Wind Rivers 2022 (7/14/22 to 8/26/22)
Trip 3: Titcomb-Pole Creek Loop from Elkhart TH (8/6-8/14, 2022)
50 miles, 8 days
I observed black clouds over the mountains the days I spent in Lander and knew the forecast was for this pattern to continue a few more days. Nevertheless, I left Lander early to do two loops on the west side. I had not expected the storm on the 6th to be so severe. That was just the start of a trip seemingly jinxed from the get go. Seems like at least one trip every season has one somewhat “bad” outcome. First, I had hoped that a friend would join me to do the planned trip which included a few difficult passes over to the east side that I hesitated to do alone. Second, the big storm hit hard. And then I fell into a creek and killed my watch and temporarily my camera, which thankfully began to work after five days of drying out. Thus, photos for the last five days are from previous trips.
As in the first two trips, I kept my watch on PDT which is the same as MST- the actual match to “sun time”. When I drown my watch and camera on Day 4, tracking of time became very inconsistent and seldom noted since I only had my In-Reach, which was on MDT.
Day 1. Elkhart TH to Hobbs Lake
6.4 miles, 5.6 hours (much under trees in pouring rain), 1280 elevation gain
I reached Elkhart TH about 9:30. I would evaluate conditions and could camp early at Miller Lake but hoped to at least get to Eklund Lake so I could get all the way into Titcomb Basin on the second day. All went fine until I reached Photographers Point at about 11:30 except that backpackers coming out were wet since it was raining farther in. Only a few steps on the trail rain started. Not typical light showers- but immediate downpour with occasional letups. I hid under trees and then ran down the trail until another deluge happened. Just before reaching Eklund Lake trail junction, the tree cover was no longer effective. A little group of us ended up in flood conditions. The trail turned to a river and all potential flat campsites near the trail were flooded, so we kept walking to stay warm.
After three and half hours of getting soaked we finally came to a hill where there were somewhat drained campsites. I was soaked but contents of my pack stayed dry in waterproof stuff sacks. I had difficulty setting up my tent (not free standing) because the stakes just popped out of the saturated sandy soil. Then I shivered so hard that my hands hardly worked. It was getting to be a dire situation. Fortunately, I managed and jumped in the tent, put on my only dry clothes and got inside my sleeping bag, shivering until I finally warmed up. This was probably the closest to hypothermia that I have ever been.
In about an hour the rain stopped. I crawled out and wrung out my hiking clothes; could not have been wetter if I had jumped into a lake. Humidity was so high that as I hung the clothing on trees, they again became soaked. I gave up and threw them in a heap under the tent fly. A kind fellow from the Sierra Club group nearby got water for me. With few dry clothing items, I hesitated to walk through the high grass to the lake shore. Everyone was soaked, regardless of their raingear. The only ones that fared better were a few with ponchos that covered the neck-to-pack gap. For the rest of us, rain had run down our backs, soaking both raincoats and our packs. A few ended up with wet sleeping bags. We all cheered each other up and soon went in our tents when another round of rain started just before dark.
Day 2. Hobbs Lake to Titcomb Lake 10548
7.0 miles, 5.3 hours plus 3 hours drying out, 1730 elevation gain
The morning dawned with thick fog over the lake. Soon the sun shone, thank goodness. Our little camp area looked like a laundry with everyone’s gear hanging out to dry. Fast-drying gear is a miracle! I managed to dry everything and leave at 10AM. My pack cover that I hung on a tree branch overnight was gone. I searched but did not find it. Well, it was old and leaked anyway and I had brought a garbage bag to put inside my pack.
In the conditions and “time warp” during the storm, I was convinced that we had reached Seneca Lake, not Hobbs Lake. I felt disoriented as the scene in front of me was not quite as expected. From Elklund junction to Hobbs Lake you go through similar up-and-down/ forest and meadow terrain as from Hobbs Lake to Seneca Lake, but of a smaller scale. Once I came to Seneca Lake, expecting it to be Island Lake, with the trail on the wrong side of the lake, I realized my error and a hiker I met confirmed that I was indeed, at Seneca Lake. The terrain then “clicked” in my mind. It is wonderful to again feel properly oriented. It however, meant that my expected short day would be a long day.
The popular trail was quite crowded, given the storm. At Island Lake the trail around the lake was still flooded near the south inlet, but on a whole this well-maintained trail held up very well in the storm and quickly drained. With the soaked vegetation and abundant side drainages to cross, my feet got soaked. Continuing to the Titcomb-Indian Pass trail junction, it was evident that the storm did not drive out many as tents occupied most campsites.
