Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

Frontier Life

From Wyoming to the British Museum and The Taming of the Shrew in London in 24 hours

by

My husband, Jerry, and I and our three sons, Wolf, 16, Hayden, 14 and Finis, 9, are just starting our “Epic Europe Family Adventure.”

This trip is a dream-come-true that we have been dreaming about, planning and saving for for some time. Our adventure is 28 days long and includes this itinerary: London, Munich, Germany (via Paris, France), Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt, Switzerland, Italy’s Moneglia and Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence and Rome, and then Portugal.

First, we drove from our home in Lander, Wyoming, to Denver, CO., where we made a quick visit with my Grandma, and then we visited Jerry’s brother, Jamie, who dropped us off at the airport for our direct flight to London.

At the Denver airport. Europe or Bust!
At the Denver airport. Europe or Bust!

The flight was an 8-hour flight that took off at 7:45pm. After in the air, we let the boys watch one movie, then we all closed our eyes ’till we landed in London, which given the 7-hour jump ahead in time, meant we had feet on the ground in Europe at 11:30am on Monday, May 23.

Once in London, we were greeted by my friend, Antonia, whom I met on my Brooks Range Alaska NOLS course in 2011. Antonia has visited us in Lander, WY for the famous 4th of July, during her Yellowstone Park visits. Now, we would see her on her turf! (She’s from Germany, but teaches Sanskrit at a private school in London.)

It was so great to see Antonia, who led us to the Underground, and traveled to a station near our hotel on Gower Street. We loved that our room number was “1.” How perfect for the start of our adventure. We also loved the quaint comfort of our hotel room, which was exactly one room with 5 beds in it – one for each of us. We found this to be charming in its practicality.

Our room number for our first hotel on the trip: 1.

Our room number for our first hotel on the trip: 1.

Tired from our hours of travel, which included our 5-hour drive from Lander, WY to Denver, CO, and then 8-hour international flight during the night, and add to that we were suddenly on a clock that was 7 hours ahead of our usual (US Mountain Standard Time) schedule, we were not exactly full of energy. So we all relaxed in our hotel room for a couple of hours and visited with Antonia, before venturing to the British Museum.

We intentionally planned a mellow first day in London because we knew we’d be tired, and we planned to not do what we felt like, which was collapse on the hotel beds for a nap. (Our friends and family who have traveled to Europe advised against taking a nap, suggesting we should instead resist napping and try to fall into step with the local time)

We planned to explore at a lazy pace a small portion of the British Museum, which was just a couple of blocks from our hotel, and then get some dinner at a pub, before watching The Taming of the Shrew, at the historic outdoor Globe Theatre.

Posing with our friend, Antonia, in the British Museum.
Posing with our friend, Antonia, in the British Museum.

The British Museum, which offers free admission, was a treat, and that is an understatement! Rick Steves calls it the “Chronicle of Western Civilization,” and his description is apt. There is no way we could adequately review all the museum has to offer, so we focused on just a few areas. We explored much of the museum, but we especially enjoyed seeing the Elgin Marbles, the original Rosetta Stone, and the many Egyptian statues and artifacts.

The Elgin Marbles, known to the world as the Parthenon Marbles, are a collection of Classical Greek marble sculptures (made by the citizens of Athens under the supervision of the renowned architect and sculptor Phidias and his assistants), inscriptions, and architectural pieces that were originally part of the temple of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens. Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin obtained in 1801 a controversial permit from the Sublime Porte, which then ruled Greece.

The boys, admiring some of the Elgin Marbles, in the British Museum.
The boys, admiring some of the Elgin Marbles, in the British Museum.
Part of the Elgin Marbles, this naked man reclines on a rock, cushioned by the skin of a feline animal. He is probably Dionysos, god of wine. (His missing right hand perhaps held a cup of wine?)

