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cirque of towers

My Most Epic Wind River Day Hike

August 18, 2010 by Shelli

Me, hiking Jackass Pass, above North Lake.

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…

Kathy and Holly enjoy views of Big Sandy Lake right after sunrise.

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…

The spectacular granite towers that form the world-famous Cirque of Towers reveal themselves while hiking across Jackass Pass.

…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.

Jackass Pass travels through a mess of granite and alpine tundra, complete with lichen-covered rocks and wildflowers of all colors.

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.

Holly and Kathy ascending the last stretch to the end of Jackass Pass. That's Arrowhead Lake.

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.

Group timer photo at end of Jackass Pass, above Lonesome Lake and the Cirque of Towers.

Next, we descended a small, steep hill and hiked around the south shore of Lonesome Lake.

Pingora, with wildflowers in the foreground.

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.

Kathy and Holly pause briefly in 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.)

The Monolith, towering over a calm stretch of the North Fork of the Popo Agie.

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.

Kathy and I in Pinto Park. The uniquely-shaped peak at right is Lizard Head Peak, which is part of the Cirque of Towers. (My husband and I climbed Lizard Head in 1998.)

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.

Holly and Kathy, refilling their hydration packs at the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie.

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.
Yay! We did it! 31.9 miles and finished without injury and with 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!

Filed Under: Fitness, Frontier Life, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: adventure, cirque of towers, hike, jackass pass, wind river range, wyoming hiking

Jackass Pass & Cirque of the Towers

July 25, 2009 by Shelli

Yesterday it became vividly clear to me, once again, why I love living in Lander, Wyoming.

Feeling giddy, and lucky, while hiking to the Cirque.
Feeling giddy, and lucky, while hiking to the Cirque.

I was on an epic day hike that’s in my back yard in Wyoming. Along with a dear friend, Kathy Browning (also of Lander), I hiked the Big Sandy Lake trail over Jackass Pass to Lonesome Lake and the Cirque of the Towers. It was not my first time. I’ve been to the Cirque 3 times before. Still, every time I travel Jackass Pass and see the Cirque is like the first time. It is stunning. There’s no other way to describe it.
Kathy at Big Sandy Lake, 6 miles into our hike.
Kathy at Big Sandy Lake, 6 miles into our hike.

We left our home base of Lander, WY, at 5 am, and by 7 am, we were starting down the trail. By late morning we were having a picnic lunch above Lonesome Lake and the Cirque of the Towers.

The hike was about 18 miles roundtrip. Words fall short, and honestly I can’t find the words to adequately describe the sights on this hike. So this post will be mostly photos and video clips.

But since I’m a woman of (too) many words and can type 150 words per minute, what the heck, I will provide some verbage.

The first six miles from Big Sandy Trailhead to the end of Big Sandy Lake is an almost-flat “walk.” It’s mostly forested and follows alongside the Big Sandy River. If you look closely, you can see brook and cutthroat trout in its clear waters. This 6-mile stretch provides nice scenery and a gentle grade, but nothing spectacular.

Me, on start of Jackass Pass, along the Continental Divide.
Me, on start of Jackass Pass, along the Continental Divide.

Big Sandy Lake, however is spectacular I think. Although we didn’t see any yesterday, Big Sandy Lake is a great place to see black bears. The lake has a surface area of 71 acres. This is a great place to camp or for families to hike to – or to base out of on extended trips. The lake was like glass, reflecting the granite monoliths that tower over it, including Big Sandy Mountain, Schiestler Peak, Haystack Mountain, Temple and East Temple Peaks.

The Jackass Pass trail starts at the end of Big Sandy Lake and is what we went for. It’s breathtaking in more ways than one! The pass is said to have been named because “only a jackass would travel it.” I’ve hiked this trail with people who renamed it “The Dumbass Pass” (that only a dumbass would hike up) because it can make you discouraged on one of the steep, rocky inclines.

Kathy on Jackass Pass, with the prize--the Cirque of the Towers--showing themselves.
Kathy on Jackass Pass, with the prize--the Cirque of the Towers--showing themselves.

But what the heck, Kathy and I each have Grand Teton expeditions planned in August (mine in a week, hers in 2 weeks) and we were looking for a lung-buster workout. And trust me, the views Jackass Pass provides are extraordinary, and well worth the effort.

Jackass Pass sits atop the Continental Divide. Here, precipitation that falls on the Big Sandy side of the Divide eventually makes its way to the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean via the Big Sandy, Green and Colorado rivers. Precipitation that falls on the opposite side flows some 4,000 miles to the Gulf of Mexico via the Popo Agie, Wind, Big Horn, Yellowstone, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers. (BTW, much of the information about this hike, including the aforementioned, comes from Tom Carter’s Day Hiking the Wind River Range, a pocket-sized favorite of mine.)

Arrowhead Lake (as you can see from its shape) is the view looking back, right before we arrive at the crest overlooking Lonesome Lake and the Cirque.
Arrowhead Lake (as you can see from its shape) is the view looking back, right before we arrive at the crest overlooking Lonesome Lake and the Cirque.

Basically the rest of the story goes like this: We climbed switchbacks, huffed and puffed, and oohed and aahhed at the spectacular views all around us.
Cirque of Towers, about halfway across Jackass Pass.
Cirque of Towers, about halfway across Jackass Pass.

Schiestler Peak, Temple Peak, East Temple Peak, Wind River Peak, Haystack Mountain, North Lake, Arrowhead Lake, War Bonnet, the Warriors, Pingora, Mitchell Peak, Lizard Head Peak, Wolf’s Head, Lonesome Lake, and other notable sights were in our view.

The views of the granite, glaciers and alpine tundra just take your breath away. I found myself trying to literally breathe in the sights before me. It’s amazing to me to know that we could leave our house in the morning in Lander, drive 2 hours in the car to the trailhead and somehow be sitting at the Cirque of the Towers for an early lunch.

By the way, it would be a real disservice to not mention here that the Cirque is home to world-class climbing. People come from all over the world every year to climb the walls found here. (Interested in climbing this area? Check out Cirque of the Towers & Deep Lake. A Select Guide to the Wind Rivers’ Best Rock Climbing, by Steve Bechtel.)

Me, posing at our destination, the prize. Cirque of the Towers.
Me, posing at our destination, the prize. Cirque of the Towers.

For complete photos of the hike, click here.

Here are 2 video clips, of many, that we captured:

(The first is recorded especially for Steve Bechtel, my personal trainer at Elemental Gym. Without his fitness demands I would not be able to so easily pull off a long day-hike like this one. Here, I did an interval in his honor. : >)

and

Filed Under: Fitness, Frontier Life, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: cirque of towers, continental divide, hiking, jackass pass, lander, wind river range, wyoming

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About Shelli

Hi. My name is Shelli Johnson. I live on the frontier in Lander, Wyoming. I’m a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, certified life/leadership coach, wellness coach, keynote presenter and inspired speaker, leadership development facilitator, personal development strategist, writer and adventure guide. This blog mostly includes stories about adventures and travel, but other passions are reading/books, technology, fitness, nutrition, and national parks, so you’ll find a wide range of articles here. I am founder of Yellowstone Journal and YellowstonePark.com, and NationalParkTrips.com, which was my first business. My current company, Epic Life Inc., is in its 7th year, and going gangbusters. If you’re interested in learning more about my current work, I hope you’ll jump over there and learn more about that. I have a more personal blog, more directly related to life and living and leadership, at YourEpicLife.com/blog. I’d love it if you’d also check out that collection of my writings. Thank you for stopping by! Finally, if you’d like to connect with me directly, please email me if you’d like to connect.

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