The Sawtooth Range is not all that well known. It was named after the two highest peaks that are side by side. Marshall named them Raker and Cutter for their resemblance to the types of saw teeth. We were interested in Sawtooths 7 and 8, which are higher than 4 and 5. This confusion stems from two different lists,which each use different col depths for inclusion criteria. Just to make it even more confusing ST’s 7 and 8 may also be called Sawtooth 1E and NE.
We (Jean, Marie-Josée AKA Oliver and Spike) parked at Averyville on a nippy morning and got a late start. I was still sick but much better than I had been for the 2 previous weeks during which I lay around the house losing fitness. We broke trail easily along the Pine Pond Road, across the beaver swamp and 800 feet up an old logging road that ends in a pile of rubbish that was once a camp. At this point the beauty surrounding us was overwhelming. Skies were blue and the very open woods were covered in snow. Every tiny hardwood branch was coated in white. We followed a sinuous route staying in open channels with easy trail breaking all the way to the foot of Saw-8’s summit cone.
I knew from past experience that 500-foot cone would slow us down,which it did. Swapping leads often it took us 55 minutes to go .25 miles. Now sweaty we didn'’t linger on top in the cold. I had done our route over 8 to 7 3 times previously (11 years ago in winter and two trips back to back in early summer. I thought I had the route hard-wired and only remembered open woods and easy travel. This was not to be. The plan was to descend 500 feet and traverse under the 8-7 ridge-line with its horrendous cripple-bush. It took us nearly an hour to descend and travel .15 miles. No one was having fun and I was feeling under the weather, with a sore throat and a burning in my chest. I was dreading the out and back and was more than happy with the group decision to turn around. It was 2:30-ish anyway.
The re-climb went quickly in our tracks and the return over the ridge back to the logging road was another dose of nirvana for us all. We got back to the car at 5, just before needing headlamps. It was above zero – just.
Fast forward seven days minus one hour and in colder temperatures we (Jean, Marie-Josée, Nathalie and myself) quickly tramped our way up to the end of the logging road. Following our hardened trail up ST-8 was easy. I was feeling much better and was at 90% of my force. We had learned from our previous experience and I had racked my brain all week trying to remember back through the years to my previous trips. So, 150 feet from 8 we split off from our track and followed a bearing down through open woods. We intersected the previous track and followed it for a short spell before deviating to its left down, down until we hit very open woods. Then, guided by my GPS, we paralleled the older track at this lower elevation and side-hilled our way into the 8-7 col. Easy-peasy, although the snow was deep and not very supportive.
From the col to 7 we had .58 miles to go and several hundreds of feet to ascend. This took us about 90 minutes of hard work climbing in deep snow intermixed with easier snow conditions and gentle slopes.
Once on top we didn’t stay long to celebrate Jean'’s closing out the 11 Sawtooths and while I waited briefly for the others I paced back and forth to keep warm. The return trip went quickly although the re-climb of 7 was a lot tougher than I expected. Then it was down, down, down to the Pine Pond Road with its 250 foot climb over Sugar Hill. Back at the car (total time 8h15m compared to 7h30m last week) we all froze the hell out of our hands getting out of our hiking gear and clothes. Then we drove home uneventfully eating Miss Vickey’s chips in light snow and increasing winds.
Good people, good times, good mountains. What a wonderful hobby.
We (Jean, Marie-Josée AKA Oliver and Spike) parked at Averyville on a nippy morning and got a late start. I was still sick but much better than I had been for the 2 previous weeks during which I lay around the house losing fitness. We broke trail easily along the Pine Pond Road, across the beaver swamp and 800 feet up an old logging road that ends in a pile of rubbish that was once a camp. At this point the beauty surrounding us was overwhelming. Skies were blue and the very open woods were covered in snow. Every tiny hardwood branch was coated in white. We followed a sinuous route staying in open channels with easy trail breaking all the way to the foot of Saw-8’s summit cone.
I knew from past experience that 500-foot cone would slow us down,which it did. Swapping leads often it took us 55 minutes to go .25 miles. Now sweaty we didn'’t linger on top in the cold. I had done our route over 8 to 7 3 times previously (11 years ago in winter and two trips back to back in early summer. I thought I had the route hard-wired and only remembered open woods and easy travel. This was not to be. The plan was to descend 500 feet and traverse under the 8-7 ridge-line with its horrendous cripple-bush. It took us nearly an hour to descend and travel .15 miles. No one was having fun and I was feeling under the weather, with a sore throat and a burning in my chest. I was dreading the out and back and was more than happy with the group decision to turn around. It was 2:30-ish anyway.
The re-climb went quickly in our tracks and the return over the ridge back to the logging road was another dose of nirvana for us all. We got back to the car at 5, just before needing headlamps. It was above zero – just.
Fast forward seven days minus one hour and in colder temperatures we (Jean, Marie-Josée, Nathalie and myself) quickly tramped our way up to the end of the logging road. Following our hardened trail up ST-8 was easy. I was feeling much better and was at 90% of my force. We had learned from our previous experience and I had racked my brain all week trying to remember back through the years to my previous trips. So, 150 feet from 8 we split off from our track and followed a bearing down through open woods. We intersected the previous track and followed it for a short spell before deviating to its left down, down until we hit very open woods. Then, guided by my GPS, we paralleled the older track at this lower elevation and side-hilled our way into the 8-7 col. Easy-peasy, although the snow was deep and not very supportive.
From the col to 7 we had .58 miles to go and several hundreds of feet to ascend. This took us about 90 minutes of hard work climbing in deep snow intermixed with easier snow conditions and gentle slopes.
Once on top we didn’t stay long to celebrate Jean'’s closing out the 11 Sawtooths and while I waited briefly for the others I paced back and forth to keep warm. The return trip went quickly although the re-climb of 7 was a lot tougher than I expected. Then it was down, down, down to the Pine Pond Road with its 250 foot climb over Sugar Hill. Back at the car (total time 8h15m compared to 7h30m last week) we all froze the hell out of our hands getting out of our hiking gear and clothes. Then we drove home uneventfully eating Miss Vickey’s chips in light snow and increasing winds.
Good people, good times, good mountains. What a wonderful hobby.
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