TR: NFBull Lake Creek, Wind Rivers
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 9:29 am
Titcomb-Indian Basin-NFBLC-Pole Creek
Aug 16-26, 2016
After three trips in the lower elevations, this trip brought me back to the high country that I love. My old buddy Juan went with me; he is up for any adventure and proves that you can still use all your 1970’s style gear, albeit heavy. To his credit, even with some serious peripheral neuropathy and constant painful feet he soldiered on. I loaned him my new Copper Spur UL tent and I used my Tarptent, with broken zippers and all. We packed 11 days food and it proved to be just right. Although heavy, we took crampons for Indian Pass. Not absolutely needed, but it sure made crossing the glacier faster.
The trip was to focus on Titcomb Basin and the North Fork of Bull Lake Creek. Getting ahead of schedule we were also able to return via Wall Lake and Pole Creek giving me a chance to explore the beautiful headwater cirque. I had been in these areas in 1969, 2002 and 2007. The glaciers have melted; more moraine, less ice. When I worked for NOLS, Titcomb Basin, perhaps the most popular destination in the Wind Rivers, was “verboten” so I was able to see what all the fuss was about; needless to say, it is extremely spectacular.
Day 1. Elkhart TH to Seneca Lake; 8.8 miles, 6.1 hours, 1890 feet gain.
We left Lander at 6AM and headed out with a dubious weather report for the next 3-4 days, stopped at the FS office to check on recent bear sightings and were on the trail by 9AM. The hike to the Lost Lake trail junction at Seneca Lake was a repeat of what I did on my fist trip this summer. With heavy packs, and being Juan’s first trip of the season, we were ready to camp and found a nice established campsite. I had an unfair advantage of being totally acclimated while Juan was still adjusting to the altitude. Soon several other tents popped up in the surrounding area. Clouds were building but weather remained good.
Day 2. Seneca Lake to Titcomb Lk 10575 plus day-hikes; 7.9 miles, 6.3 hours, 1855 feet gain
.
With a forecast of 40% rain we passed beautiful Island Lake and decided to take the chance on weather and camp at the more exposed Lake 10575 in the heart of Titcomb Basin. We arrived early enough to day-hike to the west, on a “short-cut” route to Jean Lakes. We went as far as Lake 11092, half mile east of Lower Jean Lake and returned. Short on miles but slow travel makes this less of a short cut. Nevertheless, it offered a fine view from above or Titcomb Basin. In the late afternoon I hiked up to the next higher lake to get some sunset photos.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... 20Camp.jpg[/rimg]
Camp at Titcomb Basin
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ited-1.jpg[/rimg]
Nice view on our return from the day-hike
Day 3. Day hikes to upper Titcomb Basin; 8.8 miles, 5.9 hours, 1730 feet gain.
I had planned a long day-hike to Knapsack Col. A storm was brewing as we started up the trail so we only went as far as the Twins Glacier, where we could see that the route over Knapsack was free of snow and simply a steep talus hop. We passed a group’s base camp below Dinwoody Pass. Juan is a caver; he just had to walk into the melt cave at the base of the Twins Glacier. No way was I going to go into that! On the return it started to rain. We met another group heading for Knapsack Col, which is a part of a well- publicized Wind River “High Route”. Back at camp the weather cleared enough for a short hike up to a small lake on the ridge to the east. I had hoped to get to Mistake Lake, but rain started. I had to cook inside my vestibule and we both squeezed into my tent to eat supper. A brief respite from rain allowed us to hike down to Lake 10457 before calling it a day. It rained nearly all night.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ited-1.jpg[/rimg]
Calm conditions early morning on hike up towards Knapsack Col
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... lacier.jpg[/rimg]
Ice Cave on the Twins Glacier
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... _storm.jpg[/rimg]
The storm chasing us on our return to camp
Day 4. Titcomb Basin to upper Indian Basin; 3.6 miles, 3.1 hours, 1135 feet gain.
After sleeping in, we moved to a camp closer to Indian pass and waited to see if the weather would settle down. Juan took the shorter off-trail route via the lake on the ridge to the east and I took the longer trail route. His route was 10 minutes faster. Not sure the extra effort was actually worth it-a toss-up in my opinion. We then continued on the trail to Lake 11088 debating to camp or go higher. We continued, not sure if we would find a good campsite. No worry, we found a nice established site among huge erratic boulders. This pond filled bench at 11400 feet was starkly beautiful. We hung out, talked to several day-hikers, dropped to see the lower pond, and ended the day early. Huge clouds built, but no rain.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... mp%204.jpg[/rimg]
Camp at high ponds below Indian Pass
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... anPass.jpg[/rimg]
We watched the clouds roll over Indian Pass
Aug 16-26, 2016
After three trips in the lower elevations, this trip brought me back to the high country that I love. My old buddy Juan went with me; he is up for any adventure and proves that you can still use all your 1970’s style gear, albeit heavy. To his credit, even with some serious peripheral neuropathy and constant painful feet he soldiered on. I loaned him my new Copper Spur UL tent and I used my Tarptent, with broken zippers and all. We packed 11 days food and it proved to be just right. Although heavy, we took crampons for Indian Pass. Not absolutely needed, but it sure made crossing the glacier faster.
