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| no partners | | Wind Rivers 2015
Tough trip up, lots of traffic, both coming and going unfortunate fatality motorcycle accidents making hour long waits on I-15.
The Sweetwater Gap TH is a high clearance road for two miles past the same named campground, so only two vehicles at the TH when I arrived, and I was the lone vehicle when I was out. The trail register was empty and someone had put in a piece of note paper.
The trail to Little Sandy Lake has been cleared of the downed trees, in part I think to this leg being part of the Continental Divide trail, maybe that freed up some funding. In 2007 you were doing the log limbo through here, crawling, climbing and squirming through the dead fall from an earlier fire, as the trail was not being maintained. I seemed to have had a major memory lapse on all the ups and downs of my route. It was a pleasure as you cross the divide to drop down toward Little Sandy Lake, the views of the granite spires beyond it, my goal for a few days. The trail takes you away from the lake to a wet footed crossing of the outlet stream, then you join a trail coming up from Block and Tackle Hill area, I gave some idle thought to coming in this way and may very well do so if I am so fortunate to return.
The informal trail ---it is not on the Earthwalk press nor the Beartooth Maps of the area--- is signed toward Big Sandy lake, over the Temple Pass. It rolls through nice forest then you drop into the large valley containing the outlet stream from the cirque lake near Temple Pass. Along this section I had that once in a lifetime encounter. I had stepped off the trail to take a picture of a flower, surprise surprise, when I turned; a young deer was running up the trail right at me. It danced around me once realizing I was not some tree. I had put my camera away and started to pull it back out to take it's picture when finally my brain registered " What is chasing it??" I whipped my head around and a large graceful animal traversed the cliff band a hundred feet or so in front of me. Pretty sure it was a wolf, very large and healthy, mostly tan with dark points on legs and head. Tongue hanging out and head cocked toward where I last saw the deer, as if not giving up on the deer lunchette. Less than 8 second encounter and both were gone and no pics. I am sure I stood there at least a minute with my mouth open. Once I recovered I hiked on, realizing that a lot goes on behind the scenes in so many wilderness areas.
I finally dropped into the large valley leaving the forest behind. This is one of the most amazing areas to me and even though very early I camped in some trees on the opposite side of the trail in the broad area of the stream, with shear jutting granite cliffs in a straight marching line as my backdrop. The stream had areas of tiny sandy islands and I waded, made lots of pictures, read, and wandered up toward the cliffs and down stream some. That night I dreamed of wolves and thought I heard the howls, welcome the predators along with the black and grizzly bears.
Next day I made it up to the lake where I set camp again very early but it was raining off and on and looking rather unpleasant and cold. I read in the tent then when the weather broke made a run for it up to the Frozen lakes on a bench across from the Temple peak pass. What a beautiful area! Three large lakes, two shallow, one deep, and interesting view of Temple peak and down the valley I had come up. I roamed around and saw an offtrail route I actually took back to a small nameless lake past Little Sandy Lake where you rejoined the trail. Then I came back and went up on a bench at the base of the granite walls, no lakes but some water in the granite slickrock capping part of the bench, and it was just wonderful wandering around up here. I saw some bedsprings down below, looked for a homestead site but found no remnants. Of course tons of grass and flowers, the vegetation very thick, but mosquitoes not too bad. The weather window closed and back at the tent I was up most of the night with high winds and rain, really tested my tent and my patience and my choice of campsite, thankfully against a very large boulder so I had some wind break.
Next day I was tired but I walked up the pass with a day pack and over to be in the Temple Peak lake, Deep lake areas as a day hike. I hope my pics come out but my camera was giving me an error message off and on. Tremendous views on this pass. Got that going it seemed then back over the pass, an exercise in boulder hopping. Next day dragged myself back up to the Frozen lakes and picked out my route. Really not too bad but a few hard spots near the big rock wall face on down canyon. Lots of rocks. I was very careful in here, remembering Mike Turner--http://www.backpacker.com/trips/wyoming/trapped-the-mike-turner-story/ , his one misstep ending his life in the northern end of these mountains.
I camped at the nameless lake, near a small beach and watched a bird trying to teach it's young something, very vocal and the babies cute still in the fuzzy feathers. The next morning back to the trail, and the weather again gray and some light rain. I saw two small groups when I was in there, one the hope of the youth of America. A group of six young people, I swear the oldest maybe 18, they were very courteous and pleasant, concerned for me being solo and solicitous of my welfare. Very refreshing. I wish I was enjoying the rockies when I was say 17. But then I probably would not have appreciated it. No adult supervision in sight. The trails were clean , no trash, although vague near Temple peak with all the grass, and the trail over the pass kinda tricky to come down. PSA-- Verizon--no service at the Sweetwater Gap TH.
Light on miles but super on satisfaction, able to explore more and see the wonderful flowers and the alpine tundra I love.
I had a fun driving experience on the way back on Cottonwood Canyon road ( DO NOT DRIVE THIS WHEN WET) which I will post separate.
I have been wanting to get back to this area since 2007, now that I have can move on to more projects in this area. It is my favorite area of the Wind River Range, so far. |
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