2023: Wind Rivers 1: MF Popo Agie Loop
Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 1:47 pm
This is the first of five backpacks I did this summer in the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. As problems with access to the Sierra became clear I decided to go to the Wind Rivers, where there was less snowpack and not requiring permits allowed a lot more last-minute flexibility. This was not my most successful summer in the Winds. Weather and a foot injury mid-summer put a damper on my more ambitious plans. The trips were quite mellow and focused more on fishing than making miles or high alpine terrain.
Drive to Wyoming
7/11-12, 2023
I took my usual route via I-80 to Wells Nevada, a drive that was as boring as ever, and camped at the Angel Creek Campground where there usually are plenty of first-come campsites. The more scenic Angel Lake campground 3 miles up the road is usually full by late afternoon.
I left Angle Creek and filled up with gas in Wells. With so many semi-trucks and 80mph speed limit I vowed never again to drive I-80 through SLC and Wyoming. Even friends who live in Wyoming avoid I-80. I turned north at Oasis onto Nv-233/Ut-30 for almost a hundred miles of two-lane nothing meeting only a handful of other cars. After a short distance on crowded I-84, I was back on Ut-30 to Logan, Utah. I struggled to find the obscure industrial park in Providence where ULA was located. I had called beforehand asking if I could try on packs rather than buy over the internet. I opened the door into a room full of Hispanic women chattering and sewing! The fellow I talked to on the phone walked me the back of the small “factory” where packs and parts were piled onto shelves. I brought in all my gear and we played with packing it. Ended up with a bright blue small ULA Catalyst pack, small waist belt with J-shoulder straps. Add a pack cover and I was done. Mailing address was required for my credit card payment, with my new ”address” of General Delivery Logan Utah, saving me a bit in sales tax.
I drove up beautiful Logan Canyon to Bear Lake and on to Kemmerer Wyoming, where I basically got lost on back roads to Farson (population 211) arriving about 4PM. The locals do not believe in road signs. While the clerk wrote my fishing license a dog knocked down a tourist who hit her head. Soon two ambulances and two sheriff’s cars came down the road with sirens wailing. Although a bit longer, my route was certainly interesting! I drove to South Pass, stopped at the rest stop and picked up a free Wyoming State Highway Map, then turned north onto the dirt Louis Lake road, camping at the small no-fee Little Popo Agie Campground on Atlantic Creek. I set up the car-camping tent, cooked a quick dinner and packed my new backpack. It was a long day but I was ready to go. The trip below was a mellow first trip of the season since I was not acclimated. Note that daily statistics below include fishing and day-hikes.
Middle Fork of the Popo Agie Loop
July 13-18, 2023 (6 days, 40 miles)
Day1. 7/13: Deep Creek Lake #1 (10054)
(9.3 miles, about 7 hours, 2155 feet elevation gain/ 925 feet loss)
I was up at the crack of dawn, threw the car-camping gear in the car, continued on the dirt road, past Fiddlers Lake campground and turned onto the very rocky dirt road to the trailhead at the west end of Worthen Reservoir. The parking serves two trailheads; the trail to Sheep Bridge on the Middle Fork and a trail to Stough Creek Lakes. Since I had all the food for my entire summer in three bear cans packed in a foam cooler in my trunk, I was happy to find a parking space with shade from trees. I put on my pack and it was heavy! Why does your pack on the first trip of the season weigh a hundred pounds? Even though heavy, I was pleased with the fit of my new pack.
Thankfully after a brief climb of a small hill the well maintained trail descended to Sheep Bridge over the roaring Middle Fork of the Popo Agie and gains back the elevation gradually in three miles of nicely shaded trail to the Pinto Park junction. So far, so good; I stopped for a snack. I had not even seen anyone. The next 3.3 miles with 1,000 feet gain, the sun took over the shade and I slowed to a crawl and I was beat by the time I reached the Deep Creek Lakes Trail junction. I forded a small creek where there was a nearby tent although I never saw the occupant. I continued to Deep Creek Lake #1 in hopes of fishing. Although less than a mile, it did me in. I found a campsite on the hillside above the inlet and set up my tent as two fellows walked by going downstream. I went down to the inlet to get water, hauled it up and was too tired to go back down and fish. I really needed to eat some food to lighten my pack I rationalized.
