Live from Boise following the Idaho Erben's one post at a time…

A Short Wilderness Adventure

We have kicked around the idea of taking Tyler and Nora camping this year, but to-date, we have yet to take the plunge. Over Labor Day weekend though, we decided to head up past Idaho City to a familiar twisting waterway, Crooked River. Flossie and I have hiked along here several times, the first probably in 2001 with Ralph (and Ralph only back then). We also took a hike here with Larry and Jeanne back in 2003 or so. The Crooked River Trail is fairly flat, and the trail stays pretty close to the waterway, usually ten feet or so above it, so it keeps things easy for short legs and gives ample opportunity for rock chucking and taking a dip in the mountain water.

We left Boise just before noon, and enjoyed a nice drive on Idaho 21 through Idaho City. The sky was clear, with the temperature hovering around 78-79 degrees on the way to the trailhead. We arrived just before 2PM, tossed on the packs, saddled up the dog, and set out on the adventure.

We made it about two minutes down the trail before Nora had to use the restroom. While Flossie took this chance (and period of time) to teach Nora how to be a lady in the great outdoors, Tyler, Eros and I jumped down to the river and kicked off the shoes to see what the water felt like. After spending a few minutes on our own, the girls re-joined us, and Nora and Tyler kicked off their pants and had a good time. We walked out into the middle of the stream, but the water climbed up to waist level of both kids, so we halted our advancement across the river.

After getting clothes and shoes back on, we continued down the trail for a quarter of a mile, and took a break for lunch. The kids were a bit upset the jelly was showing through the bread, they are not used to roughing it I guess. Eros enjoyed the break, finding a comfortable spot in the shade, and she was rewarded with the crusts from Tyler's sandwich. Then, we put the packs on and headed back onto the trail.

We made it another quarter mile, and then the toils of hiking for a bit began to set in with the short-legged kids. Tyler bemoaned how much he hated walking and Nora just plumb started to wear out. Eros, however, voiced no such concerns. We made it down to a bend in the river, snapped a few pictures of the surroundings, and then turned around, going about 8/10th's of a mile along the Crooked River in just over an hour.

The trail was fairly busy, and we passed one family camping just off the trail with a few older pooches guarding the camp. A number of kids, some right around Tyler's age and a few years older, also trekked along the river on this beautiful day. Eros loved the smells, and on our way back, she had the opportunity to visit a rodent friend. Unfortunately for her, she never caught wind of him, although Tyler's keen eyes picked him out as he casually enjoyed a snack, ignoring our picture taking and gawking.

The kids had enough of the fun, and we did not take a dip in the water again. We arrived back at the Escalade after three hours on the trail. The temperature had warmed to the mid-80's, although the shaded trail with river nearby made it very pleasant and it never felt a bit hot. The dusty Erben's hopped back in the car, and we headed toward big city again (snagging buffalo wings on the way home for dinner).

You can view all the pictures from the day in the Flickr set. The kids may not have been wild about the entire journey, but it was good to get them out of town and into the woods. They are excited for Grandpa Larry to come with them next time and "maybe we can bring our tents and eat marshmallows" they claim. May need a few more hikes to roughen them up a bit still.

View

20110904 - Crooked River Trail Hike in a larger map