Baron Creek, SF Trail 144 on May 31, 2017.

I've crossed when it's been high like this before but it seemed to be running much faster this year, and since the creek seems to be changing each year the deepest part of the channel is a bit nasty. Then of course there's the Goat Creek crossing not too much further up the trail which has really changed from a long, low crossing to a single, deep and swift crossing so we might have been defeated there as well.

Either way we had an incredible experience after we turned around to go back to the car - we met a small wolf pack. Grays, with at least one little one, at least a half dozen. It was beautiful, the breeze was blowing in the right direction so they didn't smell us and we literally came upon them on the trail. I was so transfixed by how beautiful they were that I didn't get the camera out in time. But it's ok, this is not my first encounter nor will it be my last on this trail. For hikers with dogs this is a trail to either avoid or be really cautious and keep your animal on leash. I don't remember a year where I haven't seen or at least heard the wolves along the South Fork.

Here is a view from the road down to the trails.

Distant view of the Sand DunesThis is the dunes from the drive in. They don't look quite so big do they? Some background on the Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park:

History

"The Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park, established in 1970, is located about 8 miles east-northeast of Bruneau and about 18 miles south of Mountain Home. The dunes at Bruneau Dunes State Park are unique in the Western Hemisphere. Other dunes in the Americas form at the edges of natural basins; these form near the center.

The combination of 1) a source of sand; 2) a relatively constant wind activity; and 3) a natural trap have caused sand to collect in this semicircular basin for over 20,000 years. Geologists believe the dunes seen today may have started with sands from the Bonneville Flood about 15,000 years ago.

Unlike most dunes, these do not drift far. The prevailing winds blow from the southeast 28 percent of the time and from the northwest 32 percent of the time, keeping the dunes fairly stable.

Although there are many small dunes in the area, two prominent dunes cover approximately 600 acres. These two imposing dunes are striking, particularly because they dwarf most of the nearby land features. The westernmost dune is reported to be the largest single-structured sand dune in North America with a peak 470 feet above the level of the lakes" (Digital Atlas of Idaho, n.d.). 

We started our hike at the picnic area near the small lake. After wandering through the brush and marsh we eventually reached the foot of the dunes.

Walking in sand is harder than it looks so it was nice to have rain the previous day to firm up some of the trails.

Eventually we left the brush and started climbing the side of the dunes. This was taxing, even with the slight breeze and scattered clouds it was a hot, dry climb, especially at the base where there was still a lot of scrub brush.

Finally reaching the dunes and gaining a little elevation revealed beautiful views of sand, contrasting with the distant plateaus and views of the Snake River winding through the Bruneau Valley.

Views of the dunes themselves were spectacular, we were surprised at how few human tracks marred the dunes and it was almost like looking at an untouched landscape in some places.

Once on top of the dunes we enjoyed catching some captivating photos of the dunes and surrounding landscape framed by clouds.

A panoramic view of Brandon at the tallest point of the dunes reveals just how magnificent this landscape and view really is.

Overall we were rewarded with incredible views, relatively few people, and a fun filled afternoon. I really enjoyed playing with my new 12 mm wide angle lens for some of my shots. I especially liked this one as we were on our way out.

And a beautiful capture of the depth of field in the fine grains of sand with my new 35mm prime.

Overall this was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We left Boise about 10:00, with the drive down from Boise just under 2 hours and the time spent wandering the park and climbing the dunes with some rest time at the top had us headed back towards home before 4:00. No special equipment was needed, Brandon climbed in sandals and I wore my new boots - still working on breaking them in. Neither of us had issues. The most difficult part was keeping the camera gear from exposure to the sand. And as always it's important to plan on and bring a descent supply of drinking water, I think we went through our 2L platypus bag from start to finish of our hike. On a warmer day more water might be appropriate. And don't forget the sunscreen!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them on the hike. 

Until next time - happy trails!

V.

References:

Digital Atlas of Idaho. (n.d.) Bruneau Sand Dunes. Retrieved from http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geog/parks/bruneau/bruneau.htm 

Start of our hike.The jeep track we followed as we started toward the climb. Everything was so green and lush but it was a warm 70 degrees so that won't last for long.

I'm borrowing the following directions from another website (see references). 

"Take Canyon Creek Road north out of town. The road eventually crosses Canyon Creek and then runs west for a total of 14.1 miles where the road junctions with FS-167. Turn right onto 167 and follow it, climbing steeply, for 8.8 miles to a junction by a small reservoir. A 4WD is recommended. Class 1. (Danskin Peak, Tom Lopez; Idaho: A Climbing Guide, n.d.)" 

We needed the 4WD and high clearance for this drive. And it's important to note that as of our visit (May 2017), while the road does continue beyond the reservoir mentioned in the directions above, there is a huge washout making it impassible by vehicle, less than a mile beyond the reservoir so the remainder of your hike will need to be on foot. Also of note it's currently posted that all the Danskin off-road trails are temporarily closed to motorized vehicles for rehabilitation. We did see evidence of some off-road tracks so unfortunately not everyone is abiding by the closure but there were also several BLM officers we came across so hopefully they are enforcing the motorized closures. 

Washout at Case Creek, below the road to Danskin LookoutSo this is where we parked, the lookout is almost visible in the background.

We left the road just beyond the washout and proceeded up an old Jeep track for about a mile until we hit the base of the mountains. At this point we decided to just take the shortest route to the top avoiding areas with a lot of bushes and downfall. It was fairly steep but nothing beyond some minor scrambling was needed, just a lot of stamina in the hot sun! There was still snow on the ridge and most of the drainages still had clear, running water. Once we hit the top of the ridge we enjoyed the flowers and the views before visiting the lookout itself. It's still early in the season so it's not occupied - not counting the numerous blue birds and a lone elk.

From the steps of the lookoutFor such a clear day it was still a bit hazy looking back toward Mountain Home but the views were still spectacular. This is the road that we used for the first part of the hike down.

Since I was breaking in a brand new pair of ASOLO's we decided to take the road down from the lookout for at least the worst of the descent. I was really feeling the off-trail climb by the time we reached the summit so the road was longer but less taxing on my feet. Most of the road near the top was still covered in snow drifts so even if the washout below hadn't stopped us we wouldn't have been able to drive all the way up. Once we had descended the steepest part on the road we left the road and cut back across the base of the mountain and met up with the jeep track we had started in on. 

This was a beautiful, early season hike with absolute solitude, amazing views, and vibrant wildflowers speckling the green meadows. I've added a few photos to the gallery, not as many as I would have liked but sometimes it's hard to stop for pictures when it's so hot with a bright, cloudless sky. Nevertheless there are a few nice shots from the ridges and lookout. 

Views from the ridge above the snow line.Dad enjoying the views of the distant Trinity Mountains once we gained the ridge. Another view from the steps of the lookoutThis is looking back toward the trinity mountains, across what I think is the canyon that holds the south fork of the Boise river. (I could be completely wrong about that part)

I probably won't do much backtracking with my blog, too many past trips to catch up on - SNRA x ?, Big Horn Crags, Boulder Chain Lakes x2, Elkhorn Crest Trail, OR, and other shorter trips in the Frank Church and Boise National Forest - too much to catch up on!

However now that I'm rocking some new glass for my camera rig I'm ready to start posting photos and trip reports again. Here's to trips with friends and family, and the always necessary solo adventures on the list for this year. Cheers!

V.

Having three back to back trips to prepare for this weekend I don't think I'll get much beyond this trial post.