Part of the Elgin Marbles, this naked man reclines on a rock, cushioned by the skin of a feline animal. He is probably Dionysos, god of wine. (His missing right hand perhaps held a cup of wine?)
Some of the panels that are part of the Elgin Marbles.
Some of the panels that are part of the Elgin Marbles.
Part of the Elgin Marbles, this is the head of a horse from the chair of the moon-goddess, Selene.
Part of the Elgin Marbles, this is the head of a horse from the chair of the moon-goddess, Selene.

Well, I think if all we had time for were the Elgin Marbles, that would have been pretty astounding in itself. The boys and I really loved looking at all of them, and reading and learning about them. It’s something else to imagine the work, the skill and craftsmanship, and the commitment required to carve such beautiful sculptures from stone, and to see them some 2,500 years later.

Well, I think if all we had time for were the Elgin Marbles, that would have been pretty astounding in itself. The boys and I really loved looking at all of them, and reading and learning about them. It’s something else to imagine the work, the skill and craftsmanship, and the commitment required to carve such beautiful sculptures from stone.

Next up was the original, 5,000-year-old Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone holds the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs and is a script made up of small pictures that was used originally in ancient Egypt for religious texts.

The Rosetta Stone holds the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs—a script made up of small pictures that was used originally in ancient Egypt for religious texts.
The Rosetta Stone holds the key to understanding Egyptian hieroglyphs—a script made up of small pictures that was used originally in ancient Egypt for religious texts.

The boys especially loved Room 4, the Egyptian sculptures. There are many. In fact, the British Museum holds the largest collection of Egyptian objects that are outside of Egypt.

We first explored mummies, which includes actual corpses and displays of the history, and process of of mummifying. Especially fascinating is the 5,000-year-old sand-dried mummy.

The mummy exhibits are extraordinary.
The mummy exhibits are extraordinary.

The statue of King Ramesses II was carved from a single block of stone, and is the upper part of a colossal seated statue. The sculpture weight 20 tons (40,000 pounds!), and was transported on sleds over land and In a purpose-built boat down the Nile.

The statue of King Ramesses II is the upper part of a colossal seated statue.
The statue of King Ramesses II is the upper part of a colossal seated statue.
A sarcophagus is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and displayed above ground, though it may also be buried.
A sarcophagus is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and displayed above ground, though it may also be buried.

After the British Museum, we found a British pub, where Jerry, Antonia and I enjoyed a cold one, and we all ate a pretty tasty pub meal.

Fed and feeling recharged, we caught the Underground and then walked to the historic Globe Theater. Seeing The Taming of the Shrew was a treat for me that the family agreed to. I was full of anticipation to see the Shakespeare play for the first time, and to see it in Shakespeare’s original venue. The Globe is an oak-and-thatch replica of the original Elizabethan theatre, showing Shakespeare plays in the open air.

Riding the Underground with my friend Antonia, who showed us the ropes.
Riding the Underground with my friend Antonia, who showed us the ropes.

The play was epic! Jerry and the boys were generous in agreeing to include the play on our itinerary, since I was the only one enthused about it. But, to my pleasant surprise, the boys loved it. It woke them up, and I even caught Fin, our 9-year-old, laughing out loud throughout the play. The cast was fantastic, and the setting was unbeatable, making the entire experience of watching the play a 10 out of 10. I highly recommend attending a Shakespeare play in the open air, outdoor Globe Theater.

We loved watching The Taming of the Shrew in the historic, open air Globe Theatre.
We loved watching The Taming of the Shrew in the historic, open air Globe Theatre.

We were exhilarated by the play, especially the second act, which was even more spectacular than the first. As we made out way out of the theater and walked to the Underground station, we stopped to take in a beautiful reflection of the awe-inspiring St. Paul’s Cathedral in the River Thames. We then walked across a bridge and right up to the Cathedral before we found our transport.

According to Wikipedia, St Paul’s Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London, and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604.

