Sawtooth Wilderness 8/22/2015 - 8/29/2015

Day 3 - Today is going to start off another climbing day for most of the day up to Cramer Divide. We head up to Cramer Lakes to take a break for lunch then we have a long grueling climb through boulder fields to the pass. This is some of the best part of being out west; above the treel line and working your way back and forth over the passes. Usually when you get to the top you can look over the progress you have made and can see for miles and all the summits. Each pass gives you a different perspective. Once we climb over the pass we will head to Virginia Lake.

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• Alpine Lake at daybreak
• Alpine Lake at daybreak
• Just before we leave camp, snapped a picture of the morning sun hitting the far side of the lake.
• The trail leading up the valley to Cramer Lakes
• Sometime in the morning we had gotten high enough to take a look back down the valley we just ascended
• Creek crossing. The water gave off a nice cool breeze.
• Lower Cramer Lake
• Middle Cramer Lake - there is a land bridge with a 20 ft drop in the middle of the lake creating this waterfall.
• Our view of Middle Cramer Lake while we eat lunch.
• Our typical rodent friend for most of our meals.
• Filtering water before we head up to Cramer Divide and this guy was hanging out below the rock we were standing on
• Another view point of the waterfalls at Middle Cramer Lake
• Looking across Middle Cramer Lake at some of the beauty surrounding it.
• Upper Cramer Lake - See the break between the summits on the right side, that is where we are heading.
• Looking one direction on Upper Cramer Lake
• Looking in the other direction on Cramer Lake where we are heading (top right side)
• Looking back at Upper Cramer Lake as we ascend to the divide
• Yep, we are moving into the boulder fields. We will go up to the left and then swing back and forth all the way to the wall where we will go over the divide
• Unnamed lake just before we start into the boulder field. Notice we are actually below the lake.
• As we ascend through the boulder field, we walked by this burned out tree. I wondered how the tree grew here and how did the wildfires get to it.
• Look back down at Cramer Lake and the mountain range. Look closely on the right side and you can see the trail
• Looking up to where we have to go. The picture certainly does not give you distance perspective. I had quite a ways left to go.
• Made it to the top of Cramer Divide. Nice to drop the pack and enjoy the scenary for awhile.
• From the divide looking out over mountain range
• The landscape on top of the divide
• Looking back out at the valley we ascended. To the right is where we came up.
• Down the other side of the divide was Hidden Lake. A nice long lake locked in here by ridges on three sides.
• Looking over to the right side of the divide to the peaks all around us.
• this is the boulder field we worked our way through to get to the divide.
• Across from where we were we could see these rocks on the peak and they looked like columns were placed there.
• The same peak without zooming in to the columns
• Hidden Lake - next stop area for water
• Hidden Lake
• Hidden Lake
• Hidden Lake looking back to the divide we just came over.
• Campsite 3 - Sleeping on grass, woot!
• Campsite 3 - we wash clothes and spread out once we get into camp
• Virginia Lake - an creek outlet into the lake
• Look across Virginia Lake
• Sunset on Virginia Lake
• Virginia Lake
• Moon rise over the peak at Virginia Lake

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