The UltraRunning link for West
Sawtooth Odyssey 50M/100M
Sawtooth Odyssey (def.) 1. A loosely coordinated adventure run in the Sawtooth Wilderness, 2. As in "odyssey", an extended wandering - especially when lost following Tom Noll or Dave Atlas, 3. A "quest" for a higher spiritual or physical realm (or just to make it back to the beer before the trail host drinks it all). General Information The Sawtooth Odyssey has been a summer tradition since 1986. It is a noncompetitive adventure run that has been held on a number of routes from roughly 40 miles to 130 miles. The 2000 run will begin early on Friday, July 21st at the Grandjean trailhead. There is no entry form as the run has no formal organization. No formal rules exist, but participants must follow the rules and regulations governing wilderness travel. Each runner is responsible for all of their own need before, during, and after their trek. Camp Meeting: From about 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 20th at the Grandjean Campground located 7 miles off of Highway 21 at the end of the road along the South Fork of the Payette River. (turnoff is near milepost 94) Maps: (Topographical) Hiking Map & Guide, Sawtooth Wilderness -- about $8 waterproof. (Not topo) Sawtooth National Forest map - about $3 to $4. Both maps are available in Boise, Stanley, Ketchum, and many other places. User Fees: There is a new trailhead parking fee in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. It runs about $5 to $15 depending on duration of the trailhead pass (the passes are available in Boise, Stanley, and Ketchum, but I'm not sure about Grandjean). Grandjean Campground is a fee area, but I don't know the exact fees. We'll likely share some sites. Lodging: The Sawtooth Lodge at Grandjean may be reached at 208-344-2437 (Boise) or in season at the lodge 208-259-3331. Call early for reservations. The lodge is located 1+ miles below the campground. Other Information: Grandjean is a pretty cool place. It's more remote than the Sawtooth Valley, and there are some nice hot springs nearby along the river. If open, the warm pool at Sawtooth Lodge is soothing. Any way you look at it, it's a real Idaho ultra experience. ············· The Routes ············· Runners will decide on their own routes at or before the camp meeting, but the routes below are offered as option to choose among or adapt from. Slower runners may average around 3mph while faster runners may average near 5mph. "1987 Classic" Grandjean Loop (54 miles) Gandjean-Baron Creek-Baron Lakes & Divide-Flatrock Junction-Cramer Lakes & Divide-Hidden Lake-Edna Lake-Ardeth Lake-Spangle Summit & Lakes-Lake Ingborg-Benedict Lake & Creek-South Fork of Payette River-Elk Lake- Grandjean. Shorter Versions: Below Hidden Lake, runners can take the South Fork of the Payette River trail back to Grandjean for a loop of 42+ miles. At Ardeth Lake, the Ten Mile Creek trail descends to meet the S.F. of the Payette for a loop of 47+ miles. Grandjean Double Loop 100 Mile: LOOP#1 - "1987 Classic" 54-mile loop. LOOP#2: Grandjean-Trail Creek-McGown Lakes-Sawtooth Lake-Iron Creek-Goat Creek-Marshall Lake-Fishhook Creek-Redfish Ridge-Flatrock Junction-Baron Divide & Lakes-Grandjean. 46-mile loop. Add 1+ miles for side trip to Redfish Store. 100 Mile Single Loop Options: There are hundreds of miles of spectacular trails in the Sawtooth Wilderness. If anyone wants to do a single loop 100-mile run/trek, I will provide some options. Contact me via phone or e-mail. Sawtooth Odyssey/Death Hike Double Stage: On Friday run the "1987 Classic" or one of its shorter versions. Then on Saturday, do the 18-mile "Death Hike" short loop which can be extended to 20+ miles with a side trip to Observation Peak. The two stages will give you 60 to 75 miles of adventure. I recommend this option for Odyssey participants. "Death Hike 13" (Saturday, July 22nd): Rob Hart has another adventure planned for this date starting/finishing at Grandjean. The "Death Hikers" often start very early (1AM to 3AM), but you can start when you want. Two loops are planned. The longer loop is the 42+ mile Grandjean-Cramer Divide loop. The shorter loop is the 18-mile Grandjean-Trail Creek-McGown Lakes-Sawtooth Lake-North Fork Baron Creek-Grandjean loop. For more information contact: rjhart@micron.netHome