Fox Peak - Adams Gulch/Ridge to Sun Valley/ Ketchum - Idaho- July 31, 2009
Words
by Lee Lau. Photos by Lee Lau and Tyler Wilkes unless otherwise noted.
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Fox Peak - Adams Gulch/Ridge to Sun Valley/ Ketchum - Idaho- July 31, 2009 Words
by Lee Lau. Photos by Lee Lau and Tyler Wilkes unless otherwise noted.
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|| Day 1 - History Rock - Bozeman, Montana || Day 2 - 3 - Trespass/Sypes; Emerald; A big peak || Day 4 - Somewhere || Day 5 - 6 - Corral Creek, Fox Peak - Ketchum, Idaho || Day 7 - Warm Springs ; Pioneer - Long Gulch || Day 8 - Corral Creek, Fisher Creek - Stanley, Idaho || Day 9 - Bull Trout to Bonneville ||
Sharon and I regretfully left Montana on July 30th and spent a relaxing languid day driving to Sun Valley. We found a nice forest service campsite NE outside of town and the buzz of Cadillac Escalade's on the Corral Creek turnoff just off the Trail Creek road. That night I managed to squeeze in a late night (and I mean late) 9pm ride of the Corral Creek trails with Lenny. Tyler drove in from Vancouver and got in at 3 in the morning after some border hassles - (applause for that dedication)
The next day we went to Giacobbi Square in downtown Ketchum to get a ride from a shuttle service (the Mountain Fairy). For $ 15bucks per head we got dropped off about 12 miles west of Sun Valley/Ketchum at about 8500 ft (SV/Ketchum is about 5,800ft) and we saved the hassle of a big long retrieval of vehicles.
Our route took us for a short out-and-back exploratary ride W of Fox Peak along the Warm Springs Ridge. Then we doubled back to Fox Peak and took the Adams Gulch route taking the N ridge variation which climbs and sidehills on ridgeline back to town; taking Tr 142, Sunnyside and Shadyside. No-one seemed too interested in checking out the Lane's and Citizen Trails variations so we headed back into town.
This was a great way to check out the local trails. We got to see the Fox Peak/Warm Springs area; which is usually a bit far for most people to ride too - then we got to ride trails closer to town and get a taste of what Sun Valley had to offer.
The very recognizeable Mountain Fairy van; first at the Giacobbi Square
pickup then closer to our drop-off with a view of the Boulder's at 10k to
11k vertical to the N of us.
Sharon
on the Warm Springs trail
Lee coming back
along Warm Springs back to Fox Peak. Lupins love this hot, dry climate
and the sandy soil
Tyler playing on a burnt out log trying to not get too dirty
Lilies on the Adams Gulch trail E of Fox Peak
Tyler on the Adam's Gulch trail on the ridgeline N variation of the loop. Over 60K acres of forest burned here not long ago
Adams Gulch trail - N Ridge loop variation. Fox Pk from whence we came is in picture centre
Sharon railing
turns off the ridge
Tyler blasting down the Adams Loop. A large group was pushing uphill
- an unconventional direction since this loop is typically ridden
the way we were going
Sharon making
her way down Tr 142 looping around Griffin Butte - a rock massif
just N of town