The plan was to camp up in the less crowded Indian Basin. The creek to cross was running high and the upper crossing for the Indian Basin Trail was more than I liked, so I thought I would just stay on the south side. Starting out with a faint use-trail, the route ended poorly so I retreated back to down, found a feasible crossing, and instead went up to Titcomb Lake 10548. The lake has numerous long shallow arms on the south end where I found a nice campsite up on a small hill between the outlet stream and an arm of the lake. This windier location should have fewer mosquitoes than all the swampy meadows near the shore. For the most part, this worked except at dinner time when the wind seems to immediately die down when I lit the stove.
I managed a bug-free bath near the outlet and took photos while wandering among the wildflowers down on the peninsula below my campsite. Later I noticed another person down near the lake farther north but never saw them after my fist sighting. I fished a bit with no luck; Titcomb Basin lakes have golden trout. Other fishermen I met on the way in also had no luck.
WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
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WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Day 3. Titcomb Lake 10548 to Harrower Valley
6.7 miles, 5.5 hours, 1660 elevation gain
I was up early and went down to the soggy meadows, where there was a light frost on the flowers and some great reflections on the dead-calm lake surface. I packed up and left just before 8AM and thankfully the stream levels were lower making crossings easier. In fact the trail was no longer flooded at Island Lake and lake level had dropped at least a foot. My new route would miss beautiful Indian Basin but get me to my destination much quicker and avoided one potentially difficult stream crossing.
There is a big use trail that ascends south of Island Lake into a valley, peters out and cumulates in an unnamed pass I call “Wall-Island Pass” which I reached in about two and a half hours. The grass in the valley was lush. The Island Lake side is quite gentle and easy although the trail is faint. The Wall Lake side is quite steep with several ways down and no distinct path. The trick is to avoid thick willow patches and small cliffs.
Once down to a little pond above Wall Lake, I turned east to reach the seldom visited valley and headwall cirque south of Harrower Peak. With big walls on both sides this cirque is in shade much of the day and remains lushly green and full of wildflowers well into the late summer. I have day-hiked but never camped in this location. I took way too much time deciding on a campsite. As much as I preferred the view down by the stream, I set up in a site up on the west slope of the valley where there was more wind. Well, the wind died down and still got plenty of mosquitoes.
The day-hike up to the headwall pond was wonderful. The west side of the valley required a lot of rock-hopping but coming back the east side was a walk through fields of grass and wildflowers. I contemplated hiking around the large lower lake but it shouted out “mosquitoes galore”. I went back to camp, took a nice bath, late afternoon nap and finally cooked an early dinner since shadows were quickly engulfing my campsite by 5PM. It had been a wonderful day!
6.7 miles, 5.5 hours, 1660 elevation gain
I was up early and went down to the soggy meadows, where there was a light frost on the flowers and some great reflections on the dead-calm lake surface. I packed up and left just before 8AM and thankfully the stream levels were lower making crossings easier. In fact the trail was no longer flooded at Island Lake and lake level had dropped at least a foot. My new route would miss beautiful Indian Basin but get me to my destination much quicker and avoided one potentially difficult stream crossing.
There is a big use trail that ascends south of Island Lake into a valley, peters out and cumulates in an unnamed pass I call “Wall-Island Pass” which I reached in about two and a half hours. The grass in the valley was lush. The Island Lake side is quite gentle and easy although the trail is faint. The Wall Lake side is quite steep with several ways down and no distinct path. The trick is to avoid thick willow patches and small cliffs.
Once down to a little pond above Wall Lake, I turned east to reach the seldom visited valley and headwall cirque south of Harrower Peak. With big walls on both sides this cirque is in shade much of the day and remains lushly green and full of wildflowers well into the late summer. I have day-hiked but never camped in this location. I took way too much time deciding on a campsite. As much as I preferred the view down by the stream, I set up in a site up on the west slope of the valley where there was more wind. Well, the wind died down and still got plenty of mosquitoes.
The day-hike up to the headwall pond was wonderful. The west side of the valley required a lot of rock-hopping but coming back the east side was a walk through fields of grass and wildflowers. I contemplated hiking around the large lower lake but it shouted out “mosquitoes galore”. I went back to camp, took a nice bath, late afternoon nap and finally cooked an early dinner since shadows were quickly engulfing my campsite by 5PM. It had been a wonderful day!
