Wind River Range, Wyoming

Log

Summary

• 83 miles total.
• 19,980 feet climbed. (About 2500 per day avg)
• Day 1 - Start at Bruce's Bridge Trailhead, hike through trees
• Day 2 - Climb up and over Wind River Peak, down West Gulley, camp at Black Joe Lake
• Day 3 - Hike past Big Sandy, through Cirque of the Towers, over TX pass, camp at Shadow Lake
• Day 4 - Climb over Washakie Pass and camp at Valentine Lake
• Day 5 - Weather finally cleared up. Climb onto and across Lizard Head plateau area, camp near LH Meadows
• Day 6 - Uninteresting hike through trees to Deep Creek Lakes
• Day 7 - Beautiful day hikes to Little El Capitan and nearby area
• Day 8 - Hike out

2023-08-05 Sat

• Leave 5AM, drive 4.5h to Bruce's Bridge TH, set off at 10.
• Easy going the first few hrs. No bugs!! Terrain feels kind of like Yosemite.
• R's back is hurting, we stop every once in a while to stretch.
• Occasional brief shower but nothing crazy.
• Hiked 14 miles mostly through unremarkable trees, then set up camp just above Lake 10054 of Deep Creek.
• Rain throughout the night. Didn't sleep great.

2023-08-06 Sun

• Leave camp around 8. Hike slowly up about 3k ft, via the huge ramp to Wind River Peak. The tundra was really nice to walk on, no path the whole way. Rock scrambling towards the top. Phenomenal views all around, the weather was surprisingly good the whole way. Clouds cleared up right as we reached the top.
• Scramble down the bench to the west, then into West Gulley. I think we took the wrong chute, it was about an hour of treacherous, exposed scrambling on steep, loose talus and gravel. Trekking poles were lifesaving. R's back not doing very well.
• Then past a small glacier lake, then lake 11185 at about 4 PM. Slowly but surely. Reached inlet to Black Joe Lake right at dusk.
• R feeling completely spent, I walked around looking for spots to camp, we eventually settled on one just north of the river between 10278 and Black Joe.
• When we went to hang up our food, I looked up into the woods and saw two very widely spaced eyes glowing back at me. It was a bull moose we saw earlier, bed down. It was kind of freaky for me but R was unconcerned.
• Wind and rainy much of the night. Our spot was pretty exposed.
• 3500 ft of climbing over 8.5 miles.

2023-08-07 Mon

• Up at about 6, fairly cold so we got our stuff packed asap and headed down the trail without breakfast. Speculated at the dam wreckage at Black Joe outlet. Back onto a real trail there.
• A nice gradual downhill most of the way from there to Big Sandy Lake. We stopped for breakfast but bugs were starting to come out.
• Up the trail from Big Sandy (popular entry spot) to North Lake and Arrowhead Lake and eventually Cirque of the Towers. Between Arrowhead and Jackass Pass, weather turns dark and stormy, and it the wind, rain, and hail really start to turn up at the top.
• We sat shivering under a big rock overhang right at the pass with a couple other guys, about half an hour until it looked like it was letting up.
• Ok weather down into Lonesome Lake in the Cirque, then most of the way up to Texas Pass. Pretty blustery at the pass, but no rain or snow. Lucky.
• Descent at north side of Tx was steep, but a walk in the park compared to West Gulley.
• Three beautiful rocky lakes in that valley: Texas, Barren, and Billys. Then through some krumholtz and marshy stuff to Shadow Lake - a very popular place to camp for CDT hikers.
• Pick a decent campsite, where we realize that we'll never make it to Trail Lake (final dest) on time at the pace we've been going, and it's not possible to go any faster. Discuss alternate options.
• 2700 ft of climbing over 9.7 miles.

