Bennet Mtn To Hunter Transfer Camp

June 30 2012- Near Peak of Bennet Mtn Rd to Hunter Transfer Camp aprox 26.5 miles Bicycle and some Walking-3hours 15min. Downhill from top of Bennet Mtn across Highway 20 and onto the Castle Rock Rd small walk but otherwise ride like the wind. Going up Castle Rock had some walking uphills as well but otherwise a nice bike ride.

                          Just one of Many of the Rock Formations

The Rocks are Amazing and very interesting to see. I could go back here to see those again. Across Pine Featherville Rd a nice change from the dirt for a litle ways. Now thru the Cows and the fine silt dirt that feals like wet cement. Watch out for the Bulls They DO Have the Right-of-Way! No problems at all with the Cows for me. The last couple miles downhill to Hunter Transfer Camp. Goal Score and anotherone bites the Dust.

ICT thru hiker 2012

in 4 weeks Tom has walked the ICT from the Nevada border to roughly the middle of the Frank Church Wilderness.     Options Thomas Jay Oord Friends, I'm sending this from a "ranch" in the middle of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. This is my sabbath day in the middle of a 17-day, 230-mile trek through some wild and wonderful places. It's part of my summer-long 1,000+ miles Idaho walkabout. Things are going well, although I really needed a rest day today. I hiked 31 miles through the wilderness yesterday, and about 12 of the miles had a lot of downed trees across the trail. Bummer. Enjoying the adventure! Tom

ICT desert Rock Coral Access to Bruneau Canyon

June 16th 2012, Bike and Hike from near Rock Corral Access to Bruneau Canyon Overlook, About 37miles with a backtrak of another mile or two, about 5 hours. Started where I left off from after my derail episode earlier(see previouse Blogs). Day was long trail conditions dry rocky and like what I had encountered thru here before on the earlier forays. Came across two sisters who were hiking the ICT and well due to the heat, their water situation and sore feet caught a ride with my support Crew. A note of caution for those of you hiking this desert section, from Nevada to Hammet, You can not carry enough water or walk enough miles to make it with any measure of saftey. This whole section can be accessed with 4x4 no problem unless wet and muddy. Either Cache lots of water at short intervals or just have them follow you or go ahead several miles and make camp with all the fixings. This ain't no joke or me being a wimp, just straight up good advice that might save your life. Sure there are people that do it have done it and  will do it again without support vehicle but they run a big risk. Do Not underestmate the Desert or you may not live to regret it.
Water can be found at Winter Camp along the trail and that is about it. Watering tanks for the Cattle off the trail a mile or more at times might have water but....
Walked thru winter Camp for a break from bike and met a Father and Son on Enduro Dirt Bikes who were riding the trail. Funny he said his first impression was to fly over this whole section and riding it on motorbikes was kind his limit. Other Motor Bikers I met on the Trail Called me "HardCore" for riding a bicycle thru the desert. Frankly I thought I was kinda cheatin and wimpin out. So if I am Hardcore for Bicycling you people that Hike this entire Desert Section.... Well you have my Respect and my hat is off to you "AdamantiumCore"(I guess?)... LoL
Finished up at the Overlook and was quite happy to have this Desert Done!

ICT Bennet Mtn to Hammet/I-84

June 10th 2012 - Hwy 20/Cat Creek Rd to Hammet/I-84 Was supposed to be about 36.5 miles but I bailed on about 5.5 of it, save till next time. So I started out on my bike at Hwy 20 and made it less than a mile up the road before my chest was beating outa my heart and dizzy was getting my head. Ok I wimped out had no mud and had the suport crew drive me to the summit for some down hill I wouldn't die trying to bicycle. So the other side and I'm flying down hill no pedaling needed for the most par clear to where the trail leaves Bennet Mtn Rd and goes out to the HOODOOs. After surveying the first bit near the Road I put up the bike and got on the hiking shoes to hike thru the next 3 or so miles. The walk down over the Basalt Rim Rocks(Hoodoos) was a nice break in between biking sessions. The Trail is not always apparent but the White Trail Markers are plentiful and have little arrows even to direct you in the general direction of the next marker. You eventually hit a real old and brutal 4X4 goat path that winds accross the face of the rim and down thru a draw that had running water in it. Didn't really expect it but it was there. there was anoter small old drain that also had water down lower a mile or so before you hit Alkali Rd. At Alkali I got back on the bike and rode in the wing the howling wind to I-84 near Hammet. This lower section over the rolling gravel roads ate my lunch. The wind at one point was in my face as I came down a small hill pedalling to gain momentum for the up section to follow only to have the wind blow me to a stop. Now I know it blows out here Heck ya think them big windfarms are for grins and giggles but this was not fun but plain old pound it out work. I later learned that the Ironman Triathalon in Boise the same weekend was shortened on its bike ride due to wind, and this made feel proud that I still managed to grind out nearly 27+ miles on my bike and the "Iron Men and Women" only did 12.

