After a year of planning and pouring over maps, we finally headed into the Wind Rivers mountain range in late July. Jim and I spent a few days driving to Wyoming trying to do as much activity as we could in a hope of starting the acclimation process. A few years back Jim heard of the Hiawatha bike ride on the Idaho/Montana border, so we took a day to ride through the old railroad tunnels and across the trestles. It was more fun than I thought it would be.
We did a day hike just outside Yellowstone and then spent another day playing tourist in Yellowstone before stopping in Jackson, Wyoming to pick Andrew up at the airport and head to Pinedale for an afternoon hike.
That night, Brooke and her boyfriend, James, met us in Pinedale. Kevin and Steven rolled in the next morning just in time for us to take over our hotel parking lot and pack for our big adventure.
After the packing was done, half the group drove cars to the trailhead we planned to be exiting the Wind Rivers at in 8 days time. Jim and I dropped off gear and the groups food to the horse packers before we all united at dinner.
After a shuttle to trailhead, I was dropped off with the horse packers and the rest of our group was deposited at the hiker’s trailhead. We all happened to be starting up the trail at the same time, so we were able to capture a group photo before the horse team headed up to drop me and our load at camp.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed riding a horse into camp. It took me back to my childhood and spending time with my grandfather. And frankly, it felt like the complete Wyoming experience.
I arrived camp only a few hours ahead of the hikers. They made really good time. It helped that they were carrying 15 pounds less than they would be tomorrow. We had a fabulous camp overlooking Island Lake with a view of Gannet Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming.
We all crashed pretty early. It was our first night at elevation, 10,600ft, which zapped our energy levels. Jim and I woke first, packed up, and hit the trail. We had agreed to meet Shannon Pass below Stroud Peak at 2pm. Jim and I wanted to attempt Stroud Peak before meeting up with the group.
As Jim and I strolled along the Continental Divide Trail, we agreed that Wyoming was living up to everything we had heard. Over every bump in the trail there was another high alpine lake. The hike is so beautiful.
Jim and I arrived Shannon Pass around 12:30 with Andrew on our heels. We still wanted to attempt Stroud Peak, but time was running out. We all took off for the summit. Though it was only a 1000-foot climb, the boulders slowed me down. And then the elevation really hit me.
Turned out 12,000ft was going to be my “Achilles Heel” on this trip. Every time, we crossed over 12,000ft I emotionally lost it. On Knapsack Col, I was yelling at everyone. On Indian Pass, I was crying and could barely speak. Completely giddy on Alpine Lakes pass. It was like hiking with Lissie Borden. Good thing, they didn’t have me carry the ice axe.
Both Jim and Andrew made the summit of Stroud Peak. The winds were high. They took a few pictures and returned to Shannon Pass where the group reunited. We dropped down to Peak Lake, tucked around the lake, and then headed up the basin towards Knapsack Col.
As we were climbing up towards the col, we came across hikers coming down. After discussing the route off Knapsack Col with the hikers, we agreed to call it a night and camp high in the basin. Attempt the col in the morning. Two nights in the Wind Rivers and two unbelievable campsites.
Took us awhile to reach Knapsack Col in the morning. The altitude was hitting everyone, and I had pulled my glute in the middle of the night. One of the things I really hate about getting old is injuring yourself while you slept. We took a long break in the Col to take in the view.
We descended the snow and then took lunch on the moraine at the head of Titcomb Basin.
As we hiked through Titcomb Basin after lunch, we were all becoming acutely aware of the intense sun and heat. Before the trip, we had been planning for afternoon thunderstorms. None of us were ready for 6 straight day of blue sky and a relentless sun that could suck all the energy out of your body.
We had originally planned to stop at the second lake in Titcomb Basin to swim but by halfway through the first lake, we all agreed it was time to swim. We had to cool off. Even I waded in and dunked my head in the icy lake.
After cooling off, we went back to the task of hiking up Indian Basin. Though the mileage wasn’t huge, we rolled into camp in early evening. The sun just zapped us of all our energy. We had to take more breaks than we had planned, and our water consumption was greater than normal.
As drained as I was, Jim and I couldn’t help stopping for pictures in Indian Basin. It truly is a special place.
We camped at the head of Indian Basin just below Indian Pass, our goal for tomorrow. Another day, another amazing camp.
With a big day ahead of us, we rose early and were underway by 7am and at the pass in less than an hour.
The decent from the pass was going well once everyone correct me on where we were going. Brooke led out across the snow and a flat section of blue ice on the glacier. There were a couple of boulder rock bands across the snow patches. It was in one of these rock bands that our trip began to change.
At one point, Brooke got her pole stuck between two boulders. In an attempt to free the pole, Brooke took a tumble down the boulder field. We all just stood and watched as she fell on her backpack, then her helmet hit, then she rolled again and repeated the scenario. She finally came to rest face down on a boulder. We all held our breath as we waited for her report. Somehow, she was ok. She was going to have some bruises but was ok to continue. We would discover later in the day that her knee took a hit and was swelling.