St. Paul's Cathedral, reflected in the River Thames, in London.
St. Paul’s Cathedral, reflected in the River Thames, in London.
Hayden, in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, in London.
Hayden, in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London.

The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognizable sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren’s City churches, dominated the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962. The dome is among the highest in the world. St Paul’s is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom, second only to Liverpool Cathedral.

We made it back to the hotel at around 11:30pm and pretty much collapsed into immediate sleep. If our first day and evening’s events were any indication, this dream-come-true, 28-day adventure in Europe was going to be nothing short of epic…

Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for more posts here as we make our way through Munich, Germany, Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt, Switzerland, Italy’s Cinque Terre National Park, Pisa, Florence and Rome, and Lisbon and Lagos, Portugal.

(See London Day 2 blog post)

Europe or Bust!

by

ShelliJohnsonMug

Hi there! I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I have not forgotten about you, or this blog. It’s just that a lot of my attention has been on developing my work and mission at Epic Life Inc.

This post is an effort to revive this blog. And I’m going big. It has been a dream for our family of five to take a big international trip. I am ecstatic to report that we’re making the dream come true. As of today, these country bumpkins are en route to Europe. For a month! (Gulp.)

Rich. Passports in hand...
Rich. Passports in hand…

We will explore 7 countries, and our itinerary includes world-class cities, cultural and historical attractions, awe-inspiring hikes and scenery, some ocean and beach leisure, and of course lots of epically delicious foods.

Hello! Wolf, Hayden, me, Jerry and Fin.
Hello! Wolf, Hayden, me, Jerry and Fin.

Our itinerary includes London, Paris, Munich, Switzerland, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, Vatican City and Portugal. The trip planning process is a meaningful part of this journey we’re about to take. Many of our dinner and hiking conversations these days are centered on the destinations we plan to visit. The boys have researched activities and attractions, as well as populations for all of the cities, and countries we’ll be visiting. It’s been a great, “new” conversation we’re all enjoying.

Our study materials.
Our study materials.
Fin, our 8-year-old, was tasked with researching the number of people in the cities and countries we will visit. This research is a little mind-blowing for our family, since Wyoming has only 500,000 people in all of it.
Fin, our 8-year-old, was tasked with researching the number of people in the cities and countries we will visit. This research is a little mind-blowing for our family, since Wyoming has only 500,000 people in all of it.

Following are some the highlights of our upcoming Epic Itinerary. (We have 28 days for all of this, so there is a lot of space and downtime built in for each of the destinations. We plan to immerse ourselves in each of the places we visit, at a pretty slow pace, before moving on to the next…)

    • LONDON, UK: The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the British Museum, Thames River Boat Cruise, Tower of London, and the British Museum. We also may check out one of London’s escape room experiences on the tail end of our trip.
    • MUNICH, GERMANY: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Dachau Concentration Camp, Beer Gardens, Marienplatz, and Deutsches Museum.

    • SWITZERLAND: We have 4 days of epic hiking planned – 2 in the Lauterbrunnen area and 2 in the Zermatt area – that will provide views of the Matterhorn, the Eiger, several waterfalls, and more. We are really looking forward to hiking in the Swiss Alps!
    • CINQUE TERRE, ITALY: We will enjoy one day on the beach and exploring this coast, and another day hiking the famous, 13-mile hike through the five villages that make up Cinque Terre, which since 1999 has been designated as a national park. The boys hike 13 miles every now and again in Wyoming, and there are no villages offering gelato and genuine Italian foods every few miles! For once we probably won’t have to pack our pockets with treats to spur the boys along. 🙂

    • ROME, ITALY: We are so excited for Rome! We’ll tour the Colosseum, including the arena and underground areas and the Forum. On another day, we’ll have a private guide to tour the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, etc., and on another day, we’ll take a small group tour of the Crypts and Catacombs. We plan to eat lots of epic pasta while in Rome, too.
    • PORTUGAL: We’ll spend time in Lisbon, and Lagos, where we’ll get some rest and relaxation on the beautiful, low-key beaches and go kayaking through caves, heading back to London and returning to the U.S.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll check back now and again. I will be blogging and posting photos from our Europe Epic Adventure over the course of the next 30 days.