Thomas Oord thru hike 2012

Thomas Oord has started his south-to-north ICT thru-hike attempt.  He began at the Nevada border on Sunday June 3rd and is already at the southern end of the Sawtooth Mountains.  I have been following his Spot messenger updates.   Let's cheer him on as he attempts to go all the way on the ICT in the next few weeks, targeting mid August for the finish line.    his latest Spot link (this opens in Google maps).
http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=8Em7m

Murphy Hot Springs Airport -2miles past Corral Rd.

June 2nd, 2012 - Murphy Hot Springs Airport to about 2 miles past the Corral Access Rd, Bicycle, about 24.5miles in about 3 hours. Planned to go about 34 to the Indian Hot Springs Access but a rock had a different idea and derailed me wrapped my chain around the crank and pinned it between the frame and the rear suspension. Hey at least I didn't go over the handle bars into the sagebrush n rocks, thats gotta be good fer somethin'.

Somewhere in the Desert there is a Rock with a mark on it, I know I should try harder to leave no Trace, but.....
Trail conditions were good, rocky n rough but passable, well till ya hit a big rock anyways. There were a few small muddy places, probably left over from last weekend when it snowed and rained out in this section otherwise dry. This section is fairly rocky in places with the Poisin Creek Drainage having nice smooth basalt black rocks, the rest on the trail are rather jagged and gnarly. Support Vehicles with High Ground Clearacne will do for most but 4x4 to cross the Poisin Creek Drainage might be needed.

Flora and Fauna included 4 deer, numerous antelope, 2 bull snakes on the trail, scattered Indian Paintbrush, small blue wildflowers, cheat grass, sage brush, and a crested wheat grass the cattle eat. We saw Real Deal Cowboys rounding up the Cattle off on the ridge a mile or so away at one point.

Map up by the Murphy Hot Springs Airport showing the trail and surrounding area.

This is one of the Trail markers. I like seeing these along the trail and I like the design. Wonder who I gotta bribe to get one of the stickers?

Hope to be back out and finish this desert off here in the next couple weeks, so untill then....

HAPPY TRAILS!

ICT HIKING AND BIKING- THE DESERT SECTION

April 14th 2012-  Nevada border to end of Three Creek Road near Murphy Hot Springs Airport, approx 1.9miles one way. A little muddy but not bad. Nice walk to Nevada and then back.

Trail head down to Nevada from Murphy HotSprings Airport and the Three Creek Rd. Kind of hard to see but there are two white trail markers on each side of the Trail.


May 28th 2012- Bruneau Canyon overlook to Hammet & I-84, approx 26.6 miles one way. Rode my Mountain Bike thru this section in about 3.5 hours. Saw 4 antelope, 3 phesants and several lizards, well and some cows down in Browns Creek area.  The section from the Overlook to the end of the pavement of Hot Springs Road (about 5.5miles) was fairly good even though the roads are not all that apparent for the last couple miles. 3 gates to go thru here and they are marked but I would still recomend a GPS with the route in it as you get out to an old watering/ feeding location and the good road ends and several very old minor tracks take off and you might choose the wrong one if you didn't have a good sense of direction or a handy dandy GPS. The next section from end of pavement Hot Springs Road to Browns Creek Road that comes off of Hwy 78 about 6-7 miles from Hammet, about 12miles. About 4 miles along the rim after leaving Hot Springs Road/ Three Creek Road, fairly easy riding and well marked, easy to follow. The drop from the rim down into Browns creek was a nice downhill section on my bike, no pedaling required but you might grab some brakes a couple times, about 2.5-3miles. The rest of Browns creek was ok with part of the road being kind of rough from rain and cattle walking on it but still very passable. Couple of gates one of which had so many tumbleweeds against it I wondered if I was the first one thru in quite some time. The last section Browns Crk Rd & Hwy 78 on into Hammet and to the on-ramp at I-84, about 9.3 miles. This section is obviously paved and went by without incident.

