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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Wind River High Route Day 4: Alpine Lakes to Stream Before Glacier Lake

September 1, 2015

For entire Wind River Route report begin here:  http://ericshikes.blogspot.com/p/wind-river-high-route.html

During the night we didn't get much sleep due the wind variability waking us up.  After finishing some of the most challenging hiking of the route the day before, we still had a short section in the early morning.

After some pleasant walking along Lake 10988', we came to Lake 10895'.  The route in the guide describes using the northern shore and exiting on a class 3/4 crack.   We decided to go around the west/south side, hoping it would be easier.

Lake 10895'


Looking North

The hiking was great with quite a bit of talus but nothing too steep.  We did see a cliff in the distance and decided to ascend the lower ridge to the right in the photo below.

Looking back to Alpine Lakes Pass from the inlet into Lake 10895'


We ascended a chute that looked steep from a distance but was actually easier than the steep talus nearby.

Then we descended the other side.

Down by the water we weren't sure if we'd find an easy route, but there was a nice section of ledges.  One may have been up to class 3 but it was easier than the class 3 section on the Upper Alpine Lake, Lake, Lake 11335'.


Near the outlet of Lake 10895' we enjoyed great views west to the Continental Divide.

We noticed a pair of hikers on the north side of the lake who were completing the class 3/4 section.  Look carefully in the cliffs for their white shirts.

Lake 10895'


The other hikers made it to the outlet and we talked for a little while.


Next we began our descent to an unnamed lake.

The view east was quite expansive with even some trees.

We could see another small lake down below.

Unnamed Lake

Descending near the lake was steep at times. I eventually went down this chute.

We took a short break at the lake and enjoyed the view.


From the lake there was a use-trail that we managed to follow on our way to Camp Lake.

Camp Lake

On the shore of Camp Lake we found an official trail and enjoyed the easy talus-free hiking.

We took a break at the inlet and the couple we had seen up at Alpine Lakes went by.  We talked a little more and heard that they had had some difficulty on the Knifepoint Glacier as well.

From Camp Lake we followed the trail and began our climb back up above treeline.

There was a nice view looking back to Camp Lake.


At the top of the climb we passed a couple of scenic lakes including Lake 10787'.

Peak 12314' was quite impressive.

Douglas Peak

 Then we continued on an even more developed trail on our descent to the Golden Lakes.



 The view overlooking the Golden Lakes was excellent.


Upper Golden Lake


We took a break on a cliff near the lake and watched as the sky began to darken.


After hiking through the forest, we came to Lake Louise, the middle Golden Lake. We passed a solo hiker heading north.  He stated that he had hiked ~45 miles from the Sweetwater Trailhead with 40 of them being off trail, including some peaks on the Continental Divide.  He planned to continue north on an even higher route than the one we had taken.

Then we reached Golden Lake and got some water before our climb back up to the Continental Divide at Hay Pass.

Looking back to Golden Lakes


 Before Hay Pass there was a great view from Dennis Lake.



From Hay Pass we were able to see Lake 10755'.  The terrain on the south side of the pass was much more gradual.

We had a pleasant hike along the eastern shore of Lake 10755.

We could see down to Lake 10322', but we left the trail and headed east up the valley.

The pleasant off-trail hiking was ideal. We passed a small lake and began looking for a place to camp.

We had read that the camping wasn't great near Glacier Lake (Lake 10555') so we found a reasonably level spot near a stream between the lakes.




We had another feast and watched as a storm approached from the west.

The sky was quite dark!


The clouds were quite colorful in the late evening.

Looking northwest


It had been a great day! The hiking wasn't quite as difficult and we were able to enjoy the scenic sights of at least 13 beautiful lakes.

Continue to Day 5: Stream before Glacier Lake to Bonneville Basin

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