I've been trying to get my wife out more since we always have fun together and to get her ready for backpacking. I figured out a trip that could get us some peak bagging (my favorite) and fishing (her favorite).

Our plan was to stay at a condo in Hailey and then hit Hemingway Peak near Trail Creek Summit on Saturday, then fish on Sunday on our way home.

All week I worried about the weather, how much snow would be on the route, could she make the long hike, etc... More worrying than usual because I wanted to keep Carrie happy. In case the snow was too bad, I borrowed an ice axe from Cody (thanks!). On top of those concerns, the forest service was saying the road to the trailhead was closed due to an avalanche (they ALWAYS exaggerate snow on roads, so we stuck with plans).

We set off a little late, but made the time up on the drive. We arrived at the trailhead just after 8am and were on our feet hiking up the West Fork trail by 8:15am. No signs of the "avalanche" the forest service reported... not even a pile of snow on the side of the road or any other clues.

I'd been on this trail on 2 separate occasions, for Malorey/Murdock Peaks and Peaks 10598/10566. It is a gorgeous basin and I had no problem going back.

This time we were going to climb Hemingway Peak (10540') at the head of the basin. Yes, Hemingway Peak is named after Ernest Hemingway who lived along Trail Creek Road in the 1950's and 60's.

The trail is easy to follow at the beginning. It is signed and immediately crosses the creek. It then has a fork, go left (west). The trail is easy to follow for the first mile, but forks right (north) at around 1 mile in. This fork is hard to see and takes the trail on the east side of the creek and high above it. The map shows is crossing over to the west side, but I've always been able to follow it all the way to the open basin at 9800' on the east side (it is a big challenge though, as it comes and goes). Someone has added cairns in places.

The amounts of snow early on were concerning. There were deep snow patches all the way to the creek right away at 8000' and even some snow on the trail itself... what were things going to be like at 10000'?!

We got off to a slow pace. It was hot and humid early and I was carrying clothes, water, food, and ice axes for 2 (my choice). After a long break, my load lessened. My wife took the lead with a quick pace and got us to 9800' where we had good views of the peak. We had avoided snow altogether to this point and could see we only had small snow fields to cross. We took a break, dropped the ice axes and extra water and headed to the peak.

We climbed the peak from the saddle between it and Point 10270. The route looked steep, but not too bad. There was really only one spot of 25 feet or so that offered up and challenge, but even that section is good rock and only class 2. The upper 200 feet was a little tricky footing, but not too bad.

We arrived at the top of this peak with great views of the Boulder Mountains on each side! We were immediately greeted by a brief snow squall that only lasted about 5 minutes. Then it cleared off and we could enjoy the views. This is a truly amazing basin you hike up, then the views the summits in this area provide are incredible. We could make out Borah and the Lost Rivers to the east and the Lemhis beyond that. To the south are the Pioneers and to the west are the Smokies.

We enjoyed the top, then hustled down to get some grub and rest before fishing the next day. My wife did a great job and was outpacing me for parts of the hike. Plus she provides excellent company and enjoys the scenery like I do. Excellent weekend!

To reach the trailhead, head to Trail Creek Summit. .9 miles from the summit, turn left onto Park Creek Road. This road is in good condition and leads to the trailhead in 2.7 miles.

From the trailhead, follow the signed West Fork trail. It quickly crosses a creek, then shortly after that forks. You want the left fork that heads west along West Fork. After a mile or so of hiking, the trail leaves the old road bed and heads right and above the creek. This is tricky to find. The trail stays above the creek. At points the trail is very hard to find and follow, but the terrain is pretty open. Someone placed cairns to help.

Once around 9800', everything opens up. We made it to the saddle between Hemingway and Point 10270 and climbed the peak from there.