By the way, if you’d like to read some other posts I’ve written in the last several months, here are some of the best ones:

To Discover and Know Yourself, Go Hiking

Mother-Son Rite of Passage Expedition — One of My Best Ideas, Ever

My Most Spectacular Failure Was A Gift

Daring To Climb Mountains

Whew! We Survived Our Epic Wellness Week!

When Plan A – And B, C & D – Don’t Pan Out

Island Lake and Titcomb Basin: Breathtaking

by

Howdy.

It has been a generous summer for me in terms of how much time I’ve had in the high country of my back yard, Wyoming’s Wind River Range. For the last six weeks, I’ve gone on six epic day hikes.

On July 12, my husband, Jerry, and I hiked a 25.5-mile roundtrip hike that took us past a jaw-dropping panoramic view of massive granite peaks and several lakes, and through fields of wildflowers before reaching what is one of the most spectacular sights I’ve ever seen — Island Lake and Titcomb Basin.

We saw this moose right after the sun came up.

This hike would be all new territory for us so we were particularly excited. We started hiking at 5:30 a.m. from the Elkhart Park/Pole Creek Trailhead, located about 15 miles/30 minutes outside of Pinedale, WY. We enjoyed a very gradual uphill hike through a forest for the first few miles. At four miles we noted a cow moose standing near a pond in a meadow to our left. We watched it — had a bit of a (loving) staredown with it — for a few minutes, before quietly moving on. I always see moose, or elk, or both, when I’m hiking with my better half. He’s either good luck, or he and I don’t chat as much as my girlfriends and I do on our epic hikes. At any rate, after seeing a moose so early on, I knew it was going to be a spectacular day.

Photographers Point, enjoyed at the 5-mile mark.
Seneca Lake.

From Photographers point, we descended a mostly-forested trail that was interrupted every once in a while by meadows that are part of Miller Park. These little meadows were full of wildflowers. The show was amazing and included purple lupine, yellow buttercups, and bright red Indian paintbrush. The area also has lots of limber pine.

Next, we hiked past Eklund Lake and Barbara Lake before ascending to Hobbs Lake. At nine miles, we reached Seneca Lake, a beautiful lake that is pretty big. We really enjoyed hiking alongside the long shore of Seneca Lake. At about 11 miles, we hiked past Little Seneca Lake, and soon after, we arrived at a junction. Go right toward Lester Pass, or continue straight toward Island Lake and Titcomb Basin. We did the latter, although we’d like to hike a loop that includes Lester Pass and Pole Creek Lakes next time.

We continued up and over a pass toward Titcomb, whose high, jagged points were becoming visible to us and served as teasers. We hiked through piles of granite and enjoyed views of two or three more beautiful lakes to our left as we continued at 10,500′ en route to Island Lake and Titcomb Basin. Despite having many miles on our legs, our pace quickend in anticipation of the view that awaited us over the pass.

Wyoming’s Titcomb Basin has been featured prominently in Backpacker, Outside, and other magazines. From the photos I had seen and the stories I had heard, I knew it would nothing short of extraordinary.

And yet, it was even better than extraordinary. The view of Island Lake and Titcomb Basin blew our minds and took our breath away. Yes, the view is that good. We experienced the region for 30 minutes before we couldn’t take the bugs anymore. It was fulfilling to drink in the view and the quiet before putting our packs back on and returning the way we had come.

There are many more photos, and a video blog, below. It was another epic day in my back yard.

By the way, when I’m not hiking — and sometimes when I am — I am a life and leadership coach and consultant. Check out EPIC LIFE, my coaching business. Epic Life provides coaching, with an option for a guided epic adventure. I also have a blog there.

