The next morning we headed out for a little easier day. As expected, the smoke had set in a bit but we were mentally ready.
Our first stop was Peak 8900. Both Brian and I had been up here with John and Uncle Tom in 2019. It is located right above our base camp and was a good appetizer for the upcoming week. It was here that we ran into the only other human for the week. A Florida man who was blasting grouse.
We sure enjoyed the rolling hills of the Frank Church Wilderness!
Mariel (she is the one in the ugly hat) takes a brief break along the ridge to Farrow Mountain. She really is better than 2 – 21 year olds!
Ugh, smoke! Somewhere down below is the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
Mariel takes the honor of summiting Farrow Mountain first.
Brian! In the background is Papoose Mountain which was on the plate for the next day.
Looking north we spy Cottonwood Butte, mid image. It is another mountain on our to do list for the week.
A panoramic view of the rolling hills of the Frank Church as seen from the top of Farrow Mountain.
After a leisurely trail traverse, we drop down into Papoose Lake.
What a gem of a lake!
Yes, we did a little fishing and I snapped this image of Mariel. Later, I remembered that I took a similar image of John…… like father like daughter! John, September of 2020 – Golden Lake and Mariel, September of 2024 Papoose Lake.
After a quick swim, Mariel soaks in the mountain sun. You could see the stress of her hectic every day life leaving her body. After a goodly time at the lake, we fell back to base camp and spent the evening telling JP stories.
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