A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.
I love survival reality shows like Man Vs. Wild and Dual Survival. They showcase great challenges, stunning scenery and “news you can use.” Who knows when I might need to know how to skin and cook a field mouse, or start a fire without matches.
Here’s my first effort at my own such show. I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
I just completed a life list hike that’s in my back yard, Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range. As those of you who know me, or read this blog, know, I live for these “epic” hikes in the Wind River Range. This year I had a list of five major ones I wanted to do. Due to a late summer start (the result of local flooding and lots of snow accumulation in the high country), and more than the usual number of thunderstorms during the first half of August, I’ve been able to complete only two of the ones on the list.
Thankfully, the most coveted one on this year’s list is the one this post is about, which means I completed it.
On Monday, I hiked almost 32 miles in a day — from sunrise to sunset — from Big Sandy Opening, over Jackass Pass to the Cirque of the Towers, to Lizard Head Meadows, along the North Fork Trail to Pinto Park, to the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie, to Sheep Bridge and finally, to our destination, Bruce’s Bridge, just beyond Sinks Canyon State Park outside of my hometown of Lander, WY.
Along for the hike were two of my good friends, Holly Copeland and Kathy Swanson.
Although I had previously hiked all of the trails we would travel, except for a 3-mile stretch, I had never linked them all into one trip. In fact, unless you’re looking to challenge yourself, as we were, you could spend a week or two or three, easily, hiking and exploring the route we traveled and the sights we enjoyed. And of course, that is more reasonable. But I relish these endurance challenges that afford so many spectacular views in a single day, not to mention the great camaraderie and conversation that is shared along the way. And, the fact I’m only away from my husband and three young sons for one day, also makes these epic day hikes appealing to me.
But okay, let’s talk about the hike…
We departed Lander at 2:45 am and drove for 2 hours, 15 minutes to the Big Sandy Opening trailhead, accessed from Wyoming Highway 28/South Pass. With headlamps on, we started down the trail a little after 5 a.m. The first 5.5 miles is pretty flat and forested and parallels Big Sandy Creek for much of the way. This stretch was uneventful as the sun began to rise.
The sun was up before we reached our first major milestone, Big Sandy Lake, a beautiful lake that is surrounded by Schiestler Peak, Temple Peak, East Temple Peak, Haystack Mountain and Big Sandy Mountain. The trail follows the northwest shore of the lake. I always like to stop at the big flat rock near the end of the lake just before we start ascending Jackass Pass. It’s a great spot to adjust clothing, snap some photos and snarf a quick snack…
…And, get ready for the trail’s personality to change. Dramatically. From Big Sandy Lake, we hiked up over Jackass Pass, so named because a donkey cannot pass over it. It’s not only a significant uphill effort, it traverses a rocky side of North Lake and eventually leads hikers up, up and up some more.
The views are breath-taking, literally and figuratively. We’re talking jaw-dropping scenes. As soon as you’re beyond North Lake, you get a glimpse of Pingora, peeking through from the still-distant Cirque of Towers. To your immediate left, though, and towering majestically, is Warbonnet Peak.
We enjoyed views in all directions. Behind us was North Lake and the distinctive East Temple Peak and Temple Peak. And, unfolding in front of us were the towering granite walls and peaks that form the Cirque of the Towers. We were hiking in alpine tundra — a mess of vehicle- and small building-sized granite, a mess of rocks scattered throughout the alpine tundra, sprinkled with tiny wildflowers of all colors, and of course the aforementioned granite giants.
Before reaching the end of the pass, you descend a short but steep hill before ascending to 10,780 feet and the end of Jackass Pass. While making this last ascent, be sure to stop and take a look behind you at the aptly named Arrowhead Lake. This is one of my favorite views along Jackass Pass.
At the end of Jackass Pass, we enjoyed our first actual break and sat down briefly to consume another snack and take in the views of Lonesome Lake and the Cirque of the Towers.
Next, we descended a small, steep hill and hiked around the south shore of Lonesome Lake.
From there we picked up the North Fork trail, named for the North Fork of the Popo Agie River and hiked to Lizard Head Meadows.
