Backpacking the Sawtooths

[Eugene]

Five of us - 4 from Houston Texas and a local from Ketchum - did a 3 1/2 day trek from Redfish Lake inlet to Pettit Lake (Tin Cup TH) during the week of August 18-22. The route was as follows:
Tues: Redfish inlet to Cramer Lakes
Wed: Cramer Lakes to Lake Edna
Thurs: Lake Edna to Lake Alice via Toxaway Lake
Fri: Lake Alice out to Pettit Lake (Tin Cup TH)
Elevation info: starting at about 6700 ft. at Redfish; High point about 9250; Total climb about 5500 ft.
Source for hike planning: Alltrails.com - Redfish to Pettit
Trail markers: Trails are well marked. We had maps but really no issue with finding the route.

This is a great hike of about 28 miles with great views (this time somewhat obscured by the smoke from the western fires) and somewhat challenging for flat landers from Houston TX (coming from sea level to 9,000 ft.) and add the fact that I am 74 didn't help either. The hike crosses several passes each with talus fields with switchbacks. The talus fields were the most tiring with always having to watch your footing with the rocks. The temperatures were abnormally warm. I had been in the area a couple of times before in the same general time of year and saw temperatures with lows in the 40s (even frost a time or 2) and highs in the 70s. This time I don't think the temperature ever got below 50.


Left to right: Walter Brown, Denis Rutherford, myself, my grandson Garrett and Alex Monge


View a ways up Redfish creek.


Just crossing Redfish creek at the junction to Alpine Lake





Me a bit weary at Upper Cramer Lake


View across the lake



Interesting formation at the top - bet it falls soon.


There were a few wild flowers remaining



Pass between Edna and Toxaway. Note the smoke


Just above Toxaway inlet.



The pass between Toxaway and Twin Lakes/Lake Alice



We made it - Oh there are two girls with us now. They are the local's daughter and her friend. They met us up at Lake Alice.

 

[Wanderlust073]

The smoke this year is a bummer, but looks like you still got some pretty decent views out of it. 74 years old... Way to set the bar!

 

[Titans]

Glad you got out on a trip, that's a tough altitude coming from sea level. It looks like you are going from wildfire smoke straight into 2 tropical storms. Stay safe in Houston, fingers crossed it won't get too bad!

 

[scatman]

Ditto what @Wanderlust073 said. Great job @Eugene!

 

[danger02ward]

Beautiful! I’ve done the Alice toxaway loop but need to get back to the sawtooths. Well done!

 

[N8Dawg]

Nice work Eugene! My dad will be 74 next year and I was just talking to him earlier today about getting him back out on a trip to the Sawtooths. I was at Saddleback Lakes during the same time so we were close by. I am heading back up to Imogene Lake tomorrow and will be summiting Mt Cramer on Saturday! Fortunately looking at the webcams the smoke started clearing up yesterday and looks pretty clear today. Hopefully it stays that way for the summit views.

 

[NorthwestWanderer]

What an awesome place... Also, Damn smoke!

 

[piper01]

Sounds like a wonderful trip; I'm jealous! I was hoping to visit the Sawtooths this year, but I didn't get around to planning a trip in time. It's at the top of my bucket list for next year though. Being a flatlander Houstonian like you (but a few decades younger!), I always think about the elevation contrast with home when planning a trip.

How crowded were the popular lakes during the middle of the week?

 

[Eugene]

Sounds like a wonderful trip; I'm jealous! I was hoping to visit the Sawtooths this year, but I didn't get around to planning a trip in time. It's at the top of my bucket list for next year though. Being a flatlander Houstonian like you (but a few decades younger!), I always think about the elevation contrast with home when planning a trip.

How crowded were the popular lakes during the middle of the week?

This year apparently was unusual. I think lots of folks opted for non or free permit areas with the closure or at least partial closure of the national parks. We always found campsites but there were lots of folks out there. At Alice Lake we were not able to get a lakeside site but were able to find lakeside spots at both Cramer and Edna. I was there some years back and there was virtually no one past the day hike distances.

 

[Eugene]

Sounds like a wonderful trip; I'm jealous! I was hoping to visit the Sawtooths this year, but I didn't get around to planning a trip in time. It's at the top of my bucket list for next year though. Being a flatlander Houstonian like you (but a few decades younger!), I always think about the elevation contrast with home when planning a trip.

How crowded were the popular lakes during the middle of the week?

 

[Curt]

Glad to see that you're still crushing it at 74. Gives me hope for continuing on.

 

[N8Dawg]

Here are a couple of pics from this last Saturday from the top of Mt Cramer looking down on the Cramer Lakes. It was a bit smokier than I was hoping it would be but I've seen it much worse.