Soon after we started moving again, James took a tumble. Not anywhere near as dramatic as Brooke’s but his thumb got caught in the boulders. Doctor Brooke’s diagnosis was a sprain. She took the time to tape it up while the rest of us enjoyed the view.
Even with the delays, we arrived Alpine Lakes Basin pass just slightly later than I expected. I had heard that the basin was spectacular and here we were. The Wind Rivers alpine high route sure has a lot to offer.
We started our descent on a rock path and then as the hillside softened, we took to the snow. It was here that the sun hit us again. The snow was like climbing in an oven. Snow is easier climbing terrain than rocks, but we couldn’t take the heat.
The crux of the basin is a headwall which drops straight down into the lake. My beta said you either climb over the wall or tuck under it. Jim really wanted to see if he could tease out the route under the wall. So while he looked around, the rest of us hid in the shade of the rocks.
When Jim reappeared to announce he had found the route but there was a class 3 move on it, Kevin and Steven decided to go over while the rest of us followed Jim. The move wasn’t difficult and would have been no big deal if we hadn’t been carrying big packs. Since we had a panic rope with us, we put it to use as a hand line making the move quite easy.
Once past the wall, we all regrouped at the outlet stream and started working our way down to the middle Alpine Lakes. We naively believed that the rest of the basin would go much easier.
Middle lake went fairly well but by the time we reached the outlet stream the sun was beating down on us full force. We found a huge boulder that offered shade to all of us. During lunch, we all switched to shorts and short sleeve shirts. Lathered up with sunscreen. Steven dipped his shirt in the cold mountain water in an attempt to help cool his body. Eventually, we all crawled out from under the rock and started working our way around lake three.
The intense sun slowed us to a crawl. The only motivation we had was a small lake on the other side of Lower Alpine Lake which we had planned to take a long swimming break at. After our break, we thought we would have refound energy but the sun at this elevation doesn’t let up until it drops behind the horizon. We made camp near the outlet stream of the lower alpine lake.
Brooke enjoyed a dip before dinner and then showed us her swollen knee. We were already behind schedule and had started to modify the trip but with Brooke’s knee and the intense sun, we were going to have to modify it further.
We had come to enjoy hiking in the morning (not early morning but before noon). The sun hadn’t reached its intensity yet and the scenery was unbelievable. Jim and I are definitely coming back.
By the time afternoon came, the sun seemed more intense than ever. We needed big shade. The kind only trees can give. We finally found trees next to a stream next to the lake. Perfect for a long, boots off rest and swim.
As Brooke was removing her boots, she was complaining that one of her big toes hurt. Looks like her toe socks had finally given up and her big toe had busted through. The bad part was a thread had remained strong and basically flossed her toe open leaving part of it flapping. Brooke was in a whole lot of pain now. She decided to go for a swim while Jim looked for the correct dressings.
Once her toe was bandaged up, we took to the trail once more hiking in the trees as much as possible. In the end, we had to do a long climb up a dirt trail in full sun. The views were fabulous, but I actually thought I might just sit down on the trail a quit. I could barely keep my body moving.
Not sure how I got into camp that night but there we were, Brooke, Jim, James, and I, shoulder to shoulder hiding in the shade of the only boulder around waiting patiently for the sun to drop beyond the horizon so we could venture out and setup our tents. (Wish I had a picture of that.)
After hiking a few miles the next morning, Brooke confessed to how much pain she was in. With every downhill step, her big toe would hit the front of her boot and cause extreme pain. We took a break and tried super thin socks, but nothing helped. We were pretty close to one of my bailout routes, so it was time to get her out of here.
After some creative shoe swapping, Brooke wore my shoes, I wore James shoes, and James wore Jim camp shoes, we split the group into two. Jim, James, Brooke, and I would take the bailout route and Kevin, Steven, and Andrew would head for the cars. The guys would have to hike 10 more miles than we would but they were up for it. We split gear and planned to meet around 2pm on the following day at the bailout trailhead.
Our out routes were very different. We had a river ford followed by one more beautiful lake then we started to dive down into dry forest. Our final camp was next to a forested lake with Wyoming mosquitos. Thankfully I had purchased a camp bug repellant device. Worth every penny.
The guys hiked along the Continental Trail for almost 24 miles before making camp. Beautiful view after beautiful view.
When we arrived the trailhead, we were enjoying our first thunderstorm of the trip. I was so grateful to not be struggling in the heat anymore. The 4 of us ducked into the only covered area around, the bathroom. Imagine our suprise when we heard Andrew say hello from inside the outhouse. Kevin and Steven showed up soon after and we all ventured into Pinedale to retrieve Brooke and James’s car and enjoy a greasy burger before saying Goodbye.
This might not have been the trip I had been planning for the last 18 months, but it was a great adventure into an absolute hidden gem. Jim and I hope to return to the Wind Rivers to take in more of it before the rest of the world discovers the area. It is exactly what you imagine when you think of wild Wyoming.
You must be logged in to post a comment.