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Day 4. Harrower Valley to Upper Cook Lake outlet
5.6 miles, 4.8 hours plus 1.5 hours drying out, 795 elevation gain
Photos from Day 3
The lack of morning sun was actually a blessing since it allowed me an almost mosquito-free breakfast. I always make a game of trying to guess exactly where the sun will poke over the mountains. Before I took the tent down the sun just illuminated the top of Mt Harrower. The photos are not great, but you get the idea.
Getting to the south side of large shallow lake was challenging with numerous creeks to cross and swamps to avoid. One option to continue was to go over Wall Pass to the Alpine Lakes and then back over to the west side via Angel Pass. I had just been there two years ago and the fishing is limited. I instead decided to just go down the east side of Wall Lake, check out the outlet, fish a bit, and drop to Upper Cook Lake and fish there. I had not done this route in many years.
It sort of worked out, but at an insignificant creek crossing at the inlet of Lake 10488, I stepped on a slippery rock, fell in, and submerged the left side of my pack. I thrust my arm into the creek and killed my watch. Then slipped again and drown my camera which was attached to the pack’s left side. I quickly got out and opened the battery compartment and put it in the sun and emptied my pack; only a few items got wet. My shoes and clothing were soaked. I wrung them out and laid them out to dry. The annoying mosquitoes did not help. After an hour and half, things were dry enough to continue.
There more or less is a trail along the lake and several options to get over the crux cliff mid-shore. Too many people have put up too many rogue cairns so there is no longer a clear route. It is quite exposed rock and slab walking. Once down I saw a family above me trying to find a route. I toyed with the idea of camping at the outlet. Once there, the campsites were marginal and the idea lost its luster. I went back to find the use-trail down to Upper Cook Lake. This trail is important because if you miss it you end up in a head-high willow jungle. It is marked with distinct cairns but they are hard to see.
People were already camped at the south end, which you can reach by a large maintained trail. A little use-trail continues around the shore. It seemed every campsite was occupied! I finally found an established site with three potential places to set up. I chose the higher site in trees then walked down to the lake and fished the little bay south of the outlet. First cast I hooked a nice big fat brook trout. No camera so you have to take my word that it was about 13-14 inches. Another hour of fishing netted nothing. Well, the big fish was plenty for dinner.
Several people did not see my tent and came down asking to camp in the other spots. I said no to a family with two kids and two yappy dogs. At dusk an older couple came down. They looked beat and were very quiet and polite. They set up below me in grass; it worked out fine. This was after all a popular lake already full of tents and people so I did not expect lots of privacy.
Day 5. Upper Cook Lake to Tommy Lake plus day-hikes to Nelson Lake
5.0 miles, 5.5 hours excluding fishing, 870 elevation gain
Not five minutes from camp I had to cross the outlet on rocks; it was not trivial. This was a big enough creek that falling in could be very serious. The current was swift enough I did not want to wade. I took my time and the wide crossing seemed endless.
Soon there was a big log jam across the trail above the shores of Lower Cook Lake. The detour went up the hillside for a considerable distance, then the only trail went in the wrong direction. I followed it a ways then turned back and headed down, finally finding getting back to the trail I was on. At the Highline trail junction, I could go south into Bald Mountain Basin and fish some of the many lakes, or, head north over Lester Pass (Highline/CDT Trail), stopping to fish at any number of lakes along that trail. Given that Bald Mountain Basin is quite swampy and the record rain was only a few days ago, I figured there would be a lot of mosquitoes so I headed north. Another plus was that I had never been on this trail.
The trail started in trees, then past a beautiful cliff surrounded lake, and then popped out above timber at Tommy Lake. I thought I could fish this lake later after I found a camp at Tommy Lake, but it was a 500 foot gain and I never went back down. I found a great established campsite near the inlet to Tommy Lake and set up at 11:00. There were mosquitoes but not bad. The daily noon storm was brewing. I quickly day-hiked up to Nelson Lake to check it out; it was windy and treeless up there. Back at camp I alternately fished and went back to the tent when showers quickly popped up. There were lots of rises and I got a few bites but did not bring in a fish. Later it cleared and I went back to Nelson Lake and fished with neither bite nor rise. Several backpackers passed on the trail above not noticing me. On the way back from Nelson Lake two guys wanted me to take their picture. I wished my camera worked so I could get photos of this pretty location.
5.6 miles, 4.8 hours plus 1.5 hours drying out, 795 elevation gain
Photos from Day 3
The lack of morning sun was actually a blessing since it allowed me an almost mosquito-free breakfast. I always make a game of trying to guess exactly where the sun will poke over the mountains. Before I took the tent down the sun just illuminated the top of Mt Harrower. The photos are not great, but you get the idea.
