September 4, 2015
For entire Wind River Route report begin here: http://ericshikes.blogspot.com/p/wind-river-high-route.html
We began another beautiful day in the Wind River Range.
We wandered through the forest a little before joining the trail on our way to Texas Pass.
It was great hiking on our way to our third crossing of the Continental Divide of the journey.
Looking to Texas Pass on the right.
There was a well-used trail leading up from Texas Lake.
Looking back at Texas Lake
There was a great view from the top.
At the top we found the same hiker we had met at Washakie Creek the day before. He was considering extending his stay in the Winds. We had told him that we could get the weather forecast with our Delorme InReach and he was wondering if snow was on its way. We sent out a message and discovered the weather throughout the weekend was going to be nice.
The view from the south side of Texas Pass provided excellent views of the Cirque of the Towers, a very popular area for climbers.
Pingora Peak was quite impressive.
We lost the trail, but it didn't really make much difference on our descent to Lonesome Lake.
There were some others fishing nearby.
We hiked around the west side of the lake and then took an extended break to enjoy the view. Andrew had an excellent eye for spotting climbers high up on Pingora Peak.
Then we began the climb to the last pass of our journey, Jackass Pass.
The trail was well used.
From the top of the pass there was a great panorama of the Cirque of the Towers.
We descended the pass with an excellent view of Arrowhead Lake.
Somehow we ended up on its west side with lots of talus, but there were cairns marking the way.
We made it back to the official trail and continued down to Lake 10105'.
Lake 10105'
We again met the same hiker who inquired about which side of Arrowhead Lake we went on. Turns out that he ended up on the west side as well and had done the same thing accidentally a couple times in the past as well.
The descent continued but we still had great views including East Temple Peak in the distance.
We had planned to camp at Big Sandy Lake, but with the sky looking questionable and our final destination so near, we continued on.
It was a busy Friday afternoon with many groups heading in for the weekend. The hiking was easy and there were even signs directing our route.
There was some great forest hiking to contrast with the high elevation from the past week.
Then an enjoyable section along the Big Sandy River.
Unfortunately the point came where we left the wilderness and our adventure was nearly complete.
Looking back to the mountains.
We had the opportunity to turn left at the junction below and continue south to the Mexican border on the Continental Divide Trail but we opted for a return to the Big Sandy Trailhead.
Big Sandy River
Soon we were back at the trailhead and an exceptional hike was complete.
We still had another adventure as our Toyata Prius rental car battery had died while were away. Fortunately we we able to find someone near the trailhead with jumper cables and another person was able to fit his vehicle between our car and the white truck with inches to spare (We couldn't shift the Prius without turning it on).
We enjoyed one last final view before beginning our journey back to Salt Lake City.
Overall, this certainly was one of my favorite hikes. The scenery of the Winds is some of the best that I have seen! This hike was special as it was the first long distance hike that my brother Andrew was able to join me. The majority of my hikes have been solo adventures, but not because I desire a solo hike. I simply enjoy hiking, and given circumstances and time constraints it can be hard to organize with a hiking partner. Andrew was a significant help with navigation given the off-trail nature of the route, but it was even better just to share the experience.
Once again, thanks to Allan Dixon and Don Wilson for designing the route and providing the guide.
Most of all, thanks to God for the wonders of His creation and His protection throughout the journey.
"He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name."
Amos 4:13