Thanks to our wonderful friend, Korinne Thoren, for watching the boys so we could tackle this hike!

Jerry, hiking past one of several lakes on our hike.
Making my way up a pass.
Amazing terrain.
One of several beautiful lakes along the way.

Checking the map -- to make sure we weren't in Heaven?
Timer shot with my best half.
On way back.
12 miles to go.
Jerry.

VIDEO BLOG:

Doubletop + New Fork Canyon = Awesome

by

Howdy.

My friend, Tom Carter, is author of Day Hiking the Wind River Range. He has told me, in person, as well as in his guidebook that the hike to the top of Doubletop Mountain, in the northern Wind River Range, provides a 360-degree view of the entire span of the Wind River Range.

For years I have wanted to see if the view is as good as he says it is. I am here to report that indeed, it is.

This was my first time to hike in the northern section of my beloved Wind Rivers, and although getting to the trailhead took more time than usual (located on the other side of the range from us, north of Pinedale, WY), I was eager to see new country.

My comrades for this hike would be my good friends, and frequent epic hiking partners, Kathy Swanson and Holly Copeland. Our hike would be a 21-mile loop connecting Doubletop Mountain, Palmer Lake and New Fork Canyon trails. Our start/finish was at the New Fork Lakes Trailhead, a 45-minute drive north of Pinedale.

For the first two miles, we hiked up, through aspens and over a lateral moraine that rises sharply alongside upper New Fork Lake. The moraine and lake are a result of the “Pinedale Glaciation” that occurred 10,000 years ago. Carter explains in Day Hiking the Wind River Range: For 5,000 years, a river of ice flowed from the mountains, carrying large amounts of rock and glacial debris. It scraped and eroded the canyon walls forming a broad U-shaped gorge. The glacier spilled into the valley floor and scooped out what is now New Fork Lake.

At two miles, you’ll come to an intersection with the Lowline Trail, for which we left the New Fork Canyon trail. Here, we also had to find our way through some willow thickets and cross an inlet to New Fork Lake to the opposite side.

Once across, we started hiking up what is a long, sustained climb up and around Doubletop Mountain. The trail passes through a forest that was pretty well burned up during a human-caused fire in 2008. The elevation gain to Doubletop’s top is about 3,000′ so this isn’t for the faint of heart. We continued hiking up, mostly through forest, until we reached a very buggy Rainbow Lake at 4 miles.

Holly and Kathy, starting up Doubletop Mountain Trail, through a recently-burned forest.

After Rainbow Lake, most of the work is done. It’s just a gradual mile and 400′ more feet of vertical gain before the trail levels out and dishes out the prize — an amazing panoramic view of the entire Wind River Range.

The trail to the epic view Doubletop Mountain provides.

We continued another half or three-quarters of a mile around the mountain, past a junction for the Bluff Creek Trail. Here, we stayed left and left the Doubletop Mountain trail briefly for a scramble to the mountain’s official summit, which stands 10,892′ tall. While Doubletop is not a tall mountain or a spectacular mountain in itself, it sure knows how to dish out a view.

Holly, our spatial ecologist, checks the map with Kathy.

From Doubletop’s top, we could see Temple Peak some 45 miles to the south, Angle Peak, Fremont Peak, Gannett Peak, and many other impressive peaks.

Ascending Doubletop Mountain.
Officially at the top of Doubletop Mountain.
Kathy, Holly and I.
The view of the Wind River Range from Doubletop Mountain is among the best.

After experiencing the awesome views from Doubletop, we continued along the trail toward Palmer Lake. After hiking alongside Palmer Lake’s shores, and spying fish jumping in its waters, we headed for Palmer Canyon, which we would descend toward New Fork Park and New Fork Canyon.

Kathy and Holly approach Palmer Lake.
Kathy and Holly.

Thanks to Tom Carter, I had also learned prior to our hike that New Fork Canyon is the deepest canyon in the Wind River Range. We were all excited to hike through it. But first we would experience Palmer Canyon.

