When running the Sawtooth Odyssey I always struggle with the question
of
how much stuff to bring. The Sawtooth Odyssey is a true wilderness
trail run
and there is no support along the run. In fact, the routes
are almost
entirely within the Sawtooth Wilderness area. Anything that
you want on
trip you must carry. During the past runs I used an Ultimate
Directions
waist pack and I always overloaded the pack. This past winter
I purchased a
new light knapsack pack and the temptation to carry more than I
should
further increased.
Four people showed up at the Grandjean trailhead on Thursday evening
-
Dave Atlas from Montana, John Esposito from Boise, Max Welker from
Washington,
and myself. Ed Williams travels to Stanley Idaho to escape
the Missouri
summers, and he and Californian Ron Perkins ran an east-to-west
traverse
across the Sawtooth Wilderness for their Odyssey, but we never saw
them.
Frank Hanson was there to get us out and away from camp at 6:00
on Friday
morning. The four of us decided on a nearly 60 mile loop through
the
heart of the wilderness involving Baron Divide, Cramer Divide, Edith,
Edna,
Vernon, Ardith, Spangle, Ingeborg, and Benedict lakes. The
drainage
divides and lakes are truly spectacular but I think that Cramer
Divide and
Ingeborg Lake deserve special recognition. The ruggedness
of Cramer Divide is
incredible, and the beauty of Ingeborg Lake situated high on another
drainage divide is unparalleled. Most of us finished before
dark, but
the last 15 miles along the Payette River seem to be under-measured
and
rather long.
The weather was perfect for trail running with clear blue skies,
calm
winds, and pleasantly warm. Another feature of the trip that
deserves special
mention is the fact that the heart of the Sawtooth Wilderness is
fairly
remote and people act more naturally than in urban environs.
In two
cases we passed "naked babes" who temporarily diverted our attention
from the
natural beauty of the landscape. Perhaps we were seeing the
mythical
Sirens of the Sawtooth Odyssey. But trail running leaves little
time for
distraction and in each instance we quickly passed by. Still
it was nice
to see other people freely enjoying themselves too.
As I noted earlier, the Sawtooth Odyssey is completely unsupported.
We
carried all of our food, drink, and clothing. Even though
the day was
warm, one must think about ankle twists and the possibility of an
overnight
stay or inclement weather. In 1997 it was more humid and the
late finishers
ran into a vigorous summer thunderstorm. Those possibilities
lead one to
carrymore weight than on a common summer run. We carried water
filters
although we did drink some of the water untreated depending on the
location and
source. Unlike last year, there was no snow on the course.
Last year we
had a mile or so of snow over Cramer Divide, and in 1997 the trip
by the
lakes involved many miles of snow covered trails.
On the trail we talked about wilderness trail runs and wondered why
the
Sawtooth Odyssey is sparsely attended. We thought of a variety
of
reasons, but we agreed that sometimes it is better this way.
Tom Noll
Boise, Idaho