Riddle me this: can one really go to the Sawtooth Mountains and NOT hike to Sawtooth Lake? It feels somewhat unacceptable, doesn’t it? The final adventure from my latest vacation was a trek to Sawtooth Lake – a 10 mile out and back trail, with the option for a detour to Alpine Lake. This detour only adds another mile or so onto the hike, and is a worthy stop.
As per usual, this hike warranted an early start to beat the heat. Or so we thought. Turned out this day was cooler than our previous outdoor endeavors, and when we arrived at the trail head around 0530 the temperature was still in the 30’s (F). What do you do when it’s a cold start?
You move quicker.
The only problem with moving quicker at the tail end of an active vacation is that it might not actually be possible. I had been either running or hiking every day, and Duncan was having knee pain, making for a slow moving morning. This entire hike ended up being quite challenging despite the fact that it was statistically “easier” than Alice Lake.
This goes to show our bodies sometimes call the shots despite what our minds try to tell us.
Fatigue aside, the trail was beautiful. The scenery along the way was similar to the above photo, but the real beauty started at the junction between Alpine Lake and Sawtooth Lake. I couldn’t pass the opportunity to hike down to Alpine Lake, so we took the detour and enjoyed a snack break as the morning started to heat up.
We made it to Alpine Lake at 0730, sat for a few minutes, and pressed on towards Sawtooth Lake. From this junction the trail started to climb a bit more. The path turned to switchbacks, and as we continued to climb we continued to get a better and better aerial view of Alpine Lake.
I loved seeing Alpine Lake up close and personal, but the real beauty was seeing it from above.
We hit some snow patches as the trail leveled out, but nothing worthy of micro spikes or extra traction. Once we reached the peak of our elevation, we stumbled upon a few camping groups waking up for the day. I daydreamed of waking up with these views, enjoying a steaming hot cup of coffee…
If hiking in the Sawtooth’s did anything for my wanderlusting soul, it made me crave a solid camping trip.
About an hour after we left Alpine Lake we arrived at Sawtooth Lake. This lake is stunning, but the weather was still far too cold to warrant a swim. Instead we quietly savored the views, while making friends with the locals. An adorable and bold little critter would not stop heckling me for some of my snacks.
While having a stare off with my new friend Fred, snow began to crumble off of the peaks in front of us. The echo from within the surrounding mountains was incredible.
I could have sat here all day, but after about two hours we decided to head back. The trek back was arduous, as I was already tired when we started, but the end views were well worth the struggle to the top. This vacation was somewhat of a “learn as we go” type of trip, and while not everything went exactly as planned, I now have all the more reason to return to both Glacier and to the Sawtooth Mountains.
My biggest lesson on this vacation (because I am constantly learning about myself) was how to travel better with people who have different goals and priorities. Overall Duncan and I were on the same page, but there were a few times when we weren’t. The reality is that this is not only normal, but expected in most situations.
Sometimes we need to venture off alone, and sometimes we will want to do things our travel partners don’t want to do. Having a healthy balance and minimal expectations can help make or break a vacation. I tend to have a “I want to see and do all the things” type of personality, so pairing me with someone a bit more “cool and collected” seems to serve me well. That’s not to say I wouldn’t enjoy traveling with a fellow energizer bunny, but this would certainly require planning things out in advance to ensure both of us were happy.
At the end of the day having a healthy amount of compromise, and being willing to do certain things alone are what work best for me while traveling with others.
Thankfully this round I chose someone cool and collected to balance me out. Someone I convinced to wake up at 0300 multiple times to go hiking. Someone who didn’t care when I pulled the car over at 0500 to snap this photo in Stanley on the way to Sawtooth Lake. Can you blame me though? What a sunrise.
Q: How do you ensure traveling with others goes smoothly?
Blissfulbritt 
21 thoughts on “Sawtooth Lake – Sawtooth National Forest”
rootchopper
Dang, it’s pretty out there.
I much prefer solo travel. That said, a good compromise is to stop and chat with someone going in your direction. Work great on bike tours.