Getting to the south side of large shallow lake was challenging with numerous creeks to cross and swamps to avoid. One option to continue was to go over Wall Pass to the Alpine Lakes and then back over to the west side via Angel Pass. I had just been there two years ago and the fishing is limited. I instead decided to just go down the east side of Wall Lake, check out the outlet, fish a bit, and drop to Upper Cook Lake and fish there. I had not done this route in many years.
It sort of worked out, but at an insignificant creek crossing at the inlet of Lake 10488, I stepped on a slippery rock, fell in, and submerged the left side of my pack. I thrust my arm into the creek and killed my watch. Then slipped again and drown my camera which was attached to the pack’s left side. I quickly got out and opened the battery compartment and put it in the sun and emptied my pack; only a few items got wet. My shoes and clothing were soaked. I wrung them out and laid them out to dry. The annoying mosquitoes did not help. After an hour and half, things were dry enough to continue.
There more or less is a trail along the lake and several options to get over the crux cliff mid-shore. Too many people have put up too many rogue cairns so there is no longer a clear route. It is quite exposed rock and slab walking. Once down I saw a family above me trying to find a route. I toyed with the idea of camping at the outlet. Once there, the campsites were marginal and the idea lost its luster. I went back to find the use-trail down to Upper Cook Lake. This trail is important because if you miss it you end up in a head-high willow jungle. It is marked with distinct cairns but they are hard to see.
People were already camped at the south end, which you can reach by a large maintained trail. A little use-trail continues around the shore. It seemed every campsite was occupied! I finally found an established site with three potential places to set up. I chose the higher site in trees then walked down to the lake and fished the little bay south of the outlet. First cast I hooked a nice big fat brook trout. No camera so you have to take my word that it was about 13-14 inches. Another hour of fishing netted nothing. Well, the big fish was plenty for dinner.
Several people did not see my tent and came down asking to camp in the other spots. I said no to a family with two kids and two yappy dogs. At dusk an older couple came down. They looked beat and were very quiet and polite. They set up below me in grass; it worked out fine. This was after all a popular lake already full of tents and people so I did not expect lots of privacy.
Day 5. Upper Cook Lake to Tommy Lake plus day-hikes to Nelson Lake
5.0 miles, 5.5 hours excluding fishing, 870 elevation gain
Not five minutes from camp I had to cross the outlet on rocks; it was not trivial. This was a big enough creek that falling in could be very serious. The current was swift enough I did not want to wade. I took my time and the wide crossing seemed endless.
Soon there was a big log jam across the trail above the shores of Lower Cook Lake. The detour went up the hillside for a considerable distance, then the only trail went in the wrong direction. I followed it a ways then turned back and headed down, finally finding getting back to the trail I was on. At the Highline trail junction, I could go south into Bald Mountain Basin and fish some of the many lakes, or, head north over Lester Pass (Highline/CDT Trail), stopping to fish at any number of lakes along that trail. Given that Bald Mountain Basin is quite swampy and the record rain was only a few days ago, I figured there would be a lot of mosquitoes so I headed north. Another plus was that I had never been on this trail.
The trail started in trees, then past a beautiful cliff surrounded lake, and then popped out above timber at Tommy Lake. I thought I could fish this lake later after I found a camp at Tommy Lake, but it was a 500 foot gain and I never went back down. I found a great established campsite near the inlet to Tommy Lake and set up at 11:00. There were mosquitoes but not bad. The daily noon storm was brewing. I quickly day-hiked up to Nelson Lake to check it out; it was windy and treeless up there. Back at camp I alternately fished and went back to the tent when showers quickly popped up. There were lots of rises and I got a few bites but did not bring in a fish. Later it cleared and I went back to Nelson Lake and fished with neither bite nor rise. Several backpackers passed on the trail above not noticing me. On the way back from Nelson Lake two guys wanted me to take their picture. I wished my camera worked so I could get photos of this pretty location.
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Last edited by Wandering Daisy on Sun Feb 12, 2023 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Day 6. Tommy Lake to Lower Jean Lake
6.7miles, 6.2 hours including fishing, 1450 elevation gain
At this point I was scratching my head to figure out how I could extend this trip and hopefully catch a few fish. I left at 7:30 and was on top of Lester Pass in an hour. A fellow was coming up the other side, day-hiking. Big black clouds were right behind him! I got down a short distance and rain began. It was light rain and my rain jacket worked fine. I reached the trail to Island Lake that I had been on the second day of the trip. I could go back to Indian Basin, but without a camera there was little reason since the lakes had no fish. It also was enticing to just walk out.
