2006 Wind River Range Trip Planning
|
Since our aborted trip to Glacier in July of 2005 never came off I realized we needed to go somewhere we could make up for lost time. I had hiked most of the trails available in July in Glacier, and wanted to go somewhere new...The Wind River Range in western Wyoming would be our destination for 2006.
It took some time to reach this decision, however. I pondered many different options and combinations. The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness combined with Yellowstone National Park; Cloud Peak Wilderness and the Winds; Glacier and the Winds; Yellowstone and the Winds; Cloud Peak and the Absaroka's. You get the idea.
Finally, I decided that with the cost of gas and a Glacier backcountry permit an uncertainty with our limited window of time, we ought to just do two hikes in the Winds and leave it at that. Even so, the pull of Glacier was still tugging at me, trying to get me back out there.
With the decision made I quickly purchased the set of Earthwalk Press maps, the Falcon guide and began planning for another epic adventure/vacation.
|
With a tentative trip date from July 14-28 I began poring over the maps in search of the perfect loops. I knew we'd probably be limited to two, 5-night trips and wanted to keep the mileage down to around 7 miles a day. Ideally I would like to spend a day at elevation to acclimatize, but thought an easy first day on the trail would suffice. We'll see how that works out.
It didn't take too long to find the route I was looking for: a 6 night loop originating at Big Sandy opening, up to Grave Lake, back down through the Cirque of the towers and out at Big Sandy. Of course, this cut a night from a second trip so I had to find something suitable for 4 nights. I'd heard many good things about the Titcomb Basin so thought an out and back would be a good warm up hike for the main event. After a little more research I decided that the Indian Basin would be a better alternative and probably less crowded. I also decided later that the "Main Event" should be Titcomb/Indian. We would hike this loop on our second hike.
Tentative Itinerary
| Fri | July | 14 | Depart Manitowoc by 12 PM |
| Sat | July | 15 | Arrive @ Big Sandy Opening by 11AM. On trail by 1:00. Camp at Marms Lake |
| Sun | July | 16 | Camp at Grave Lake |
| Mon | July | 17 | Camp at Little Valentine Lake |
| Tue | July | 18 | Camp at Bear Lake |
| Wed | July | 19 | Camp at Clear Lake |
| Thu | July | 20 | Off trail. To hotel in Pinedale. Resupply. Laundry. Real food. |
| Fri | July | 21 | Depart from Elkhart Park TH. Camp at Little Seneca Lake |
| Sat | July | 22 | Camp at Titcomb Basin |
| Sun | July | 23 | Camp at Indian Basin |
| Mon | July | 24 | Camp at Indian Basin. Dayhike Jackson Peak. |
| Tue | July | 25 | Camp near Cook Lakes |
| Wed | July | 26 | Camp near Eklund Lake |
| Thu | July | 27 | Off Trail. Depart for Home |
| Fri | July | 28 | Home by late afternoon. |
Updates
| 07/04/2006 | Everything is now set to go and all that needs to do is make it through another week and a half of work. I managed to cram everything we need for the 6-night trip into Yumi's Gregory Z-Pack and my Vapor Trail. Yeah, we're stoked. |
| 06/172006 | In 4 weeks we will be spending our first night in the Winds. I have also picked up yet another toy on the cheap. Found a Granite Gear Vapor Trail at a rummage sale for $25! My pack weight just dropped another 3 lbs. |
| 04/06/2006 | We are going to stay at a different hotel the night between hikes. We'll be staying at the Teton Court Hotel for half of what we would have spent at the Best Western, No pool or laundry, but I'm not sure those ammenities are worth an extra $65. We are also a mere 99 days until departure. |
| 04/02/2006 | Yumi may kick my ass again when she discovers I have a new sleeping bag for the trip. Pulled the trigger and ordered a Western Mountaineering Hooded Aspen sleeping bag. I just dropped another half pound off my pack weight. |
| 03/19/2006 | Yumi is going to kick me ass, but I couldn't help myself and purchased a Henry Shires Cloudburst 2 Tarptent with sewn-in floor. Weighing less than 2.5 lbs, this beauty is going to save me nearly 2 pounds off my pack weight. |
| 3/17/2006 | We now have a hotel reservation at the Pinedale Best Western for July 20. Only $130 for the room. I'm going to find something cheaper. |
| 02/25/2006 | Only 139 days to go. I am now starting to check the snotel website for snowpack conditions a couple of times a week. |
| 02/20/2006 | My REI order arrived today! A 10° bag, trekking poles and a Golite windshirt for Yumi, a collapsable water bucket, ultralight daypack and a sinylon tarp for me. |
| 10/25/2005 | After a quick calculation I have determined this trip is only 263 days away. |
| 10/21/2005 | www.backpacker.com Winds message board expert "onbelaydave" gives two hearty "thumbs-up" to my proposed routes |