Day2. 7/14: Middle Deep Creek Lake
(2.4 miles, 4.7 hours, 660 feet elevation gain/ 125 feet loss)
I dropped to the inlet and waded across. Knowing the trail would re-cross shortly, I kept walking in Crocks in spite of the mosquitoes nipping at my ankles. Continuing up the trail with shoes back on, the trail became a bit more difficult to follow having become overgrown in a few places. The creek to the left was running high. At the rocky outlet of Lower Deep Creek Lake at the Ice Lakes Trail junction, I stopped for photos and a snack. Assuming the shoreline use-trail would be too wet I stayed on the Ice Lakes Trail until it turned north over the ridge, then left the trail and dropped to the shoreline near the inlet. From here the trail was obscure but not needed to scramble up slabs to Middle Deep Creek Lake. I spent considerable time hunting around for the best campsite. Every site in timber and shade was still wet but up on the hillside just below a talus cone was a nice dry, grassy scenic site out in the open. The view was great even if it was a bit of a walk to fill the two Platypus containers with water.
After setting up I fished the outlet without any luck. I took a break and wandered to a saddle on the north end where I could look down to Echo and Baer Lakes. I later learned that these lakes also had good fishing. Back to camp, I then dropped to the inlet of the lower lake where the creek gushed out of an ice tunnel beneath a huge snowfield and quickly caught three 12-14 inch fish. I let the third go, forgetting that I could have stashed it in a snow patch near my tent for breakfast. The other two became a tasty dinner. The lower lake has Golden, Rainbow and Brook trout; the middle lake Brook and Golden. I fished the middle lake again, catching nothing, likely because I was reluctant to wade across the wide outlet to fish from the other side. Overall it was a very lazy day; a relief from the rigorous first day. It spit rain in the evening but puffy white clouds covered the sky most of the day. It was unusually humid and warm all night. By morning the tent was soaked with dew.
Drive to Wyoming
7/11-12, 2023
I took my usual route via I-80 to Wells Nevada, a drive that was as boring as ever, and camped at the Angel Creek Campground where there usually are plenty of first-come campsites. The more scenic Angel Lake campground 3 miles up the road is usually full by late afternoon.
I left Angle Creek and filled up with gas in Wells. With so many semi-trucks and 80mph speed limit I vowed never again to drive I-80 through SLC and Wyoming. Even friends who live in Wyoming avoid I-80. I turned north at Oasis onto Nv-233/Ut-30 for almost a hundred miles of two-lane nothing meeting only a handful of other cars. After a short distance on crowded I-84, I was back on Ut-30 to Logan, Utah. I struggled to find the obscure industrial park in Providence where ULA was located. I had called beforehand asking if I could try on packs rather than buy over the internet. I opened the door into a room full of Hispanic women chattering and sewing! The fellow I talked to on the phone walked me the back of the small “factory” where packs and parts were piled onto shelves. I brought in all my gear and we played with packing it. Ended up with a bright blue small ULA Catalyst pack, small waist belt with J-shoulder straps. Add a pack cover and I was done. Mailing address was required for my credit card payment, with my new ”address” of General Delivery Logan Utah, saving me a bit in sales tax.
I drove up beautiful Logan Canyon to Bear Lake and on to Kemmerer Wyoming, where I basically got lost on back roads to Farson (population 211) arriving about 4PM. The locals do not believe in road signs. While the clerk wrote my fishing license a dog knocked down a tourist who hit her head. Soon two ambulances and two sheriff’s cars came down the road with sirens wailing. Although a bit longer, my route was certainly interesting! I drove to South Pass, stopped at the rest stop and picked up a free Wyoming State Highway Map, then turned north onto the dirt Louis Lake road, camping at the small no-fee Little Popo Agie Campground on Atlantic Creek. I set up the car-camping tent, cooked a quick dinner and packed my new backpack. It was a long day but I was ready to go. The trip below was a mellow first trip of the season since I was not acclimated. Note that daily statistics below include fishing and day-hikes.
