Seems like the backcountry bears are not acclimated to people, so there is little to no problem once you are away from the trailhead camps. Some concern there, but proper food storage and garbage management practices have always served to keep us free from hassles. To the best on my knowlege and from personal observation, we are only dealing with black bears in the Sawtooths.
Your standing offer of hospitality is much appreciated, Darin. Thank you. We'll keep it in mind.
You sure do, Steve. No Safeway stores for a looooong ways
. We do fish some and enjoy making a dinner or two from the results, but instead of food you have to carry fishing equipment and extra cooking gear and stove fuel, so it's a net gain in carry weight to do it.Jerry, there are potential routes everywhere you look, most of them virgin. In 30 years of backpacking into the Sawtooths I have yet to see rock climbers, though I hear they do use the east side of the range some. We approach from the west, much poorer roads and longer distances to access the high country...I don't think anyone is climbing the rock you've seen in my pics.
