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| Hiking | 50.00 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 50.00 Miles | 5 Days | | |
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| no partners | | Loop from Big Sandy Lodge, Circque of the Towers, Ice Creeks Trail, Sweetwater Gap, Little Sandy Lake and Valley, Temple Pass/Lake, Big Sandy Lake and out. All very incredible country, Temple Pass was a worry as we got to the south side of it in the rain, and expected to have snow in the morning. But the weather cooperated and there was a better trail than the map indicated.
The Wind River Mountains have long been my "special" place, and last spring I vowed to return for an extended hike. September, when the mosquitoes and crowds are gone, is the time to visit the Winds.
The Winds defy photos and certainly words (mine anyway). Trip length is roughly 50 miles; we did it in 5 days hiking from 7-ish to about 4 PM. Gear worked flawlessly, new boots were sufficiently broken in, baggy pants didn't pull or bind and were warm for the cooler weather, pack is showing some wear but has many miles left, sub-kilo 20 degree bag was sufficient although I looked at a 0 degree one before leaving.
We drove up Saturday and spent the night at Big Sandy Lodge, a primitive but comfortable establishment started in the 1920's by Finis Mitchell as a fishing camp.
Day One
Big Sandy Trailhead up Big Sandy River, over Jackass Pass, Lonesome Lake, to Lizard Head Meadow. The Cirque is a "surround" of probably 300 degrees, draining to the east thru a break in the wall.
Day Two
Down the North Fork of the Popo Agie River, up Ice Lakes Trail to the high country. For some reason the hardest day for us, drug into camp and collapsed.
Day Three
Down to the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie river, up to Sweetwater Gap. The Sweetwater River flows out of the Winds and heads east; the emigrant trails followed the Sweetwater between the Platte River and South Pass over the Continental Divide. A planned short cut in our route didn't materialize because the area burned several years ago, and the dead and down trees with dog hair re-growth made cross-country impossible. Add two miles. Light rain for a few minutes this afternoon.
Day Four
Just a very pleasant trail over an 800 foot pass to Little Sandy Lake. Alas, the map lied to us around the lake. No big deal, the trail is obvious, but obviously not where the map showed. Route took us up the Little Sandy Creek Valley, an incredible view that defies photos because it runs for 5 + miles. The area begets one of "those" moments. It's a deep glaciated valley common to the Winds. We unknowingly herded a bunch of elk up this valley, and finally saw them above tree line. We camped at the cirque lake at the head of the valley. The route for the next day was over Temple Pass. From the south side the trail is not apparent, that lying map (1969 USGS Topo) depicted a straight ascent which looked pretty scary from the bottom. Intermittent rain, and uncertainty whether it would turn to snow at 10,800 feet during the night making talus scrambling interesting raised the anxiety level for the night.
Day Five
The rain stopped and the trip over the pass was a steep "piece o'cake." The map does not show the switchbacks we found about a hundred feet up the slope. While steep the trail is clear and only dicey in a few spots. We topped out, nearly overcome by the expansive views, and surprised a Continental Divide Trail hiker. She and her husband, who was off peak bagging, had camped in the rocks on top of the pass. We traded trail information, she took our pictures, and we wished each other well. The rest of the day was one breathtaking view after another. All downhill and all good! We missed a trail junction and wound up coming down a steep but shorter trail to Big Sandy Lake, completing the loop and leaving only the 6 mile cruise back to the TH.
We finished up around 1 PM, showered at the lodge, and were heading home. I changed my plane reservation and caught the last flight from SLC to PHX. Waking up at the lake below Temple Peak, the incredible walk all morning, and going to bed in my own bed that night made quite a day. |
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Shawn
The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. |
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