| I went in the Green River entrance (right) for 4 days in 1989. This is the headwaters of the Green River. I hiked trails and did a bit of cross country bushwhacking over a snow covered pass. While I don't really believe this, for lack of evidence to the contrary, I claim to have started the hiking in sandals craze on this trip. I backpacked for 3 days and carried a pair of beach sandals for around camp to rest my tired feet. On the last day, I decided to wear them backpacking out, figuring even if I twisted my ankle I could crawl out. I've worn them ever since, hiking all of the trails in Arches, many in Canyonlands, then moving to Boston and wearing them all over the White Mountains of New Hampshire, before moving back to Albuquerque and wearing them all over the Southwest. | |
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In early July, 2001, I spent another 4 days in the southern end of the Wind River Range, going in the Big Sandy entrance to the Cirque of the Towers and to Temple Pass. Friday morning I got up at 4 AM, drove 850 miles to Big Sandy, then Saturday backpacked the 10 or so miles into the Cirque of the Towers. First 6 miles to Big Sandy Lake were easy and breezed by, then the trail gets rough, a bit indistinct in places, with lots of up and down - tough going. Got to Cirque of the towers by 3:30 PM set up my tent and crawled inside to escape the mosquitos. Too hot, so I scooped up some snow from next to the tent, tied it in my bandana, and laid back down in the tent - ah, sweet comfort! The pics below are in Cirque of the Towers. |
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| The next day I headed up to Cirque Lake (half frozen) and then attempted the steep couloir between Overhanging Peak and Wolf's Head. Had to work my across a few snow fields and then up the couloir. From the bottom it looked like the top would be full of snow, but I started up, often using my ice axe to hook over a rock to help me up. Soon I was climbing up alongside some of the snow and suddenly I was seeing only blue sky above me, and then to my surprise, I was on top! The view to the right is looking down on Cirque Lake from the top. | |
The next day I day hiked up to Temple Pass. While Cirque of the Towers was spectacular, the valley with Rapid Lake, Miller Lake, and Temple Lake was beautiful! The climb up to Temple Pass was extremely steep but the view was terrific. I carried my backpacking stove and some Thai vegetables in red curry. Sat on the top for lunch with the entire place to myself - absolutely superb. A little side trip provided stunning views of an unnamed half frozen Lake snuggled in a curve of Temple Mtn. I then stopped at another little unnamed lake next to Temple Lake for a quick "envigorating" dip in the rather brisk waters, before heading back to camp. On day 4 I backpacked out and the next day drove the 850 miles back home.
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Yellowstone is definitely a must see for any outdoor person. It is unfortunately overwhelmingly popular which means hordes of people of the clueless and idiot persuasion clogging up everything (I hate RVs). However, Yellowstone also has absolutely unique scenery including the geysers, hot springs, spectacular waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. On our last trip we went in late September. The crowds had thinned considerably but the park was closing facilities and the nights were cold - 30's every morning when we woke up. I think the most photogenic portions of the park are Mammoth Hot Springs and lower Yellowstone falls. |
On our last trip we saw numerous buffalo and elk. We had a bull elk and 2 cows walk right past us on one hike. We also saw several moose, a badger, some coyote, and 2 wolves. The wolf population has grown in two years from the 30 introduced animals to 50! Definitely need to go back and hike in the Hayden valley region to see more. Haven't seen any bears on my last 2 trips to Yellowstone, though we did look and take some hikes specifically to get into bear country.
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I must confess, I am not overwhelmed with the Tetons. They are interesting to drive by and look at, but they have never done much for me hiking. I suppose if I were a technical climber I might have a different opinion. I have done Death Canyon, Surprise and Ampitheater Lakes, and Cascade Canyon and don't think the scenery compares with places such as Banff, Glacier, or Rocky Mountain National Park. The picture at left is Mt. Moran seen from OxBow Lake near the road. |