Palmer Canyon was a pleasant surprise. We didn’t expect anything awesome of this “connecting” trail that would help us link Doubletop Mountain and New Fork Canyon into one hike, but the walls of Palmer are tall and impressive. The descent to New Fork Canyon Trail is pretty dramatic.

During the descent of Palmer Canyon.
The big walls reminded us of Yosemite.

We really enjoyed the changing terrain and remarked that the massive granite walls we could see through the forest caused us to feel a little as if we were hiking in Yosemite. (By the way, our map indicates there are lakes — Hidden Lakes and Thompson Lakes — on top of Palmer. Holly, Kathy and I remarked that seeing those lakes might make a cool hike in the future.)

Once in New Fork Canyon, we were in a completely different landscape. Instead of burned forest or mountain top hiking, we were in the depths of a very green and lush park. Our trail meandered near the New Fork River, and with tall walls of the New Fork Canyon looming overhead.

Kathy, during one of several creek and river crossings.
Holly and Kathy, with Palmer behind 'em.

The wildflowers were the most spectacular I’ve ever seen on an epic Wind River hike. Bright red Indian paintbrush and bluebells were everywhere and as tall as our knees. We also saw fireweed, columbine, Queen Ann’s lace and several other varieties.

With about six miles left, we crossed the New Fork River, which was not running very high or swift given last winter’s low snowfall and the current drought conditions. About a half mile farther down, we crossed the river again.

Holly, hiking in New Fork Canyon.

New Fork Canyon.
Indian paintbrush and big granite walls.

With about 3.5 miles to go, we could spy New Fork Lakes as we descended New Fork Canyon.

With just a half mile remaining, the big storm clouds that had been building up for a couple of hours gave way to rain — and even hail! We were thankful we had arrived to the final, “horses to the barn” stage of the adventure when that happened.

It was a fantastic day: Hiking with two of my closest friends, exploring new country, seeing the expanse of my beloved Wind River Range, hiking through canyons and their massive, sheer walls, and knee-deep in wildflowers.

By the way, when I’m not hiking — and sometimes when I am — I am a life and leadership coach and consultant. Check out EPIC LIFE, my coaching business. Epic Life provides coaching, with an option for a guided epic adventure. I also have a blog there.

Yeehaw! We made it!

Wind River Peak in a Day

by

Greetings. We were already 7 miles in when the sun rose.

NOTE: I know this is a long post. It was a long hike. 🙂 If you’re interested in hiking and climbing Wind River Peak, you’ll find key information in this blog. If you’re not interested in details, etc., I hope you’ll at least enjoy the photos and video at bottom. Or, here’s a 7-minute video blog of the adventure.

As a gift for my 44th birthday, my husband, Jerry, agreed to join me in hiking in and climbing Wind River Peak in a day. We had climbed it before — back in 1998 — during an extended backcountry trip we made with rented llamas, who carried our loads. Wind River was our first Wind River mountain to climb, a good one at that. Wind River Peak stands 13,192 feet tall, and is the tallest mountain in the southern Wind River Range of Wyoming.

The mountain is a massive and beautiful mountain, one that stands out from the southern half of the range. We can see the snowy, rounded peak from many of our favorite “back yard” locations.

Wind River Peak. (Photographed from Frye Lake on a different outing)

The last time Jerry and I climbed it, we ascended Wind River Peak’s south slopes, via Tayo and upper Tayo lakes. On this adventure, we would ascend its northeast ridge, above the Deep Creek and Ice Creek lakes region.

Our alarm went off at 2 a. m., which even for us early birds, was dizzying. It was more like the middle of the night than the early morning. But our insanity when we had set the alarm was rationalized by our desire to allow ourselves the biggest window of opportunity to accomplish the objective. We were going to be on a tight timeline because we wanted to make it back to Lander in time for our 10-year-old son’s last baseball game, which also happened to be a championship game, scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

We headed to Worthen Reservoir to find the trailhead, a 40-minute drive from Lander. With headlamps on and under a starry sky, we started hiking at around 3:45 a. m. I don’t mind hiking in the dark, but I prefer doing it pre-sunrise, rather than post-sunset. I like being far into the wilderness when the day is greeted by the first light of the sun.