In groups you have to wait until everyone is ready to start in the morning which drives me nuts.
Also, it’s super important to listen to your body. If the group wants to go and your body wants to rest, no bueno.
Brittany
Groups are a struggle for me. I can manage with one other person most of the time, but it can definitely get tricky if you’re not comfortable going off alone.
Josh dV
Amazing images as always friend. I’m quite jealous of your adventures but grateful for the ability to share them with you through here.
Traveling with me is easy. I keep quiet, do as needed for the trip and I like to get up and go. that being said the key to traveling with others is communication. Letting your travel companions know your expectations and boundaries.
Also to pack light. You probably don’t need most of that shit and neither of us want to carry it.
Brittany
Communication is key for EVERYTHING!! What a powerhouse. You sound like a fabulous travel partner, I am sure your family appreciates you.
Packing light is also a must for me, takes a lot of the stress out of the situation.
Xavier Arnau Bofarull
VEry good pictures and interesting report!
Brittany
Thank you!
Pam
As You know I like to keep the group small, definitely not more than four and preferably only two or just myself…..except when doing group excursions (like The Highlands). Sign me up for a copy of that Photo Book You are going to publish👍. Journey on….🏔🌲
Brittany
The Highlands tour was wonderful!! I DO like bigger groups when it is a formal tour, granted I don’t do many of those!! That one was a lot of fun though, and our tour guide was fantastic. I am still dreaming about the scone with clotted cream I got along the way. I don’t think I stopped to breathe while eating that.
Pam
Yes nothing like a true Scottish Scone with Clotted cream😍
Ace Vision Treks
Hi Brit
Thank you so much for sharing your great post.
Brittany
Thank you for reading. 🙂
Ace Vision Treks
You are most welcome
Chris
Gorgeous photos. Beautiful scenery. The lakes look so peaceful. Fred looks feisty but friendly.
Hmm, how to answer the question – I rarely travel with others, but when I do, I ensure first off that they’re good conversation partners. If we’re comfortable in conversation, then other details tend to fall into place and I’m more able to be in tune with their wants/needs/etc, and hopefully they reciprocate that too!
Brittany
Good conversation and communication is definitely the key. I like your point of view with everything then falling into place.
BERNADETTE
This is such an enchanting post. Thanks for sharing all this beauty.
Brittany
Thank you. As always, the photos don’t quite do justice to the real deal!
Amy
Oh my gosh… More gorgeous photos!!! You pick the most stunning vacation spots, Brittany!! Knowing you, I’m sure you’ll be back sooner than you think… And I can’t wait to see what other adventures await you when that time comes. ❤️
My family learned a long time ago that we all need some “alone time” on every vacation, so almost every day, we go off and do our own thing for a bit. Sometimes that’s just reading a book, other times it’s a walk or a nap or just a steaming mug of coffee on the balcony, but it’s really nice to go on trips with my family because we’re all so understanding of each other in that sense. It sounds like you had mostly similar experiences on your vacation, and if that’s true, I’m so happy for you that you were able to go with someone who provided the balance that you needed!
Brittany
Thank you friend! I look forward to the day I get to visit these beautiful places again, though I admit it’s hard to revisit a place when there are so many others I want to see.
I definitely took some alone time on this trip, but I think Duncan would have liked more than I gave him. 🤪What can I say, I like his company.
Amy
It’s SO awesome to find people we enjoy being around for long stretches of time!! And I’m sure he didn’t mind as much as you think he might have. 😉
Juppies Antics
That looks beautiful! Your adventures always make me want to go back… It’s nice you found someone you can communicate well enough with. Same with my bf and me, he doesn’t like museums but I do. I don’t like tennis but he does. So we compromise: we go to the museum and play tennis. I would love to go on a holiday all by myself though, so I can take my time and decide when I and what I want to do. These early hikes look really nice for example!
Brittany
You have a great balance with your boyfriend. That’s so incredibly important. For some reason I’m far less inclined to travel solo in the United States, but I did it all the time in Europe. Not sure why I’m feeling a disconnect here.