“Did I tell you we were all alone?”

We drove and we hiked. North was our direction today. We climbed high into the Sawtooth mountains, passing the spot where the Salmon River emerges from the ground to flow 425 miles through central Idaho, dropping 7,000 feet on its way to join the Snake River and then, together, on to the mighty Columbia. We dove past the little town of Smiley, ID at the top of the Sawtooth Basin before turning towards Redfish Lake. The alpine lake is crystal clear, surrounded by the snow capped peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains - the Northern Rockies. We were virtually alone. The park, just opened for day use only, had few visitors. We had taken a chance not knowing whether the hiking paths might still be snow covered but found most of the snow gone thanks to the unusually low snow pack and the unseasonably warm temperatures.

We parked the car and found our way to the Fishhook Creek Trailhead and started our climb. Did I tell you we were all alone? The path climbed steadily but not steeply, which made me happy. Mark and our puppy Hailey led the way. The creek rushed by to one side, fed by the still melting snow off the peaks. The further we walked along the path, the deeper into the woods we traveled. I started to wonder if any humans before us had walked this trail since the snows had melted this spring. Probably not. If so they had left no trace. I then began to wonder how the news might present the story of two naive city folks, completely oblivious to the dangers of early season hiking, after they were led to our bodies by our scampering dog who had high tailed it when the bears arrived. These thoughts were not adding to my enjoyment but I can tell you that the threat of Covid totally disappeared. I didn’t discuss it with Mark, he was too far ahead.

As we approached the turn around point we were met by a young happy couple on their way back. How had they gotten here if we had seen no tracks. Hmmmmm. That aside, we greeted each other cheerfully. At last I could relax. After all, they had somehow made it all the way to the turn around uneaten, and would clear the path ahead of us all the way back.

Now, unencumbered by any fears whatsoever, we retraced our steps and I was able to absorb all of the breathtaking beauty that surrounded. us. Our day had given us 120 miles of curved roads thru majestic mountains and 5 miles of hiking next to a rushing creek. Comfort in the time of pandemic.