I decided to keep on the Highline Trail, fish at Fremont Crossing and then go up to the Jean Lakes and/or down to Lost Lake. The trail went up and down, past a few small lakes and lush meadows, before dropping to Fremont Crossing where the main bridge was under construction. The workers said that the small foot-bridge built upstream nearly washed out during the storm even though it is four feet above the normal river level. I stopped for about half an hour to see if I could basecamp at the crossing and day-hike to both Jean Lakes and Lost Lake. All campsites were over-used and full of horse poo.
I should have fished the large pond downstream of the crossing given my lack of luck up at Lower Jean Lake. But, up the trail I went and found a nice scenic campsite above the outlet of Lower Jean Lake. I could see hikers to by on the trail; apparently another “CDT bubble”.
At first the wind kept mosquitoes away. I fished along the shores and did not even get a bite. Supposedly there are cutthroat trout in the lake. Like clockwork, I started cooking dinner, the wind died down and the mosquitoes came out in droves. Then a wind stirred and I took dinner up to the highest point and had relatively bug-free eating. Evening light illuminated an unusual white image on a distant rock wall. It almost looked like a tent! I walked up the trail and it was a white rock formation. I got back to the tent just as a storm was upon me. It rained hard until midnight.
Day 7. Lower Jean Lake to Hobbs Lake
6.8 miles, 4.0 hours plus 2 hours fishing, 1045 elevation gain
I left at 8AM and went back to Fremont Crossing. Given the unsettled weather I decided not to go down to Lost Lake to fish but backtracked to Hobbs Lake, the first night’s camp. Truth was that at this point I was a bit burned out; my day-hike to nearby Sapphire Lake never happened. I camped upstream of the inlet in an established site. I fished extensively with no luck even though there were plenty of rises.
Another family camped there told me that my pack cover was found, set on a small tree next to the trail up until the morning and then gone by afternoon. I suspect someone found it, put it next to the trail to be claimed, then came back and took it with them.
Day 8. Hobbs Lake to Elkhart TH
6.6 miles, 3.2 hours, 550 elevation gain
The walk back to the trailhead was uneventful. I did pay attention to the terrain and figured out how I had gone wrong with navigation coming in. At Photographer’s Point there were tons of people and a commercial llamas group. I reached the trailhead at l1:00 and checked out the nearby campground. It was not very desirable, had no water or nearby stream and the black clouds towards the mountains would likely engulf the campground before afternoon.
I decided to go down to the very popular Fremont Lake Campground and hoped to find a campsite. It was a weekend so I was not too hopeful, but did get a fine secluded campsite next to a water faucet on the higher level and paid for two days. The lakeshore level is designed for trailers and considered more desirable with its beach and boat dock. Although I had no view of the lake, my site was in a beautiful forest hidden from other campsites. Within half an hour all campsites were taken.
Instead of going into town to the recreation center for a shower I decided to just bathe, wash hair and clothing in my bear can, like I did at Big Sandy TH. It worked out well! Hauling water from the nearby faucet was easier than scooping water out of a creek like I did at Big Sandy. I had hoped to fish in Fremont Lake but it was nearly dinner time when my chores were done and of course, it rained.
Day off before next trip
Next day I went to town. The library was closed on Sundays so I went to Great Outdoor Shop, which carries my guidebook. The young clerks were happy to meet me and let me use their office to recharge my phone, In-Reach and camera, which seemed to work although the menu was messed up. Not sure the camera works 100% even now, but it did take photos on the next trip. I bought dinner and a six-pack of beer, surprised that the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was nearly the same price as Coors Light. Maybe people in Wyoming hate Californians and shunned their “fancy beer”. Back at camp, it took several hours to organize the food for the next trip and re-pack while a storm occasionally spit rain. It rained all night.
While in town I learned that Pinedale flooded in the storm on August 6. My friend in Lander who is a weather geek like me said she watched the radar during the storm and hoped I did not get washed away! And the humidity was unreal for Wyoming.
I did catch the biggest fish of the summer, but other than that one fish, it was a bust. License cost per fish dropped to $43 per fish.
On the other hand gas prices in Pinedale had dropped to $4 per gallon. 
