Alice in Wonderland

A dramatic photo displayed at the Ketchum Starbucks captivated me last summer.  The distance (11 miles round trip) and elevation gain (1600 feet) seemed daunting then, so we did other great hikes.  This year Alice Lake was our goal.

We depart the Chalet nest at 6:45 and head north on the 75.  We descend Galena Pass to once again enter the golden flat meadows flanked by the magnificent Sawtooth mountain range.  I spy a herd of antelope scampering of to the right in the morning light.  We talk about it excitedly, when Ben suddenly puts on the brakes and comes to a dead stop.  Right in our lane a doe is leisurely licking at something on the pavement, her butt facing us.  She peers at us over her shoulder and lazily ambles off the roadway.

We drive on to Petit Lake campground to the trailhead.  

At the wilderness boundary we fill out our permit right ahead of a gaggle of athletic and chirpy young gals who quickly speed past us.  For them, Alice Lake is an easy morning hike.  We hear their chatter fade as they move forcefully up the trail.  

The hike starts off in deep and cool shade. The trail is lined with wild flowers and lush salmon berry.

A mile up the trail we hear the roar of falls.

We heard there would be numerous creek crossings involved.  This first one, we take off our boots and waded across barefoot.  That hassle factor makes us realize we don't want to do that repeatedly.

Luckily, there are other ways to cross over.  This giant log makes a good bridge.

A lush meadow opens up before us. We can see the first peaks ahead.

The trail treats us kindly with shade and a gentle ascent until we reach the granite rockslides and a steeper climb up the slopes.  

Ben and I keep telling each other to admire the views spread out before us in every direction.

The next to last crossing is a sturdy bridge crossing over the rushing falls.  We know that hikers in June face much more difficulty with the crossings than we do.  We manage the 7 or 8 crossings with rock jumping or informal "log bridges" and manage to keep our boots dry. 

We arrive at the lower fingertip of Alice Lake at 11:30.  We are stopped in our tracks by the beauty of the scene.

The trail keeps us right along the water's edge and the larger lake unfolds before us.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are delicious after our 5.5 mile hike.  Thank you Karen Almas for the homemade apricot jam.

Backpackers have little hideaway sites all about the lake.  I don't let a couple picnicking on a rock overlook deter me from going for a swim.  

I am modest enough to leave on my sun shirt.  The water is great.  I entice Ben to overcome his reluctance and come in.  He goes au natural so I urge him to be quick - the trail has gotten busier.  He hates to get in cold water fast, but manages - with lots of grimacing.

The lake changes moods as cloud drift over and you look from different vantages.

We start our return about 1:30 and it is hot.  The shady trail we enjoyed on ascent is now almost all exposed to the burning afternoon sun.

It takes 3 hours to get back to the trailhead at Petit Lake.  I am dragging one foot in front of the other and have soaked my hat and shirt several times to cool off.  When the lake appears, I just jump in.

The Petit Lake campground has annoying traffic bumpers to slow fast drivers.  Ben takes them slow, but may have clipped the edge of of one with our truck tire.  This is all we can figure when 20 miles later we get a low tire warning.  We have no cell service (T-Mobile downside) so we limp to the Galena Overlook, with a flat tire.  A carful of Good Samaritans offer us their cell phone (good ad for Verizon) and the spry 83 year old retired mechanic Grandpa in the backseat hops out to assure Ben he "don't need AAA."  

We call anyway, but Ben decides to start the tire change, with the old guy giving helpful advice.

The Good Samaritans leave us to intercept a tow truck nearby that AAA has dispatched but can't reach.

15 minutes later our burly tow truck driver arrives towing a car and transporting its occupants.  He gives an approving once-over to Ben's work and sends us off with a kindly grin and a glance at our AAA card.

We arrive back at the Chalet and are grateful for our handheld shower and hot water.  Ahhh... What a day!