At Lizard Head Meadows, we stopped to watch a moose graze on the lush grasses and then continued on a trail that follows alongside the North Fork of the Popo Agie. This was an amazing stretch of trail: forested but with huge granite mountains to our right. It sort of made us feel as if we were hiking in Yosemite National Park, under and near the likes of El Capitan, but with one significant difference – our trail was lonely. It was almost as if we had it to ourselves. (We saw only approximately 10 other hikers, all backpackers, the entire 32 miles.)
A great sight was the river, complete with fish jumping out of its calm waters, and a huge peak towering over it that is aptly named The Monolith.
From here, the trail gets a little mean-spirited. It goes uphill. For a long time. Finally, we arrived at Pinto Park, a great expanse of lush grass, surrounded by forests and more granite peaks in the distance.
After more hiking, we arrived at the Middle Fork trail, which parallels the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River, the river that flows through my hometown of Lander, WY. There, we refilled our hydration packs with treated water and continued on.
Next was Sheep Bridge. And, as we were about four miles out from the trek’s end, my husband, Jerry, and Holly’s husband, Scott, and their dog, Milo, met us on the trail. Their presence provided a little surge of energy for us. (I’m guessing the cooler of ice-cold PBR they hauled in for us helped, too.) We finished the hike with a fair amount of daylight remaining.
To be sure, completing this hike was a phenomenal personal achievement for me and my friends. But spectacular sights we saw and the great conversation we shared along the trail are what will remain with me for days and months to come.
It was another memorable day in my back yard, and I will not forget it.
Here’s a video of the various segments of our adventure patched together. Enjoy!
I just returned from my annual hike to Shoshone Lake above my town of Lander, WY. There’s no other way to describe this 22-mile hike. It’s a grunt.
The trail is not necessarily spectacular, and in fact much of it follows a two-track and is a popular ATV trail. Solitude isn’t the reason you hike to Shoshone Lake. But I’m not complaining!
As long as you’re willing to go uphill for a long time on a steep, rugged, loose and rocky trail, and then downhill for a long time on a steep, rugged, loose and rocky trail, then this hike is worth it. The rewards make it so.
A good friend, Kathy (Doyle) Swanson, of Casper, WY, joined me on the hike. We started beyond Sinks Canyon State Park, about eight miles southwest of my hometown of Lander, WY, at the base of Fairfield Hill.
We started at 5 am, with headlamps on, with a 1,000-foot elevation gain over one mile. Along the way to Shoshone Lake, we hiked through McMahone Park, by Pete’s Lake, Twin Lakes, and through the vast and awesome Shoshone Basin.
Shortly after hiking through Shoshone Basin and alongside a creek for a short bit, after about 11.5 miles of hiking, we arrived at our first reward: Shoshone Lake. The mountain lake is huge and scenic. For about a mile or so, we hiked along the lake’s shore.
The second, and biggest reward, is what one sees from the top of Cyclone Pass. And the effort it takes to get to this point makes it even more grand. (I’ve done this hike every summer for the last five summers. Every time, regardless of my fitness level, Cyclone Pass is a lung-buster.)
Basically, at about mile 14 of this epic day hike, we faced a rocky incline that climbs close to 1,000 feet in a little over a half of a mile. It’s a combination of where in the hike this uphill grunt presents itself, and its steep nature that makes it grueling. Every time.
No matter that this was my fifth time to see the view from Cyclone Pass. Every time I see it, I am overcome with emotion — i.e. goosebumps and happy tears. One thing I like to do when I have Shoshone Lake first-timer hikers with me is make them promise to not look back while ascending Cyclone Pass. The temptation is huge, if for no other reason you want to stop and catch your breath and take a look around.
I made Kathy promise me she would not look down or back. As far as I know, she kept her word. :>
When we got to the top I told her she could finally look behind her. Watching her take in the view for the first time was almost as great as taking in the view for the first time myself. She was stunned, as you’ll see in the first embedded video near the bottom of this blog post.
After about 20 minutes of taking in the views, taking some video and photos, and snarfing a gourmet PB&H “rollover,” we were on our way to Point B, the point at which my husband, his dad, and my three sons would await for us in a car that would drive us back into Lander.
The way back, although it’s almost all downhill, is not for the faint-of-heart hiker. “The Chute” is the most notable reason for this. It’s a 1.5-mile long section on what resembles a dried up creek bed — make that a downhill, dried up creek bed with extra layers of rock for good measure.