6.7miles, 6.2 hours including fishing, 1450 elevation gain
At this point I was scratching my head to figure out how I could extend this trip and hopefully catch a few fish. I left at 7:30 and was on top of Lester Pass in an hour. A fellow was coming up the other side, day-hiking. Big black clouds were right behind him! I got down a short distance and rain began. It was light rain and my rain jacket worked fine. I reached the trail to Island Lake that I had been on the second day of the trip. I could go back to Indian Basin, but without a camera there was little reason since the lakes had no fish. It also was enticing to just walk out.
I decided to keep on the Highline Trail, fish at Fremont Crossing and then go up to the Jean Lakes and/or down to Lost Lake. The trail went up and down, past a few small lakes and lush meadows, before dropping to Fremont Crossing where the main bridge was under construction. The workers said that the small foot-bridge built upstream nearly washed out during the storm even though it is four feet above the normal river level. I stopped for about half an hour to see if I could basecamp at the crossing and day-hike to both Jean Lakes and Lost Lake. All campsites were over-used and full of horse poo.
I should have fished the large pond downstream of the crossing given my lack of luck up at Lower Jean Lake. But, up the trail I went and found a nice scenic campsite above the outlet of Lower Jean Lake. I could see hikers to by on the trail; apparently another “CDT bubble”.
At first the wind kept mosquitoes away. I fished along the shores and did not even get a bite. Supposedly there are cutthroat trout in the lake. Like clockwork, I started cooking dinner, the wind died down and the mosquitoes came out in droves. Then a wind stirred and I took dinner up to the highest point and had relatively bug-free eating. Evening light illuminated an unusual white image on a distant rock wall. It almost looked like a tent! I walked up the trail and it was a white rock formation. I got back to the tent just as a storm was upon me. It rained hard until midnight.
Day 7. Lower Jean Lake to Hobbs Lake
6.8 miles, 4.0 hours plus 2 hours fishing, 1045 elevation gain
I left at 8AM and went back to Fremont Crossing. Given the unsettled weather I decided not to go down to Lost Lake to fish but backtracked to Hobbs Lake, the first night’s camp. Truth was that at this point I was a bit burned out; my day-hike to nearby Sapphire Lake never happened. I camped upstream of the inlet in an established site. I fished extensively with no luck even though there were plenty of rises.
Another family camped there told me that my pack cover was found, set on a small tree next to the trail up until the morning and then gone by afternoon. I suspect someone found it, put it next to the trail to be claimed, then came back and took it with them.
Day 8. Hobbs Lake to Elkhart TH
6.6 miles, 3.2 hours, 550 elevation gain
The walk back to the trailhead was uneventful. I did pay attention to the terrain and figured out how I had gone wrong with navigation coming in. At Photographer’s Point there were tons of people and a commercial llamas group. I reached the trailhead at l1:00 and checked out the nearby campground. It was not very desirable, had no water or nearby stream and the black clouds towards the mountains would likely engulf the campground before afternoon.
I decided to go down to the very popular Fremont Lake Campground and hoped to find a campsite. It was a weekend so I was not too hopeful, but did get a fine secluded campsite next to a water faucet on the higher level and paid for two days. The lakeshore level is designed for trailers and considered more desirable with its beach and boat dock. Although I had no view of the lake, my site was in a beautiful forest hidden from other campsites. Within half an hour all campsites were taken.
Instead of going into town to the recreation center for a shower I decided to just bathe, wash hair and clothing in my bear can, like I did at Big Sandy TH. It worked out well! Hauling water from the nearby faucet was easier than scooping water out of a creek like I did at Big Sandy. I had hoped to fish in Fremont Lake but it was nearly dinner time when my chores were done and of course, it rained.
Day off before next trip
Next day I went to town. The library was closed on Sundays so I went to Great Outdoor Shop, which carries my guidebook. The young clerks were happy to meet me and let me use their office to recharge my phone, In-Reach and camera, which seemed to work although the menu was messed up. Not sure the camera works 100% even now, but it did take photos on the next trip. I bought dinner and a six-pack of beer, surprised that the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was nearly the same price as Coors Light. Maybe people in Wyoming hate Californians and shunned their “fancy beer”. Back at camp, it took several hours to organize the food for the next trip and re-pack while a storm occasionally spit rain. It rained all night.
While in town I learned that Pinedale flooded in the storm on August 6. My friend in Lander who is a weather geek like me said she watched the radar during the storm and hoped I did not get washed away! And the humidity was unreal for Wyoming.
I did catch the biggest fish of the summer, but other than that one fish, it was a bust. License cost per fish dropped to $43 per fish.
On the other hand gas prices in Pinedale had dropped to $4 per gallon. You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by Wandering Daisy on Sun Sep 11, 2022 4:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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wildhiker
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Wow! Another great report of an interesting trip! In spite of the rain and mishaps, your love of the mountains shows through.
