View SE to Trail Creek Summit East. Cairn and note placed 7/15/09, photo by Rick Baugher
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Sun Valley has to be the hiking mecca of Idaho. Personally, I occasionally enjoy tramping the popular area trails just to be around all those tanned, healthy, young in spirit, fit bodies. So, with such abundant overflowing energy and enthusiasm, it amazes me no one has ever thought "Hey, let's climb all the 9000' peaks in the Pioneer Mountains".
If you've followed a couple of my previous reports on the subject, you may have come to the conclusion that the hardest part about doing these 9'ers is the challenge of simply identifying them, and then figuring out a workable approach. This is correct. The Pioniners are all walk ups.
OK, so I counted, then climbed 16 of them. Here are the last two on the list:
#15 is Trail Creek Summit East el 9720'+ (prom 400'). Sorry for the unimaginative name. This peak is 2+ miles SE of Trail Creek Summit on the Great Lost Divide. By roughly following the divide the route is half old mining trail, then half spruce forest bushwack.
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View S to Hyndsight, not far from the Pioneer Cabin. Cairn and horseshoe placed 8/27/09, photo by Rick Baugher
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#16 is Hyndsight el 9311' (prom 451'). Either the Johnstone Creek trail or Corral Creek trail will get you to this peak's saddle, then it's off trail on former(?) sheep grazing slopes.
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Summit of Hyndsight, photo by Rick Baugher
| From the summit of Hyndsight, here's wishing you good luck on your mountaineering endeavors. Peaks, center to right: Salzburger, Goat, Duncan.
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Pioneer cabin, photo by Rick Baugher
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Hyndsight is the nearest peak to Pioneer Cabin, so don't miss a visit to this piece of Sun Valley ski history, built in 1937. From here, imagine Andy Hennig cutting fresh tracks off those high peaks. As the rooftop sign says, 'The higher you get, the higher you get' - profound.
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