I plan to finish off the desert here in the next couple weeks and will report as I get the sections done.

Backpacker article

page 52 of the January 2012 issue of Backpacker magazine has a survival feature which includes my survival story from this summer, while hiking on the Idaho Centennial Trail along the Idaho - Montana border.

ICT - A Piece at a time - Leg 7

On October 1 we hiked from Grandjean to Stanley Lake on the ICT. The total distance was 11.4 miles. It took us a little over 6 hours. My yellow lab was our partner on this trip. We had an elevation rise from 5,200 ft. at Grandjean to about 8,100 ft. at the highest saddle during the first 5 miles. The signage for the ICT along the trail is not good, but it is a well worn trail and fairly easy to navigate. Even this late in the year there was water all along the route. The weather was great and the fall colors were glorious. The route we took follows along with a few photos. John and Hank.

ICT - A Piece at a Time - Leg 6

On September 10th, 2011, Hank and I biked from Burgdorf Hot Springs to the Wind River Pack Bridge on the Salmon River. This is on the Western Alternate section of the ICT. We went up the Jeanette Creek trail from an elevation of about 6,200 ft. to 8150 ft (more pushing than riding). Fortunately a trail crew had come through about 2 weeks earlier and cleared the deadfall, otherwise we would have had to lift our bikes over several hundred logs. We did not have to hop a single log on this trip. Something to seriously consider before biking this section. We thought the downhill trip (about 12 miles) would be relatively easy, but not so. The upper portion was not too bad, but was dusty and rocky. The lower portion on the Carey Creek side was very steep, rocky, rutted and dusty from trail bikes. This made biking treacherous and difficult. Brakes all the way and had to walk the bikes quite a bit. We both took a spill and got wounded, but not seriously. My brake cables stretched 1 inch. There was lots of water along the way if you need it, even near the top.

Overall it was a great trip on the ICT, as usual, with lots of great views and wildlife, but next time I would hike it and leave the bikes at home. The total distance was about 22 miles and it took us 9 hours to complete. Following is a photo of our route and a few more photos of the trip.

Burgdorf Hot Springs to the Wind River Pack Bridge on the Salmon River.

Burgdorf Hot Springs cabin the night before our ride.

Hundreds of these sawed away thanks to a trail crew.

The Salmon River is down in the far valley.

John White and Hank Boomer taking a break at 8100 ft. elevation.

Going to cool off at the end of our ride at the Wind River Pack Bridge.

Paige and Nick,

700 miles is quite an accomplishment! I'd love to read more details about your hike: where you had trouble finding the way, what the ridge north of Magruder road was like, what springs were dry, etc.

Mike O'Brien

ICT ?

I am planning a trip for next summer so I am looking for some trail information. I am considering a solo thru-hike. I would like to hike the entire trail system including the alternate routes. I would like to speak with anyone that has hiked the trail especially anyone who has done something similar. I anticipate many questions and I would appreciate any input. Is 1,200 miles accurate for the trail including the alternate routes? I look forward to hearing from you. Thank You,BZ

class of 2011

I did it!

it was actually 76 miles left to go, not 65. and I finished on Thursday evening, July 28th, at about 9:10 pm Pacific time, at Lionhead campground. I wanted the big dramatic finish at Upper Priest Falls, but the way it worked out, it was better to go to the falls then work our way south back to Lionhead campground on the northern tip of Priest Lake.

thanks to Stephen Stuebner for his book on the ICT.

thanks to Leo Hennessey for my first taste of the ICT 7 years ago on a work hike on North Fork Lime Creek.

thanks to my chief partner in crime on the ICT, Jerry "Frog" Finnegan. together we are "Doofus and Lark" exploring across Idaho!

thanks go also to the many friends who have joined me for segments of the ICT and for the many family members who have helped me with shuttle rides.

Ron Whittaker
"Llamamoto"

http://llamasyndrome.blogspot.com

He's headin' for home!

As of July 26th Ron Whittaker has completed all but the upper 23 miles or so of the ICT. He's planning to complete his seven year adventure on Thursday July 28th!

Watch out for those snow fields Ron, and congratulations!

Our First ICT Segment--June 23-25, 2011

Hammett to Highway 20/Camas Reservoir
Day 1: 13 miles. Bryan and I set off from the 84 at N. Hammett Hill Road exit at 1:30 p.m. Despite 90-degree temps and relentlessly hot pavement, we got lucky with cool winds, lots of clouds and desert rain showers that made their way around us instead of giving us a good soaking. The trail here is mostly paved and gravel roads, and the trail markers are clearly visible. We saw plenty of wildlife despite the heat, including rabbits, badgers, deer, hawks, pheasant and quail.