We hiked three miles to Sheep Bridge, basically from 8,500′ to 9,000′ and back down to about 8,500′ again. As we made our way through the dark and quiet forest, the cool air was full and thick of the smell of a campfire. A fire (known as the Fontenelle Fire) was, and is burning, in southwest Wyoming, just over the range from us. The evening prior, Lander was in the thick of its smoke. We had been concerned that our hike might be smoky and that the peak may be a No Go today as a result of thick smoke. Fortunately the smell was from the smoke that had settled in the forest during the night and, by all indications, a stellar, bluebird day was ahead.

After arriving at Sheep Bridge, we joined the Middle Fork Trail and hiked up, and alongside the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River for about three miles before approaching Three Forks Park. Here, we stayed right and started up the Pinto Park Trail, which eventually leads to Pinto Park and the North Fork of the Popo Agie.

On this day, the sun began lighting up the wilderness — at least enough for us to turn off our headlamps — at around 5 am. Soon after, at exactly 5:03 a.m., something curious happened. Right at that very moment, we heard birds chirping and singing. Until that moment, except for our huffing and puffing, it had been totally quiet. Then, we watched a small herd of elk emerge about 100 feet in front of us, to our right. Like I said, the day was going to be a good one. 🙂

We reached, and took a left, on the Deep Creek Lakes Cutoff Trail. Per our GPS, we had hiked 10 miles. After starting up the Cutoff Trail we hiked near Lake 10,054′, where we paused to watch several fish jumping and cutting through the otherwise smooth-as-glass water. We hiked for 2.3 miles before reaching the first Deep Creek lake, situated at 10,500′ elevation. Our GPS indicated we had traveled about 12.5 miles, and it was only 7:40 a.m. So far so good.

Steve Bechtel, my friend, and author of Cirque of the Towers & Deep Lake. A Select Guide to the Wind Rivers’ Best Rock Climbing, had provided information for us the day before about following “The Ramp” up Wind River Peak. We hiked another half mile or so beyond the first Deep Creek Lake before spying a trail to our right. Unfortunately I suggested we ignore that trail and keep hiking, thinking we weren’t to the ramp’s base yet. Oops. As we hiked toward Ice Creek lakes, it became obvious we (I) had made the wrong decision. So we backtracked a half-mile and picked up the trail and headed (seemingly straight) up. Nothing like making an epic day hike even longer, right?

After crossing over a little snow and a boulder field, we found ourselves on the broad ridge that separates Ice Creek and Deep Creek lakes that provides a half-mile-wide “ramp.” Once at the bottom of the ramp, we set our sights on a clump of rocks to the right of Chimney Rock and started up. Wildflowers were everywhere, growing up out of the alpine tundra and gravelly terrain. At times we hiked on tundra, others over rocks and boulders and at others, through snow.

The highlight of this route to Wind River’s summit is the almost-constant view you’re afforded of Little El Capitan, which, as its name suggests, features a massive and sheer wall, along with a notch known as “Surveyor’s Notch.” Little El Capitan is the fourth-tallest mountain in the southern Wind River Range. The sight of this wall is so astounding that we stood and looked at it, our jaws dropping, for quite some time.

At this point, midway up Wind River Peak, we were sucking air. We have climbed peaks before, this one included, so we were not strangers to thinner air. But doggone it anyway. On the upside, although there was a bit of a haze below us, in the direction we had come, we still had clear and bright blue sky around us on Wind River. The views that unfolded below us and around us were nothing short of spectacular.

