It's been two years since our epic John Muir Trail hike and now Matt and I are back together in God's country.
Transportation (flights) went well as did our 4 hour drive across a barren landscape to Pinedale, WY. After a long day, a good dinner and comfortable beds were welcome.
Our first morning was beautiful, as was the interesting drive from Pinedale to Big Sandy trailhead. We witnessed dramatic Wyoming ranch scenery with Mountain backdrops along the way.
We were delayed by a herd of cattle coming down the road towards the car. It was a standoff until Matt eventually hollered, "hey" at them. They reversed direction much to the dismay of the cattle dog. Not to worry as the herd was intercepted by two wranglers and we worked our way around each other.
As Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin played on our Sirius radio, I had a surprisingly emotional response to the song. The reason being, is spending time with my son, who I don't see very often and the adventure we about to embark on. Despite the tear rolling down my cheek, and the rough last 10 miles of road, we had a blast on the drive in. Time to start the hiking!
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- DAY 1, 9/6
- Big Sandy trailhead to Marms Lake (elev. 9,900 ft) 6.6 miles
- DAY 2, 9/7
- Marms Lake to Pyramid Lake, 10,450 ft. (Grave lake was intended) 9 miles (15.6 total)
- DAY 3, 9/8
- From Pyramid Lake over Hailey Pass (11,230') to Grave Lake 5.7 mi. (21.3 total)
- DAY 4, 9/9
- From Grave Lake over Washakie Pass (11,611') to Shadow Lake (10,287') 12.4 mi. (33.7 total)
- DAY 5, 9/10
- Shadow Lake over Texas pass (11,500') to a campsite ° mile from Lonesome Lake in The Cirque of the Towers. 6.3 mi. (40 mi. total)
- DAY 6, 9/11
- From the Cirque of the Towers over Jackass pass to Big Sandy trailhead. 9 mi. (49 mi. total)
- DAY 7, 9/12
- 4 mile day hike to Long Lake
- Epilogue
- "MOUNTAIN MAN"
- EQUIPMENT THAT I WOULD BUY AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT
# WORDS: 3400
# PHOTOS: 12
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Companion forum thread to:
Father & Son Re-unite in the Wind Rivers, WY
Hi
Reminds me of some trips my son and I have taken. How old are you ?
Beautiful country! Looks like it was an awesome trip. Congrats!
Hi,
I am 57(in decent shape but some back issues) , my son is 24. The Winds sure is beautiful country.
Great trip report! Thanks.
I am thinking about taking a trip there next fall. What airport did you use?
We both flew into Salt Lake City, Utah. My son flew from San Diego. I flew in from New Hampshire. We chose Salt Lake over Jackson Hole because flights were much cheaper and there was more to choose from with fewer stops.
It is a relaxing 4 hour drive from Salt Lake to Pinedale,WY.
I was at many of those same locations just a week before. The Winds are so beautiful. Great trip report. Thank you for sharing.
For what it's worth I have been to the Winds twice and flown into Salt Lake both times.
Michael,
Thank you for sharing your trip. I took my daughters to the same places of your trip when they were at a young age. We hiked, scrambled peaks and fished in this wild and spectacular range. My oldest daughter, now twenty, read your report and we reminisced of our adventures through your beautiful images. We agree we need to go back to the Winds as we haven't been there in a while. With my daughters away at college with busy schedules, we don't get out together as often as we would like, which makes the times that we do very special and much appreciated. Kudos to you and your son.
Regarding airports, we used both Salt Lake and Jackson Hole. We prefer Jackson Hole for its proximity and it's spectacular approach and departure over Jackson Lake and the Tetons.
Happy Trails!
Mark,
Thank you for your pleasant comments. We do treasure those times with our children (young or old) in wild places. Those experiences tend to make special memories. I am glad the journal article brought back some for you and your daughter.
Have a nice holiday season!
Mike Boisvert
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