Trip Report
Zach and I started texting early in the week about a hike on the weekend. We quickly narrowed down the choices to the Smoky Range near Sun Valley. Then we narrowed down further to one of 3 of the 10,000 foot peaks in that range that I believe to be unclimbed. After some debate, we settled on Peak 10,255 (Robbery Peak) just south of the Camas County Highpoint (Peak 10337). The name Robbery came from combining our last names (Robbins - Vickery). Pretty great, eh? I came up with that on top of the peak.
To approach Robbery Peak, we utilized the road that leads into the headwaters of the Salmon River. This was a neat area, although ATV and motorcycle traffic seem to be taking a toll on the landscape.
A large cold front had come through the previous night and temperatures were cool. The forecast contained mention of winds up to 30 mph as well. As we headed up the trail, the skies were becoming sunny and the winds were calm.
The first part of the hike was on a jeep/ATV trail. It was great tread and led us to a fork in the road. At the fork was a trailhead register. Looking at the register, people were going to 20 different locations it seemed. Blind Canyon, Salmon headwaters, Big Smoky, you name it... We were the first to write down "Peak 10255" as a destination.
From the fork, we headed left through a gate. It was still double track, but narrower. We followed this trail for about 3/4ths of a mile to another junction. Here we took the left fork again heading into a gorgeous meadow on a single track trail. We followed the trail for only about 1/2 a mile to the saddle where it started descending into the Big Smoky Creek drainage.
From here, we basically turned east on steep slopes and followed the Blaine/Camas county line to the peak. The terrain to Point 9034 was steep, but the slope relented after Point 9034. From 9034 to the top, we were usually able to follow goat paths. On the upper slopes of the peak, we spotted a goat below us on the rugged cliffs. Also up high, we had great views and the wildflowers were still in full display despite it being late August. This area has large and impressive canyons.
One big question was whether or not the summit showed signs of previous visitation. We were glad to finally scramble up the last bit of rock and see that it didn't. It was very pristine, without any sign of humans having been there before. More importantly, we were treated to great views of the Soldier, Boise, Boulder, Pioneer, White Cloud, and Sawtooth Ranges. We built a small rock cairn and enjoyed the summit in the sun and light winds. Later I would find out that a friend who was on a peak only 30 miles away was in clouds, smoke, and below freezing temperatures!
After almost an hour on the summit, we decided to head over and re-visit the Camas County highpoint, something each of us had done 9 years before. That hike went quick. Looking at the register, only about 10 people had climbed the peak in the 9 years since, shocking considering it is a county highpoint. Most of those ascents were that same summer Zach and I did the peak. We then descended to the car, visiting a different basin on the way out. Great day in the mountains!
After the hike, we hit the Burger Grill in Ketchum, which used to be somewhere we ate 5 or 6 times a summer. Neither of us had been there in years and were almost surprised to find it was open. It was open and the food was great.
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