I'm starting to sense a theme from your reports for this summer's trips in the Wind River Range. No, not the mosquitoes and rain. Although they certainly sound like a nuisance, they are well within my expectations for the Rocky Mountains. Instead, I am surprised that you keep running into crowded and overused camping areas. It sounds like parts of the Wind River Range are now as crowded as heavily used areas in the Sierra, like the JMT. Is that true? In the age of the internet and good transportation, it seems to me that there is no such thing anymore as "little known" or "remote" and anywhere can get crowded with visitors if it is sufficiently attractive. Your photos certainly make the Wind River Range look attractive!
-Phil
I'm starting to sense a theme from your reports for this summer's trips in the Wind River Range. No, not the mosquitoes and rain. Although they certainly sound like a nuisance, they are well within my expectations for the Rocky Mountains. Instead, I am surprised that you keep running into crowded and overused camping areas. It sounds like parts of the Wind River Range are now as crowded as heavily used areas in the Sierra, like the JMT. Is that true? In the age of the internet and good transportation, it seems to me that there is no such thing anymore as "little known" or "remote" and anywhere can get crowded with visitors if it is sufficiently attractive. Your photos certainly make the Wind River Range look attractive!
-Phil
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giantbrookie
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Holy smokes, I don't think I've ever experienced such an adverse combination of weather and mosquitoes. And then there were the uncooperative fish to boot. Makes me feel downright comfy by comparison, even though I'm in Fresno on a morning after it hit 115 (and I had walked across campus at that time trying to exploit the limited and widely scattered shade). Anyhow I thought things were a tad uncomfortable in Newfoundland with rain, mosquitoes, and black flies, but the conditions I encountered there seem downright mild compared to those you endured on your epic adventure. What a great read!
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
I attribute a lot of the crowds to many factors. First there is the increased popularity of thru-hiking and the CDT. The CDT requires few if any permits or has any quotas, so I think a lot of thru-hikers who would do the PCT, do the CDT instead. I ran across a lot of international thru-hikers. My friend who is a big thru-hiker says there is a fairly large world-wide, close-knit community of thru-hikers. I ended up in both the south-to-north as well as north-to-south CDT bubbles. Skurka's High Route also is very popular. And then there are the trail routes on internet site "All Trails". The "post-covid" factors may also contribute- trips delayed due to earlier COVID restrictions. Plus, the first two weeks in August has always been peak use. I stayed on popular trails and did less off-trail. I suspect that if I had gone over Indian Pass into NFBLC and then to SFBLC on the east side, I would not have had any crowds. And finally, the big blow-down two years ago blocked so many trails on the west side. The FS has only cleared the major trails so far, which forces everyone on those few trails that have been cleared. I am not sure if they are ever going to clear some of the less-used trails.
The mosquitoes at elevations under 10,000 feet were on the wane. The higher above-timber areas were at their peak. Normally hard frosts mid-August kill off hatches at higher altitudes. This year was unusual- night temperatures were as high as 50F and humidity in the 80% range. The Aug 6 monsoonal deluge may have been from the same storm that flooded the trails in Sequoia this summer.
The mosquitoes at elevations under 10,000 feet were on the wane. The higher above-timber areas were at their peak. Normally hard frosts mid-August kill off hatches at higher altitudes. This year was unusual- night temperatures were as high as 50F and humidity in the 80% range. The Aug 6 monsoonal deluge may have been from the same storm that flooded the trails in Sequoia this summer.
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windknot
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Thanks for the report and photos! Wow, that first day sounds intense. Glad you were able to dry out and still have a great trip.
I too found it interesting to read about the people you encountered. California in general is famous for its crowds, and that seems to translate to the expectation of crowded trails, too. But with the exception of the JMT, I really haven't found many people at all in most places I go. I just did a 3-day backpack on a prime holiday weekend for backpacking (Labor Day) in a wilderness with no permit quotas (Emigrant) and pretty much stuck to trails the entire time. And yet, we only encountered 5 people on the 11-mile hike in (including 2 day hikers within 2 miles of the trailhead), and only saw a handful more the rest of the weekend. By contrast, every single day I spent hiking/backpacking in the WA Cascades was shared with 50-150 other people. Most trails had so many people that my wife and I would amuse ourselves by counting how many people we'd pass on the way up/down, and the count was always well into double digits. One big difference I can think of is that trailheads are much closer to urban metro areas in Washington than in California. I could drive to dozens of trailheads with scenic alpine hikes within <2 hours of Seattle, while here in the Bay Area it's a 3.5-6 hr drive to get to trailheads that afford comparable scenery.
