Wind River Ranging

[TripLeader]

August 2024

Part 15 [5% Chance]

We began the day by seeing the storm roll in. (This was the same general viewpoint as the last photo.)



The snow started falling around 6:30 a.m. There were a few breaks, but visibility was 100 yards or less most of the time.



I left my tent and went to the other tent for a council about what to do. We made the decision to wait it out in our tents. Lester Pass was not a high, dangerous endeavor in fair weather. But going over it in a near whiteout was not an option for us. We also had concerns about how long this storm would last. We did not want to get cold, wet, and lost in this setting.


The next thoughts were about the rest of the trip. We were going to lose a day riding out the snowstorm. We were back in the Winds to hike through Cirque of the Towers. We were supposed to be there near the end of the hike. But losing a day could very easily mean losing Cirque, and forcing us to shortcut out to the ending trailhead. Disappointment was setting in.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2024

Part 16 [After the Storm]

The snow let up after four hours and four inches. We saw our first glimpse of blue sky.









Filling up the water bottle.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2024

Part 17 [Decisions]

It looked like there was a chance the weather was going to clear up. But we were also concerned about the condition of the trail, and whether or not we would even be able to see and follow it under the snow. We weren't out of the woods yet, and we weren't out of the woods yet. (My humble version of Leslie Nielson's, "I'm a locksmith, and I'm a locksmith." No applause necessary.)


We walked up the trail a couple hundred yards to scout out conditions.












Another group had been camping about one-half of a mile up the trail from us. They came hiking down. They had decided to take a lower route past Seneca Lake instead of going over Lester Pass. We decided we would wait until noon to monitor the weather. We would continue with our planned itinerary if the weather still looked good then. We would stay at camp otherwise.


The weather was improving. The sun was out. We packed up from snow camp and headed out.

 

[ITTOG]

So cool to have snow. So concerning to have snow.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

[TripLeader]

So cool to have snow. So concerning to have snow.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

Exactly!

 

[TripLeader]

August 2024

Part 18 [Lester Pass]

We pushed ahead and went for it.












"Lester Pass Elev 11,560"

 

[TripLeader]

August 2024

Part 19 [Afternoon Hiking]

We had been descending on the south side of Lester Pass. We knew we had made the right decision as the air warmed up and the snow melted. But it had been uneasy for a time.









We hoped to make some good miles that afternoon to make up for our lost morning.












The Highline Trail intersected with the Fremont Trail after the water crossing at Pole Creek. We took the Fremont.

 

[TripLeader]

August 2024

Part 20 [A Salvaged Day]

The Fremont Trail was our old friend from our previous trip. But we had not been on this stretch of it.

Looking back over the unnamed lakes below Spider Lake as we hit an unnamed pass below Mount Baldy.


















We made our camp that evening near the intersection of the Fremont Trail and the Timico Trail. We had put in 10 miles. The day really turned out to be a good one. The snow had put us in a spot. But with the hindsight of a warm, sunny campsite, we could finally really appreciate it all. Our day's mileage still had us on track for Cirque.