Day two of our Harker Outdoors Idaho run started the same way a lot of good backcountry days do—fuel and a reality check. We’d already stacked about 180 miles of dirt by the time we rolled toward Elk City to top off, then it was right back into the woods. We hit Elk Summit Lookout for a quick pit stop and that tower is no joke—way up there, with a view that makes you forget how hot and dusty the trail’s been. Not long after, the trail reminded us why convoys carry tools. We ran into multiple downed trees, and we ended up stopping several times while the guys broke out a chainsaw and we cleared the road. It was pretty obvious nobody had been through there in a while, but we made quick work of it and kept pushing to make up time before camp. The weather also started to roll in—rain in the distance that eventually caught us—then we found a camp spot big enough to fit the whole group and called it a night. The next day was a mix of history and scenery. We stopped at the Florence Cemetery and talked through how Florence went from a gold rush boomtown to basically nothing. After that, we ate lunch at Allison Creek on the Salmon River—yes, there’s a legit white sandy beach—and finished the day with switchbacks, big views, and a soak at Burgdorf Hot Springs before heading back to camp for the final night.