I too found it interesting to read about the people you encountered. California in general is famous for its crowds, and that seems to translate to the expectation of crowded trails, too. But with the exception of the JMT, I really haven't found many people at all in most places I go. I just did a 3-day backpack on a prime holiday weekend for backpacking (Labor Day) in a wilderness with no permit quotas (Emigrant) and pretty much stuck to trails the entire time. And yet, we only encountered 5 people on the 11-mile hike in (including 2 day hikers within 2 miles of the trailhead), and only saw a handful more the rest of the weekend. By contrast, every single day I spent hiking/backpacking in the WA Cascades was shared with 50-150 other people. Most trails had so many people that my wife and I would amuse ourselves by counting how many people we'd pass on the way up/down, and the count was always well into double digits. One big difference I can think of is that trailheads are much closer to urban metro areas in Washington than in California. I could drive to dozens of trailheads with scenic alpine hikes within <2 hours of Seattle, while here in the Bay Area it's a 3.5-6 hr drive to get to trailheads that afford comparable scenery.
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wildhiker
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
Sorry about highjacking Daisy's TR into this crowding topic, but...windknot wrote: ↑Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:07 am I too found it interesting to read about the people you encountered. California in general is famous for its crowds, and that seems to translate to the expectation of crowded trails, too. But with the exception of the JMT, I really haven't found many people at all in most places I go. I just did a 3-day backpack on a prime holiday weekend for backpacking (Labor Day) in a wilderness with no permit quotas (Emigrant) and pretty much stuck to trails the entire time. And yet, we only encountered 5 people on the 11-mile hike in (including 2 day hikers within 2 miles of the trailhead), and only saw a handful more the rest of the weekend. By contrast, every single day I spent hiking/backpacking in the WA Cascades was shared with 50-150 other people. Most trails had so many people that my wife and I would amuse ourselves by counting how many people we'd pass on the way up/down, and the count was always well into double digits. One big difference I can think of is that trailheads are much closer to urban metro areas in Washington than in California. I could drive to dozens of trailheads with scenic alpine hikes within <2 hours of Seattle, while here in the Bay Area it's a 3.5-6 hr drive to get to trailheads that afford comparable scenery.
I also do not see that many people in the Sierra backcountry, even in Yosemite National Park, once I get a couple miles past the trailhead and most of the day-hikers. One possible factor for less-crowded trails in the Sierra is that it has such a large network of maintained trails, plus easy "use" trails and cross-country routes, so backpackers can spread out. Perhaps other areas have fewer trails, so use is more concentrated on them? Daisy basically thinks that is the case for the trails of her recent trip, due to tree blowdowns making many trails impassable. I've plotted all the trails and x-c routes I've hiked in the Sierra on Caltopo, from Lake Tahoe down to Mineral King, and they add up to about 1,600 miles of unique trails and routes. Looking at the whole picture, I'd estimate that I've hiked no more than 1/3 of the possible trails, which means I estimate there are at least 5,000 miles of usable trail or easy x-c in the Sierra. Another factor is the well-developed and mostly honored trailhead quota system in the Sierra. As many of us have experienced who couldn't get a permit for a desired trailhead, the quota system really does limit backpacking use in the most popular areas. As Daisy points out, the Wind River Range and the CDT on general have no backpacking quotas - in fact, no need to even get a permit. What's the situation for the North Cascades?
-Phil
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: WR 2022- Trip 3 West side loop from Elkhart TH
There are permits required and group size limits for commercial use (and if you take a grazing animal) in the Wind Rivers, but none for private hikers. The Wind River Indian Reservation requires permits, but do not have quotas. The Wind Rivers are also about a third of the size as the Sierra. Yellowstone and the Tetons to the north are more popular but are imposing more regulation, that is somewhat increasing use in areas that do not require permits. There are no close population centers- SLC is a minimum of a 4-hour drive. It is hard to say if the use level will continue or if it is a temporary condition. Given the price of gas this summer I was actually surprised at the traffic on the roads. People seemed to still take their vacations regardless. I did note an increase of international visitors, particularly European CDT hikers. The weekend use was mostly local.
And my routes this year were all out of the three most used trailheads: Big Sandy, Elkhart Park and Green River Lakes on the west side. The east side is less used.
And my routes this year were all out of the three most used trailheads: Big Sandy, Elkhart Park and Green River Lakes on the west side. The east side is less used.
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