Here you walk on rocks and more rocks downhill. It seems like it goes for at least three miles, but it’s one and half miles. Trust me, that’s plenty.
We made really good time on this hike, but The Chute (Yourself?) always slows you down. You can only walk so fast on piles of rocks without turning an ankle or falling down.
We ended near the Switchbacks on Shoshone Lake Road, above Baldwin Creek road. Jerry and his dad awaited us at the top of the last stretch of trail with cold beers in hand (with our names on them.)
It was another awe-inspiring day in my back yard.
Some video clips of the hike:
I love Apple, but I also love Google.
I love my Motorola Droid X.
My family travels a lot. And, our three sons have inquiring minds. As we’re motoring across southwestern Wyoming, we often pass the time by expanding our knowledge, thanks to my “smart” phone.
They want to know things like, have ghosts and/or UFOs have been reported in the vicinity?How much blood is inside a great white shark? They like to confirm things they agree with, such as why broccoli is a “cruciferous” (to bear a cross) vegetable.
My Droid is happy to look these things up for us. It helps pass the time during road trips and we gain new knowledge while logging miles.
One of the most exciting things is when I, a small town girl — a country bumpkin — look to my Droid to navigate and help me find my way to places when I’m in a big city. Recently I was in a big metropolis and needed to find a Walgreen’s. It was rather exciting to hear my Droid voice her commands, left turns and right turns (and even u-turns when I made mistakes) and which exits to take.
And I found my way. The only beef I have is after such lengthy play-by-play navigation, the navigation’s voice should include a huge “Congratulations!” or “Nice Work!” Instead, all I got was “You have successfully arrived at your destination.” No duh. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers.
The funny thing is that in all the excitement, by the time I got to Walgreen’s, I totally forgot why I needed to go to Walgreen’s in the first place. So, I just bought some Gingko Biloba and was on my way.
I love my Droid. It is (more than) the droid I was expecting.
The Bears Ears Trail is one of my favorite trails in all of Wyoming’s Wind River Range. This is due to the nature of the trail and the views it provides.
After a little more than three miles of switchbacks through forest, the trail opens up into alpine tundra and hands out spectacular views as it ascends Adams Pass.
We had set out with plans for a long and epic hike that would include the Bears Ears Trail and the Lizard Head Trail as an out-and-back day hike that would total about 28 miles. Mother Nature had other plans, though. Thunder and rain crashed our party around 11 a.m., which meant we did not get to hike the Lizard Head Trail. It was still a phenomenal adventure I will not forget.
We had a generous winter this year, which meant on our July 21 hike, the trail was still wet in many places. We even hiked over snow a handful of times. But it also meant the wildflowers were amazing.
Adams Pass is amazing in its own right. But the hands-down prize is the view hikers are provided after about seven miles of hiking. What hikers get to see seven miles into this hike has got to be one of the best views in and of Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range.
What you see is an awesome panorama of rugged country, including Mount Washakie, Washakie Pass, Bernard Peak, Lock Leven Lake, Chess Ridge, Mount Hooker, Mount Bonneville, and Musembeah Peak, which towers over Grave Lake.
We chose our turnaround point to be the area in front of a deep and dramatic cirque that lay directly in the foreground of the aforementioned view. We pulled just off the trail to what looked like a mess of huge boulders that fell out of the sky, leading to a sudden and deep hole/cirque. We all agreed you would not want to walk around this area in the dark!
Well, what more can I say? This was yet another epic day in my back yard. Another reminder of how lucky I am to live here.
NOTE: The trailhead is in Dickinson Park, about 37 miles northwest of my hometown of Lander, WY. The trail starts at about 9,300′ elevation and gains about 2,600′. It’s recommended you hike the eight miles to the junction of the Lizard Head Trail, and then scramble approximately 350 feet up to the top of Mt. Chauvenet, via its western slope. We didn’t on this day, but Jerry and I did so about 11 years ago and it’s highly recommended!
HERE ARE 3 SHORT VIDEO CLIPS THAT PROVIDE A GLIMPSE INTO THE BEAUTY OF THIS HIKE. ENJOY!