The trip was to focus on Titcomb Basin and the North Fork of Bull Lake Creek. Getting ahead of schedule we were also able to return via Wall Lake and Pole Creek giving me a chance to explore the beautiful headwater cirque. I had been in these areas in 1969, 2002 and 2007. The glaciers have melted; more moraine, less ice. When I worked for NOLS, Titcomb Basin, perhaps the most popular destination in the Wind Rivers, was “verboten” so I was able to see what all the fuss was about; needless to say, it is extremely spectacular.
Day 1. Elkhart TH to Seneca Lake; 8.8 miles, 6.1 hours, 1890 feet gain.
We left Lander at 6AM and headed out with a dubious weather report for the next 3-4 days, stopped at the FS office to check on recent bear sightings and were on the trail by 9AM. The hike to the Lost Lake trail junction at Seneca Lake was a repeat of what I did on my fist trip this summer. With heavy packs, and being Juan’s first trip of the season, we were ready to camp and found a nice established campsite. I had an unfair advantage of being totally acclimated while Juan was still adjusting to the altitude. Soon several other tents popped up in the surrounding area. Clouds were building but weather remained good.
Day 2. Seneca Lake to Titcomb Lk 10575 plus day-hikes; 7.9 miles, 6.3 hours, 1855 feet gain
.
With a forecast of 40% rain we passed beautiful Island Lake and decided to take the chance on weather and camp at the more exposed Lake 10575 in the heart of Titcomb Basin. We arrived early enough to day-hike to the west, on a “short-cut” route to Jean Lakes. We went as far as Lake 11092, half mile east of Lower Jean Lake and returned. Short on miles but slow travel makes this less of a short cut. Nevertheless, it offered a fine view from above or Titcomb Basin. In the late afternoon I hiked up to the next higher lake to get some sunset photos.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... 20Camp.jpg[/rimg]
Camp at Titcomb Basin
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ited-1.jpg[/rimg]
Nice view on our return from the day-hike
Day 3. Day hikes to upper Titcomb Basin; 8.8 miles, 5.9 hours, 1730 feet gain.
I had planned a long day-hike to Knapsack Col. A storm was brewing as we started up the trail so we only went as far as the Twins Glacier, where we could see that the route over Knapsack was free of snow and simply a steep talus hop. We passed a group’s base camp below Dinwoody Pass. Juan is a caver; he just had to walk into the melt cave at the base of the Twins Glacier. No way was I going to go into that! On the return it started to rain. We met another group heading for Knapsack Col, which is a part of a well- publicized Wind River “High Route”. Back at camp the weather cleared enough for a short hike up to a small lake on the ridge to the east. I had hoped to get to Mistake Lake, but rain started. I had to cook inside my vestibule and we both squeezed into my tent to eat supper. A brief respite from rain allowed us to hike down to Lake 10457 before calling it a day. It rained nearly all night.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ited-1.jpg[/rimg]
Calm conditions early morning on hike up towards Knapsack Col
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... lacier.jpg[/rimg]
Ice Cave on the Twins Glacier
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... _storm.jpg[/rimg]
The storm chasing us on our return to camp
Day 4. Titcomb Basin to upper Indian Basin; 3.6 miles, 3.1 hours, 1135 feet gain.
After sleeping in, we moved to a camp closer to Indian pass and waited to see if the weather would settle down. Juan took the shorter off-trail route via the lake on the ridge to the east and I took the longer trail route. His route was 10 minutes faster. Not sure the extra effort was actually worth it-a toss-up in my opinion. We then continued on the trail to Lake 11088 debating to camp or go higher. We continued, not sure if we would find a good campsite. No worry, we found a nice established site among huge erratic boulders. This pond filled bench at 11400 feet was starkly beautiful. We hung out, talked to several day-hikers, dropped to see the lower pond, and ended the day early. Huge clouds built, but no rain.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... mp%204.jpg[/rimg]
Camp at high ponds below Indian Pass
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... anPass.jpg[/rimg]
We watched the clouds roll over Indian Pass