2023-08-08 Tue

• Rainy and cold all morning until about 10. While we waited we looked at the maps, considered going out to Trail Lakes, but via Dinwoody. But it would still just be too far.
• All morning and afternoon I had the worst taste in my mouth and throat. Taste of infection.
• Once rain cleared up we "choked down" some breakfast and headed out.
• Headed down Washakie Creek, then north at the junction and slowly climb up toward Washakie Pass. Talked to some guys who were planning on making ice cream at the glacier.
• Partway up I checked and had a cell signal, called and texted to update on plans.
• Weather got worse and worse as we climbed, until at the saddle there was no visibility, high wind, and snow. We were doing fine but would be in deep, deep doodoo if we had to stop there for some reason.
• Snow continued until just past Macon Lake. We kept moving to stay warm. Stopped to rest in a meadow above Washakie Lake.
• Down at outlet of lake, we started to get ready for our first real ford of the trip, when R realized his nice down jacket had fallen out of his pack. Headed back up to grab it, it wasn't far.
• Waded across the river and hiked up to Valentine Lake where we found a pretty nice spot up on the hillside.
• Light rain for a minute, then clear all night. But cold.
• 2000 ft each of climb and descent over 10 miles.

2023-08-09 Wed

• Woke up to clear skies. Took our time getting things ready to go.
• Continued up past Valentine on Bears Ears Trail, turned south on Lizard Head Trail, hiking up out of the saddle and onto a big windy barren mesa feature.
• On our way south we detoured to summit Cathedral Peak. Rocky exposed climb but amazing views.
• Talked to a guy who told us he got off the trail thinking an old firewatch tower up by peak 12539 would surely be next to the trail. Said it looks just like a rock. Intrigued, we climbed all the way up, took about an hour, but no structures of any kind. We decided he mistook a huge rectangular rock for a tower.
• When we got back to our packs stashed on a rock, we saw a rockchuck gnawing on them. Got R's sandal strap and my sock and bowl.
• Took the long steep descent into Lizard Head Meadows. Both tired, we ate and went to bed.
• Good weather all day but too windy on much of the mesa. Two blisters on my toes (damp shoes from yesterday) but not much pain.
• 11 miles, 3k ft of gain and drop each.

2023-08-10 Thu

• Woke up with the sun and headed downstream. Nice canyon with the Popo Agie River, but views are mostly obscured by trees.
• For the first 5 miles of the day, until we reach Echo Lakes, the trail is destroyed by people on horses coming through in the rain.
• We leave the trail at the saddle above Echo and head west along the ridge, aiming for the area between the Deep Creek Lakes. Finally we start to be able to see our surroundings for the first time that day.
• There's a waterfall between the lakes, we hang out, find a spot to camp, and I take a nap and listen to an audiobook.
• Relax the rest of the day and go to sleep early. R decides he'd rather enjoy the wilderness like this, meandering and taking our time rather than making a beeline for some goal asap.
• 1100 ft of climbing over 7 miles.

2023-08-11 Fri

• Up with the sun. Breakfast, then wade across the river, not as cold as we expect, then hike up the small peak just south of our camp. Very windy up there.
• I head west, across the river again at the outlet of the topmost lake, and up the ramp onto a large plateau between Deep Creek Lakes and Black Joe Lake. It's nice and gradual, tundra with dispersed stones.
• Summit a couple minor peaks to the north, then go over to the cliff's edge to look down at West Gulley and its lakes. Extreme wind.
• Climb around and up to Little El Capitan, the peak just north of Wind River. Fun but not too much that's new, having been on WR a week earlier.
• Take my time coming down. On my way back to camp I go west of the second lake. Some exposure as I cross a steep snow field, kicking footholds into it. Then I find a nice stone area and air out my shoes and tan my legs. Scramble down across the cliff and walk back to camp.
• Chat for a minute, then decide to get a few miles' head start on the way out. Pack up our gear and hike to Three Forks Park (?) area.
• Find a nice campsite just off the trail, waste no time eating dinner and going to bed, about 9.
• 14.5 miles, 3300 ft gain, 5000 ft drop.

2023-08-12 Sat

• Hike out remaining 8 miles, dropping 2000 ft.

Map

Food

My Main Gear

• 31 lb pack with 1L water.
• Osprey Exos 48L. GREAT pack!
• Enlightened Equipment Revelation down quilt - I was warm enough the whole time, low 30s at night.
• Durston X-Mid 2P tent
• StS Ether Light XT pad - too scrunchy, I should have brought the Z-Lite
• Costco trekking poles. I've determined that poles are a requirement for terrain like this. Saved my knees.
• Pop's Jetboil stove - had I been alone I would have used my alcohol one
• Befree cartrige with Vecto 2L bladder - worked fine. We'll see about its durability.