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Thompson Peak Sunrise, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Stanley Idaho photo
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Thompson Peak Sunrise

Sawtooth National Recreation Area - Stanley, Idaho

A beautiful alpen glow sets in on Thompson Peak, the tallest peak in the Sawtooth Wilderness rising to 10,765 feet. With a 65 lb. pack on my back and a 15 lb. tri-pod in hand, it took me more than 7 hours to reach this un-named lake high in the Sawtooth Wilderness. I reached to top just before sunset and had just enough time to unpack my stove and climb down to the lake to retrieve some water to boil. I didn't really need to boil the water to drink but I didn't want to take any chances of getting sick. From what other hikers have told me, the water here is so clean, you can drink directly from the lake or riverstreams. After a hard days climb, I quickly ate dinner and downed some fluids and off to bed I went in my sleeping bag and bivy sack. With just a medium layer of clothing on, I was fast to sleep on a nice flat slab of giant rock. Tempatures quickly droped to around 5 degrees during the night and I awoke several times during the night shivering from the wind coming off the water. I awoke the next morning feeling dehydrated and sick. Those great side effects of altitude sickness. Shortly after capturing this shot, I had to quickly descend to a lower altitude. Photo © copyright by Erik and Melissa Barnes.

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