A Week in Wyoming's Wind River Range

Epilogue

We drove back to Pinedale for a decent meal and to resupply. At the Great Outdoor store we learnt that forest fires, presently raging throughout the western states, had closed the road into the Cirque of the Towers. This was where we had planned to backpack into, spending another week in the Cirque of the Towers climbing a couple of the Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, Pingora and the east ridge of Wolf's Head. So much for that plan!

We decided instead to head for Grand Teton National Park and a week of car camping.

We reached Gros Ventre campground at the end of the day. The largest campground in the Park, and somewhat remote from all the "action", it seems always to have vacant sites. We would have preferred to camp at Jenny Lake, however, so we inquired what time we'd have to arrive there in order to procure a site. Jenny Lake fills up early, the ranger advised us, we should be there no later than 7.30 am. Fine.

Next morning, we awoke early, stuffed the tents in the car and drove to Jenny Lake, reaching the campground by 6.30 am. It was full already. "I've never known it fill this early", said the ranger. Great. We gave up on the Jenny Lake campground and decided to return to Gros Ventre, which anyway was more spread out, more private than Jenny Lake.

At the Jenny Lake ranger station we met Tom Kimbro, one of the rangers and another good friend of Eric Beck's. Kimbro, Eric had told us, could climb 5.12 and thought Dale Goddard was a genius for his book, "Performance Rock Climbing". Kimbro and the other rangers at the Jenny Lake station rank amongst the very best rangers in the National Park system. They are all excellent climbers and they don't dispense the usual wishy washy NPS "interpretation" nonsense that has become so pernicious everywhere else in the National Parks.

We decided to tackle Cube Point, 9620 ft, first. This is a grade I, 5.2, an easy climb. It was pretty good fun as a matter of fact. The Cube lies low on a ridge of Symmetry Spire. The climbing was over broken and easy rock, except for the Cube itself, the summit of which is gained by a mantle.

Another classic Teton climb is Baxter Pinnacle, 8,100 ft. This is an excellent grade I, 5.8, five pitch climb. Some of the lower pitches are quite exposed but the moves are well protected both by fixed pins and regular climbing hardware. It is the final pitch, up the summit block, that really makes the climb. The summit block is gained by clipping a fixed pin and stepping out over a precipitous void. We're talking serious exposure, then up to the safety of a flake behind which some additional protection can be placed. But, wouldn't you know it, just as we reached the base of this final pitch, it started to thunderstorm. Then rain and hail was falling on us. It must be a sign. This isn't the first time that hail began to fall right when I was at the most difficult section of a climb. We backed off, together with another couple, pooling ropes for a rappel off the shoulder and hobbled, in our climbing shoes, back down the gully to our packs. Damn!

Patsy and I fancied climbing Grand Teton, and other than the occasional hail, the weather seemed to be quite favourable. But Carl didn't want to join us and we didn't want to leave him alone for a couple of days. All feeling lazy then, we went on some other hikes and went four-wheeling alongside the Snake River. Driving alongside the Snake River is highly enjoyable and offers the opportunity of wildlife viewing that is unsurpassed anywhere else in the Park. Some tourists floated by on their raft. "That doesn't look like much fun, just floating along in placid water", observed Patsy. "The guides don't want them to have fun, they just want their money", responded Carl.

Kimbro had given us photocopied guides to several climbing areas. We tried what must be his favourite hangout, Blacktail Butte.

We also hiked one day into the Teton Wilderness, much praised by our friend R. J. Arnold. He must have been talking about a different Teton Wilderness though. This Teton Wilderness was a pit. It was hot, dusty and the ground was littered with cow patties. Ahead, in the distance, I spied some large animals lying down in the cropped grass. Bison? Elk? Moose? No, they turned out to be plain old cattle.

Why is cattle grazing permitted in all these Wilderness areas? This seems entirely at odds with the Wilderness Act and entirely at odds with the Forest Service's stated mission, which is "to care for the land".

Finally it was time to pack up and head for home. On the way out of the Park we stopped at the Hoback Shield for some more rock climbing. This place was hot! I mean it was close to 100 degrees. Carl crawled into a shallow depression at the base of the cliff, taking maegre shelter from the sun. He came out of there pretty quickly when the sun reached inside though. Patsy and I tried to climb. We did a few climbs but by late morning I was whimpering in pain, my toes were frying inside my climbing shoes.

We dropped Carl off at the Salt Lake City airport then Patsy and I began the long, hot (no air conditioning) and arduous drive home. We will always have fond memories of this week long trip into the Wind River Range and we look forward to future visits.

Part of a Los Alpinistas story. Text and photographs by Richard J. Hughes.