Middle Fork of the Popo Agie Loop
July 13-18, 2023 (6 days, 40 miles)
Day1. 7/13: Deep Creek Lake #1 (10054)
(9.3 miles, about 7 hours, 2155 feet elevation gain/ 925 feet loss)
I was up at the crack of dawn, threw the car-camping gear in the car, continued on the dirt road, past Fiddlers Lake campground and turned onto the very rocky dirt road to the trailhead at the west end of Worthen Reservoir. The parking serves two trailheads; the trail to Sheep Bridge on the Middle Fork and a trail to Stough Creek Lakes. Since I had all the food for my entire summer in three bear cans packed in a foam cooler in my trunk, I was happy to find a parking space with shade from trees. I put on my pack and it was heavy! Why does your pack on the first trip of the season weigh a hundred pounds? Even though heavy, I was pleased with the fit of my new pack.
Thankfully after a brief climb of a small hill the well maintained trail descended to Sheep Bridge over the roaring Middle Fork of the Popo Agie and gains back the elevation gradually in three miles of nicely shaded trail to the Pinto Park junction. So far, so good; I stopped for a snack. I had not even seen anyone. The next 3.3 miles with 1,000 feet gain, the sun took over the shade and I slowed to a crawl and I was beat by the time I reached the Deep Creek Lakes Trail junction. I forded a small creek where there was a nearby tent although I never saw the occupant. I continued to Deep Creek Lake #1 in hopes of fishing. Although less than a mile, it did me in. I found a campsite on the hillside above the inlet and set up my tent as two fellows walked by going downstream. I went down to the inlet to get water, hauled it up and was too tired to go back down and fish. I really needed to eat some food to lighten my pack I rationalized.
Day2. 7/14: Middle Deep Creek Lake
(2.4 miles, 4.7 hours, 660 feet elevation gain/ 125 feet loss)
I dropped to the inlet and waded across. Knowing the trail would re-cross shortly, I kept walking in Crocks in spite of the mosquitoes nipping at my ankles. Continuing up the trail with shoes back on, the trail became a bit more difficult to follow having become overgrown in a few places. The creek to the left was running high. At the rocky outlet of Lower Deep Creek Lake at the Ice Lakes Trail junction, I stopped for photos and a snack. Assuming the shoreline use-trail would be too wet I stayed on the Ice Lakes Trail until it turned north over the ridge, then left the trail and dropped to the shoreline near the inlet. From here the trail was obscure but not needed to scramble up slabs to Middle Deep Creek Lake. I spent considerable time hunting around for the best campsite. Every site in timber and shade was still wet but up on the hillside just below a talus cone was a nice dry, grassy scenic site out in the open. The view was great even if it was a bit of a walk to fill the two Platypus containers with water.
After setting up I fished the outlet without any luck. I took a break and wandered to a saddle on the north end where I could look down to Echo and Baer Lakes. I later learned that these lakes also had good fishing. Back to camp, I then dropped to the inlet of the lower lake where the creek gushed out of an ice tunnel beneath a huge snowfield and quickly caught three 12-14 inch fish. I let the third go, forgetting that I could have stashed it in a snow patch near my tent for breakfast. The other two became a tasty dinner. The lower lake has Golden, Rainbow and Brook trout; the middle lake Brook and Golden. I fished the middle lake again, catching nothing, likely because I was reluctant to wade across the wide outlet to fish from the other side. Overall it was a very lazy day; a relief from the rigorous first day. It spit rain in the evening but puffy white clouds covered the sky most of the day. It was unusually humid and warm all night. By morning the tent was soaked with dew.