Day 2: 16 miles. Set off at 8 a.m. for an all-day, uphill hike into Little Canyon. Great valley views from the surrounding buttes. Climbing out of the valley was finally on-trail, a refreshing break from the noisy, crunchy gravel roads, but it wasn't long before we were back on the road when the trail joined Bennett Mountain Road heading up to Mount Bennett. Lots of cattle out grazing. Sometimes an entire herd was our audience as we passed by. This portion of trail is spectacular this time of year--the flowers are in bloom, the hills are green and the snakes and lizards are sunning themselves. We stopped just short of the summit to make camp and rest.

Day 3: Six miles. Headed out early to take advantage of the cool morning air and meet our noon ride at Cat Creek Rd. and Highway 20. We enjoyed great mountain views once we reached the summit. Near the end of the trail, we surprised a few Harley riders who thought they were alone, enjoying a beer. They asked us a lot about the ICT and wished us luck.

You can view all of our photos here. BTW -- Bryan and I are avid backpackers who are taking on the ICT in segments. We're based in Boise and can help anyone seeking assistance/support as they make their way through the southern portion of the ICT. We'll post our own progress as we complete each segment (give us a few years).

One Month to Departure !

It seems we may be the only ones committed to an unassisted thru-hike on the ICT this summer, but we are excited and finishing up our planning, cooking, and packaging in the coming weeks. We plan to hit the trail on July 4th and thought other ICT enthusiasts might be interested to follow our adventure this summer. I am planning on updating my personal blog with details. I haven't figured out how I will manage this while on the trail, but optimistically, here's the link: http://www.guernsi.blogspot.com

One detail which we are working on currently are resupply locations. If anyone has a list with phone numbers and addresses, we would greatly appreciate it. Thanks !

Cheers,
Paige and Nick

Hi,

We are planning to at least attempt part of the ICT when we visit next year. We will be flying into Bozeman Montanna from UK.
Can anyone advice what section we should do that offers medium to hard challenge, good views etc and where we can pick it up (the trail) that's convenient to where we land.

Thanks
Gerard

65 miles left

Hello all:
I am anticipating the completion of my ICT quest this summer. This year will make 7 years that I have been working on it. I have 65 miles left to make the chain complete. The first section is 30 miles on the Stateline Trail, from Missoula Lake north to near Dominion Peak. The last and grand finale' section will be from Priest Lake, near Indian Creek, north to the falls just south of the Canadian border. Targeting last week of July for completion. What plans does everyone have for the ICT this summer? Ron http://llamasyndrome.blogspot.com

ICT - A Piece at a Time - Leg 5

Over the period from July 15th to the 17th we biked a section from the Hunter Creek Transer Station above Anderson Ranch Reservoir to Castle Rocks and then hiked from the Willow Creek trailhead back to our starting point at Hunter Creek Transfer Station. The biking portion was relatively easy and downhill most of the way. The Castle Rock area was the high-light of that section. We started the hiking portion about noon on a hot dry day. We climbed about 2,500 that afternoon and it tested us a little. We found water fairly high, but ran out before we reached the highest saddle. Extra water is needed on this section when it is a hot summer day. As we headed down the Lime Creek draw, that little trickle of water was a very pleasant sound. A sheep band had been in there just before us, but we still managed to get some good water. We forded Lime Creek multiple times. Plan to get wet if you travel at this time of the year. We camped along Lime Creek and then enjoyed a liesurely hike back to the Hunter Creek Station where we had a vehicle waiting. We covered a total of about 38 miles on this section.

John White and Hank Boomer.

Photos of this section of our trek can be seen at the following web site:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jetjwhite/Leg5ICTWillowCreekTrailheadToCastleRocks0715172010#

ICT - A Piece at a Time - Leg 4

On May 16, 2010 Hank and I tackled our 4th leg of the Idaho Centennial Trail. We biked from the Cat Creek Summit area to the Snake River bridge near Hammett. Great weather and a great trip. We had some fast biking down the grade toward Hammett and some slow hiking through the Hoodoo rock formations above Hammett. We covered about 4o miles on this section. We did this the day after we finished our 3rd leg. You can see photos our trip at the following web site:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jetjwhite/Leg4ICTCatCreekSummitToHammettBridge05162010##