June, 2002
7.5 Min Quad Maps:
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Season: Spring to late Summer (spring will yield the least mosquito's; late summer will yield the best weather) Guidebook: Cimbing and Hiking in the Wind River Mountains, by Joe Kelsey, Chockstone Press, 2nd ed. Pinedale Ranger District, Pinedale, WY, 307.367.4326. Bridger Jack Wilderness - Rules & Reg.'s, Permits, etc.. |
Wow - what a place! I would come here a lot more if it weren't for the mosquito’s! I'll be back anyhow though. The alpine rock climbing here is like nothing in Colorado. We summited only a couple of minor peaks and did two roped climbs during our visit.
navigate in the dark. After some 40+ miles of washboard dirt/gravel roads, we finally found the place - Amen! We pitched our tents at the trailhead campgrounds and fell fast asleep.
The next morning we rose to the sound of vehicles and neighboring campers. We also got our first taste of the mosquito nuisance. We figured that once we hit the trail and gained some altitude, the mosquito’s would not be a factor. Dave cooked up a killer batch of...? I'm not sure what is was, but it was good. We ate fast and hit the trail. Damn mosquito’s are sure persistent here! Maybe if we run and do summer salts every other pace, they'll back off. That would be hard to do though with our 5 day arsenal of gear and 15 day supply of food (note to self: next time K packs my food - drop 20% and spare the shoulders).
The scenery here is awesome. It is definitely not your typical Colorado mountain range, but just as awe inspiring nonetheless. Our goal was to hike over Jackass Pass and camp in the Cirque. Instead, we stopped 1/2 mile shy of the pass at Big Sandy Lake. We found a nice spot to camp and pitched our tents early in hopes of a leisurely evening in our new surroundings. I used to laugh at those people with the full body bug suits - until now. I would have given a finger or a toe for one at this point. In speaking with the ranger, we learned that this was nothing compared to the July mosquito population. We spent a miserable evening zipped tight in our tents swatting at mosquito’s. Five days was going to be quite long if they were all like this. Well - they were. And five days became three when we ran out of bug spray.
Aside from the mosquito’s, we had a great time. We hiked up into the cirque to take a look around and ended up climbing Sundance Spire just west of the pass. The views from inside the Cirque were breath-taking. I can see why this place has over-use conserns. I wanted badly to climb Pigora Pk., but knew this was not the trip for that. Next time, I'll come faster, lighter, carrying a lot more bug spray. Then, hopefully, we can hit some of the classic climbs in the area. We hit Schiestler Peak the next day and got in a decent multi-pitch climb with a rewarding view and a quick rapel descent. On the way back to camp, we found a beach on the east shore of the lake. The water was just right. We rinsed off and hung out on the beach for as long as we could stand it before fleeing back to the isolation of our bug-tight tents. The Ranger was sure to enforce that everyone cook 100 feet from their tents and that all food was stored in the bear boxes at night. Apparently, there were some sizable grizzly tracks at a nearby lake. All in all, I think it's safe to say that we had a good time. Any future visits to the Cirque of the Towers will surely include ample supplies of mosquito repellent.