(2014 August 17-23) Wind River Range. Deep Lake , Cirque of the Towers, Texas Pass, and Pyramid Lake. Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming.
In 2007, while driving on Highway 191 south of the Grand Tetons, I noticed a large and beautiful mountain range to the east. That's when I first discovered the Wind River Range existed. I Began this trip by flying into Salt Lake City Utah, renting a vehicle, and driving to Green River Wyoming. After a nice meal and a good nights sleep, I headed for Big Sandy east of Pinedale Wyoming to begin my first trip into the "Winds". I hiked up to Big Sandy Lake and turned south past Clear Lake and then up to Deep Lake. The view of the East Temple from the north shore of Deep Lake is absolutely breathtaking!!! I set up my tent between large boulders and caught some great shots of the surrounding area for the next two days. The next morning involved an early rise to climb up to Temple Lake to photograph and view Temple Peak and it's namesake Pass to the east.
I packed up my gear and then headed for the famed "Cirque of the Towers", which involved a hike/climb over Jackass/Big Sandy Pass. The weather turned south pretty quickly and I soon found myself climbing a high ridge above North Lake. After maneuvering my way over the pass, I set up my camp in the rain and conked out for several hours. I spent the next two days playing around Lonesome Lake and the magnificent Cirque of the Towers. The next morning, I began my climb over Texas Pass and had decent weather except for high (and cold) winds. I made my way down over boulders past Texas Lake and to the western shore of Barren Lake. I set up camp here and took in the beauty for an hour or two before the rain hit again. The rain and thunder continued into the night and early morning hours, not affording any good opportunity for photography.
The next morning, during a quick stop in the rain, I packed up my camp and headed for Pyramid Lake. It rained pretty consistently during the entire hike to Pyramid Lake (approximately 10 miles). I located a nice campsite among some trees on a ledge and waited a bit for the rain to stop, it never did. I set up my camp quickly in the rain and crashed for a few hours. That evening, the rain cleared away and I was able to grab some nice sunset shots around the lake. The rain started up again around 2AM and did not let up throughout the next day. I hiked out in basically a terrential downpouring for approximately 12 miles (4-5 hours) back to my vehicle. I drove the 50 mile dirt road back to Highway 191 and headed back to Green River, where I enjoyed a beefy burger at the Moose Lounge. Beautiful trip with a lot of rain and wind!!! A place I will definately be returning to in the future to explore other areas.
Read MoreI packed up my gear and then headed for the famed "Cirque of the Towers", which involved a hike/climb over Jackass/Big Sandy Pass. The weather turned south pretty quickly and I soon found myself climbing a high ridge above North Lake. After maneuvering my way over the pass, I set up my camp in the rain and conked out for several hours. I spent the next two days playing around Lonesome Lake and the magnificent Cirque of the Towers. The next morning, I began my climb over Texas Pass and had decent weather except for high (and cold) winds. I made my way down over boulders past Texas Lake and to the western shore of Barren Lake. I set up camp here and took in the beauty for an hour or two before the rain hit again. The rain and thunder continued into the night and early morning hours, not affording any good opportunity for photography.
The next morning, during a quick stop in the rain, I packed up my camp and headed for Pyramid Lake. It rained pretty consistently during the entire hike to Pyramid Lake (approximately 10 miles). I located a nice campsite among some trees on a ledge and waited a bit for the rain to stop, it never did. I set up my camp quickly in the rain and crashed for a few hours. That evening, the rain cleared away and I was able to grab some nice sunset shots around the lake. The rain started up again around 2AM and did not let up throughout the next day. I hiked out in basically a terrential downpouring for approximately 12 miles (4-5 hours) back to my vehicle. I drove the 50 mile dirt road back to Highway 191 and headed back to Green River, where I enjoyed a beefy burger at the Moose Lounge. Beautiful trip with a lot of rain and wind!!! A place I will definately be returning to in the future to explore other areas.