Soon we reached the first of several snow fields. The snow was only knee-deep in most places and melting fast. Still, we were lucky enough that for most of the snow travel during our ascent we could walk on top of the snow.

Reaching summits takes a while. Especially Wind River Peak’s. The approach is a long haul to get to the base of the mountain, and then it’s a 3.5-mile hike to its top. I think as we were finally approaching the top of Wind River, my husband was wishing I had asked for expensive jewelry for my birthday instead of this epic hike.

Finally, when our GPS indicated we had only 92 vertical feet left to go, we got a surge of energy and soon reached the rock field that is the top of Wind River Peak. We made our way across it and climbed onto the pile of rocks marking the high point.

The views were as we remembered — epic.

We enjoyed a quick lunch break and I captured some photos and video before our time at the summit was up. We remembered that the summit is only the halfway point and we had a long way to go to make it home in time for our son’s baseball game.

Due to our missing the trail up we had logged an extra mile or so. Our GPS indicated we had hiked 17 miles once we reached the summit. And, at least in this case, downhill doesn’t mean easy. Going down is not easier than going up. It’s just that it’s different; it’s more about caution than effort, and our legs were tired.

We started down. Suddenly, Jerry, with much exuberance, exclaimed: “There’s a person!” I looked and spied a person not very far from us, ascending the peak. And then, Jerry yelled “There’s a whole bunch of ’em!” Turns out a NOLS course was summiting. These were the only hikers we’d see the entire day. Even though Jerry and I both love solitude, it was nice to see other human beings. 🙂 After a short visit with one of the instructors and some of the students, we continued.

When we hit the first snow field, our legs sank all the way down to our thighs. The snow was melting fast and it would be a little treacherous descending a couple of the snow fields. But on the final one, the most vertical of the snow fields, we enjoyed a long glissade. Standing on the summit with my better half was my favorite part of the day, but the glissade was a high second. It was a blast!

We got down Wind River much quicker than we got up it and before we knew it we were back on the trail. We still had 13-plus miles to go and not very many hours until game-time.

Finally, at Sheep Bridge, and only after enduring the 600-foot uphill slog it is known for, it was like horses to the barn. We made it back to Lander and to Hayden’s game right at the start of the game. As we arrived to the baseball diamond, we looked up and saw my parents, the boys’ babysitter, and our other two sons in the bleachers. At the top of the bleachers. I considered if I had another 8 steps in me. 🙂 And of course, I did.

What a hike and what a day! Once again it has been confirmed that anything’s possible if you’re willing to get up early in the morning, and, oh how I love my back yard.

By the way, when I’m not hiking — and sometimes when I am — I am a life and leadership coach and consultant. Check out EPIC LIFE, my coaching business. Epic Life provides coaching, with an option for a guided epic adventure. I also have a blog there.

Thanks to our wonderful friend, Korinne Thoren, for watching the boys so we could tackle this hike!

Jerry, catching his breath during the elevation gain on the Pinto Park Trail portion of the hike.
The first Deep Creek lake. Reached at 12.5 miles.
Jerry, in search of the start of The Ramp.
Wildflowers and lichen-covered rocks were in abundance during our ascent of Wind River Peak.
My best half, starting up The Ramp, with Deep Creek lakes in the background.
First glimpse of Little El Capitan.
Little El Capitan, and Surveyor's Notch.
Me, doing a little way-finding. That's Lizard Head Peak in back center.
Alpine tundra. Notice the little blue flowers. They are forget-me-nots, my favorite.
The target: Wind River's summit.
The snowmelt pattern reminded me of ocean water.
Jerry, hiking up one of the snow fields on Wind River Peak's northeast ridge.
Jerry, at the beginning of Wind River Peak's summit, en route to the pile marking the peak's high point.
My epic husband and I at the summit.
One of many summit views. The big wall is Little El Capitan.
Doing an (awkward backpack-bearing) snow angel on our way down.

A 7-MINUTE VIDEO BLOG OF THE ADVENTURE: