at anyone else. Later, Greg found her inside the tent (she's a master at opening tent zippers) nestled on top of Carrie's sleeping bag... while she was wet. Oops. The rest of the evening, she would try to sneak back in the tent when she thought nobody was looking. Thankfully for everyone's sleeping bags, her plot was foiled each time!
Sunday morning we reluctantly packed up and started the walk back out to the car. Everyone crossed the river without getting wet this time (Dixie had to be carried across on Greg's shoulders). The return hike was much hotter and dustier, but it didn't take quite as long since it was mostly downhill this time. We cleaned off at the water spigot, changed into dry (less-smelly) clothes and headed back towards Pullman. We stopped off in Kooskia for some greasy hamburgers, crispy french fries, and huckleberry pie at a little cafe/lodge where everybody ate without much talking. It was obvious that the return trip would be a fight to stay awake after getting our bellies full and sitting in the air conditioning. We did finally get back to Pullman - where Dixie got a bath and then crashed for the rest of the evening!
Before the 6-mile hike. Me, Greg, Christie & Alejandro, Angela, Rosa, Rodrigo, Carrie, Brian, Edith.
Carrie, Angela & I sharing one wing of the tent.
Dixie managed to find a little water hole while we were hiking. She always likes to show her best side!
Finally...some trees & mountains!
That's Greg on down the trail.
Part of the Clearwater National Forest
About 10 seconds before Greg spotted the gray wolf. It was on the trail and then wandered up on the left hand side for awhile. It seemed oblivious to us.
The two "medium" hot pools.
The two streams that fed the pools. Hot on the left, cold on the right.
The cold stream served as the "shower" for the weekend.
Angela, Greg & Brian filtering water from the stream into everyone's water jugs.
Does she look relaxed or what! Dixie really enjoyed the hot pools.
Man & Dog. Totally relaxed.
We couldn't even wait until dark to break out the s'mores. That's our huge "hotel" in the background.
Rodrigo, Alejandro & Christie...saying "Marshmallows!"
This picture is for you Jen. All three are brushing their teeth!
Greg, Brian & Angela stargazing from the hot tub. The pools were in a clearing in the trees.
Camping is hard work. Luckily there's always a place to rest your head.
Starting the hike back out. The smiles didn't last too long in the heat!
Me, Carrie & Angela
Dixie really struggled on the walk back out. It was in the mid- to upper-90s by the time we made it to the car. Every time we paused for the others to catch up, Dixie would plop down in the coolest spot she could find. She made it though!
The trail just as we're leaving Pullman.
Greg & Brian
Gram would be so proud of my posture in this picture!
Standing in the middle of the market. You can buy "fresh-out-of-the-oil" miniature donuts (Greg's personal favorite is the cinnamon/sugar), dozens of varieties of freshly baked bread, fresh cherries of every variety, food and drinks from a wide variety of countries, fresh cut flowers & plants, local art & photography, and a lot more!
This is just a picture I took on the way to work this morning. The sunbeams shooting down in between the clouds were really beautiful, even though I didn't capture too well in the picture. I still haven't gotten over how much sky there is out here!
The trail just as we're leaving Pullman.
Greg & Brian
Gram would be so proud of my posture in this picture!
Standing in the middle of the market. You can buy "fresh-out-of-the-oil" miniature donuts (Greg's personal favorite is the cinnamon/sugar), dozens of varieties of freshly baked bread, fresh cherries of every variety, food and drinks from a wide variety of countries, fresh cut flowers & plants, local art & photography, and a lot more!
This is just a picture I took on the way to work this morning. The sunbeams shooting down in between the clouds were really beautiful, even though I didn't capture too well in the picture. I still haven't gotten over how much sky there is out here!
