Trip to the Winds.. 9-2-24 to 9-10-24

[robertseeburger]

Well, I made my first trip to the Winds in 2016. It was a whim at the time, hitting Titcomb Basin.
Being a high Sierra backpacker, I wasn't sure I really wanted to try a new range, but the pictures of Titcomb Basin and the Cirque of the Towers got me interested, and my friend Mike and I chose a trip to Titcomb.

Now, this trip just completed a couple of weeks ago is my 9th backpack in the Winds. Suffice it to say, I got hooked.
I am not an expert , like Wandering Daisy, but I know a little bit. Still not nearly as much as the sierras.

A year ago, we had an incredible fishing experience in the winds for cutthroats. When discussing where to go this year, Mike was very clear..
let us just go right back to where we went last year. So, that is what we decided to do. Normally I like to see new territory, ( I still have not been to the Cirque of the Towers, for instance), but it was hard to argue. So my friends Gary and Mike and I embarked on a very similar itinerary to the one I published July 23. In terms of new territory, there were still a couple of lakes I had never visited , and then we were planning to day
a 4 day trip a little further south out of Dickinson Park but we chose to cancel this four day day trip. More to follow.

So, on day 1, we made it to St. Lawrence trailhead.

As usual, there were plenty of antelopes on the drive up.

wind trip 9-24 - 1 (37).jpeg (51.5 KiB) Viewed 350 times

We trudged up the trail to the Meadows. Always nice here.

And we made it over Entigo Pass.

We had thunderstorms the first two days... After that the weather was mostly pleasant...even hot for September in the Winds.

We saw some grouse in the area.

A close up

We crossed Glacier Creek. It was a walk across. This was a torrent in July 2023, and was difficult to cross.

On the way to Lake Heebeecheeche

It was a little hazy, but still nice.

Sunset at camp.

We did some fishing the next day. Mike playing one

And me playing one...

[robertseeburger]

Part 2

An unnamed lake higher in the area.

Playing a big one.. for some reason I like shots of trout in the water before being caught.

An 18 incher.. or was it bigger? I forget.

Nice lake

A view scrambling down

A view of Lake Heebeecheeche

Inlet area of Lake Heebeecheeche

Mike prospecting a different lake

Gary in action

Gary with a nice one

and measured

A nice cut

[robertseeburger]

Part 3

Another nice Cutthroat..

We ate one dinner.. the usual.. poached in foil. (Still prefer goldens to cuts!)

We had some strange looking stomach contents.. green stuff!

Gary posing.. he loves to pose with waterfalls in background.

We of course released most of the fish..Please release me!!!

Another view of Heebeecheeche

In terms of adventure.. we had heard that there was indeed one lake that had golden trout in the area.
In general, there are cuts, some brook, some lake trout here. But few/no golden lakes.
So, we went on a day hike to try to see it.

Gary fishing a cove in the lake

And.. we found lots of 8-12 inch cutts in the lake..no goldens. It was a nice lake..seldom visited..and we enjoyed the hike and views.

Looking down at Sonnicant Lake.. our next campsite.

Last view of the "golden lake" that wasn't. We saw a pair of eagles in the cliffs above here.

[robertseeburger]

Part 4

Another view of beautiful Sonnicant Lake.

Sunset at Sonnicant

And of course... we had cocktail hour before sunset.. Irish Whiskey

Another lake to fish..
I had fished this four times.. always had only cutthroat trout. Clearly this one is a rainbow.. 17 inches.

Here was my biggest fish.. We often take pictures of our best fish. I have exchanged comments on how to do this with a few HST members.
Here is my all time low on pictures of fish. This was a 20.5 inch cutthroat..great right? Until you see the picture.
Oh well.. first in the net, and then a snapshot.

It is seldom that you catch a nice trout on your last cast. In this case I did here.

Walking down from the lake.

The weather started to change at the end of the trip. It got very windy.
We decided to try a lake that we had never been to before. Lake Polaris. It was below treeline.
We were delighted to go here. A lake in a beautiful setting.. Seldom visited.

We left the next day. We drove into Lander. Storms were brewing..

We looked at the weather report and it was supposed to rain and snow the next two days and then be clear for two days.
We decided to abort the final four day separate backpack. It was a heavy decision because we wanted to hit some golden trout country.
But it looked like there might be just a little too much weather. So we decided to take the good 8 day trip and leave it at that.

Another pleasant Wind River trip.
Next year... maybe we will finally hit the Cirque of the Towers!

[Wandering Daisy]

Looks like a successful trip. Did you run into anyone else? Was the main trail to Sonnicant in good shape?

My experience is that there usually is a snowstorm early September, after which is a nice Indian Summer- crisp but clear. Hunters love it because then can track the animals (although you can only hunt on the Reservation if a tribal member). Looks like your second trip would hit that storm. My goodness- who carried the whisky? If I went with you, I would eat as much fish as I could. Your cooked fish look so yummy!

[Dwwd]

Nice TR. I agree with Wandering Daisy. Poached in foil with added spices makes for meal better than any freeze-dried fare.

[robertseeburger]

Looks like a successful trip. Did you run into anyone else? Was the main trail to Sonnicant in good shape?

My experience is that there usually is a snowstorm early September, after which is a nice Indian Summer- crisp but clear. Hunters love it because then can track the animals (although you can only hunt on the Reservation if a tribal member). Looks like your second trip would hit that storm. My goodness- who carried the whisky? If I went with you, I would eat as much fish as I could. Your cooked fish look so yummy!

Hi WD..yep.. we have definitely had our share of snow in September trips. I now think of September in the Winds a little bit like October in the sierras.
Weather can be great but need to be prepared.

On other people, we met quite a few people hiking out. There was a storm on the way in, and it was Labor Day weekend.
The combination sort of cleared the area, which was great. There were a few that we met, but the only people we met were either staying at Sonnicant or Wilson Creek Lakes...(where the horse packer drops off.) We saw no one at any of the unnamed lakes.
So, we have been there once at iceout and saw no one, and once after Labor Day and saw few people..to me either early or late is the time to visit this area.

And..the trail to Sonnicant was in great shape. Cleared for horses. Easy walking.

We love eating the fish.

[windknot]

Thanks for the report and photos! Looks like lots of great hiking and fishing.

Congrats on the 20.5-incher, that's huge. And hey -- I'd rather catch a great fish and not get a great photo, than take a great photo of a not-so-great fish!

[Wandering Daisy]

I do not necessarily agree that early or late is the best time for this area. I have been in there plenty of times mid-summer and still met very few people. In fact, if you plan on a long trip of 10-14 days, mid-summer is better for chance of good weather. You did go into the one area with a good, well-maintained trail. If you go anywhere with poorer trails (where the packer does not work) on the Reservation, you will see few others, regardless of when. The one week or so that you DO NOT want to be there is the short black-fly surge that lasts about 1-2 weeks, usually last weeks in July.

The area you went to can get crowded because it is served by the packer outfit. But the packer also is the one who maintains the trail. The other area the packer goes to is Wilson Creek Lakes.

You can also access the area you went via the west (Bridger NF) side, (Scab Creek TH) and over Kagavah or Odyssey passes. The walk is longer but the trailhead is much more accessible, particularly for passenger cars and has a great free campground at the trailhead. It is also only a 20-30 minute drive, half paved, from Boulder (on the highway). You still have to by a Reservation permit for the days you are on the Reservation.

PS - I always enjoy your photos of fish guts. Quite colorful. I would never have thought to take a picture of fish guts.