This trip includes portions of trips 42, 43 and 44 from “Beyond Trails in the Wind River Mountains” and generally followed one of Wandering Daisy’s trip reports from 2020.
Day 1 – August 5, 2021
After driving over from Dubois, my spouse (trail name “Compass”) and I departed from the Torrey Creek Trailhead at about 9:15 a.m. We headed towards Bomber Basin at the Glacier Creek trail sign. The trail was nicely graded, and we walked in and out of the sun depending on tree cover. We passed one other backpacker coming down the trail, and a day hiker on their way to Bomber Falls passed us. Our packs were full of food, and we weren’t very acclimated yet, so we hiked slowly.
We got to Bomber Basin Meadow at about 11:30 a.m., where I proceeded to be very grumpy, but Compass put up with me anyway. We found a campsite, then set up our tent and had lunch, which seemed to remedy my grumpiness. We stashed our bear canisters and headed towards Bomber Falls. We followed a steep trail, with Bomber Creek to our right. At some point, Compass asked, “Did you just hear thunder?” And yep, it was thundering. We hiked up to a ridge where we could see the wreckage of the bomber crash, then with a storm brewing, we headed back down the trail towards our camp.
We got back to camp at about 3 p.m. It started to rain. We put our snacks into the bear canisters and dove into the tent. The rain poured down for an hour, then the sun came out. We were hungry, so we cooked dinner in a nearby meadow, a few hundred feet from our campsite. The sun settled down behind the mountains at about 6:30 p.m. About that time, three hikers passed by on the Glacier Creek Trail on their way to the Torrey Creek Trailhead. They were looking for a lost dog. We climbed into the tent at 7 p.m., took little bandana baths, and changed into our sleep clothes. It was a nice mellow day to help with acclimatization. Red squirrels chattered all around. We hoped the hikers found their dog. At about midnight a thunderstorm rolled through.
Torrey Creek Falls
TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
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arkheel
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TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
Day 2 – August 6, 2021
We were awakened at 3 a.m. by another thunderstorm. Another thunderstorm fired up at about 5 a.m. We wanted to get over Glacier Trail Pass as early as possible, since afternoon thunderstorms were forecast, so we started breaking camp at about 5:30 a.m. After a quick breakfast, we headed toward Glacier Trail Pass, climbing up many switchbacks. The trail was in good condition, and we spoke glowingly of the trail maintenance crews as we hiked. After gaining about 1,500 feet, we saw a buck mule deer. We crossed a willowy creek and hustled on as fast as our unacclimated bodies would allow. We crossed a long, open slope towards the pass, with several false summit rises.
As we hiked upward, the predicted storms were approaching. There was a big shelf cloud to the northwest, and the air was getting colder. The clouds got lower and closer. We hiked as fast as we could, which wasn’t very fast. We passed several people headed in the opposite direction. They were all carrying big packs with climbing gear. We finally made it over the pass and descended to Burro Flats. We passed several people and a horse packer group heading to the pass that we had just descended.
As we were crossing Burro Flats, the thunder, rain and hail let loose. We worried for the hikers and horse packers who must have been on top of the pass. We got soaked, and the hail stung. We dashed for the tree line, which mostly consisted of burned timber. The trail was muddy and cobbly, making for slower hiking than we would have liked. Once we were below tree line, the storm abated, so we were finally able to stop for a long overdue snack.
We made it to Phillips Lake, where we saw a tent, and then we skirted around Upper Phillips Lake. We ascended a steep hillside with grassy ramps and talus (passing two large bear scat piles) and skirted around Golden Lake through Krumholtz and little cliffy sections to reach our campsite at Golden Lake.
We did run into the owner of the Phillips Lake tent up at Golden Lake. He said that he had crossed over Glacier Trail Pass a few days before with a 70 lb. pack for a nine-day trip. I couldn’t help pointing out that our packs weighed 30 lbs. for our ten-day trip. There was no way we could have climbed over Glacier Trail Pass with 70 lb. packs.
A little later, we heard thunder rumbling, so we climbed into our tent to wait out the storm. We napped while the storm passed over and woke to lots of smoke from distant forest fires. The smoke made the view flat and not good for photos. By the time the storm had passed, it was after 6:30 p.m. We had dinner and then headed to bed a little before 9 p.m.
Thunderstorm on Glacier Trail Pass
Smoky Golden Lake
We were awakened at 3 a.m. by another thunderstorm. Another thunderstorm fired up at about 5 a.m. We wanted to get over Glacier Trail Pass as early as possible, since afternoon thunderstorms were forecast, so we started breaking camp at about 5:30 a.m. After a quick breakfast, we headed toward Glacier Trail Pass, climbing up many switchbacks. The trail was in good condition, and we spoke glowingly of the trail maintenance crews as we hiked. After gaining about 1,500 feet, we saw a buck mule deer. We crossed a willowy creek and hustled on as fast as our unacclimated bodies would allow. We crossed a long, open slope towards the pass, with several false summit rises.
As we hiked upward, the predicted storms were approaching. There was a big shelf cloud to the northwest, and the air was getting colder. The clouds got lower and closer. We hiked as fast as we could, which wasn’t very fast. We passed several people headed in the opposite direction. They were all carrying big packs with climbing gear. We finally made it over the pass and descended to Burro Flats. We passed several people and a horse packer group heading to the pass that we had just descended.
As we were crossing Burro Flats, the thunder, rain and hail let loose. We worried for the hikers and horse packers who must have been on top of the pass. We got soaked, and the hail stung. We dashed for the tree line, which mostly consisted of burned timber. The trail was muddy and cobbly, making for slower hiking than we would have liked. Once we were below tree line, the storm abated, so we were finally able to stop for a long overdue snack.
We made it to Phillips Lake, where we saw a tent, and then we skirted around Upper Phillips Lake. We ascended a steep hillside with grassy ramps and talus (passing two large bear scat piles) and skirted around Golden Lake through Krumholtz and little cliffy sections to reach our campsite at Golden Lake.
We did run into the owner of the Phillips Lake tent up at Golden Lake. He said that he had crossed over Glacier Trail Pass a few days before with a 70 lb. pack for a nine-day trip. I couldn’t help pointing out that our packs weighed 30 lbs. for our ten-day trip. There was no way we could have climbed over Glacier Trail Pass with 70 lb. packs.
A little later, we heard thunder rumbling, so we climbed into our tent to wait out the storm. We napped while the storm passed over and woke to lots of smoke from distant forest fires. The smoke made the view flat and not good for photos. By the time the storm had passed, it was after 6:30 p.m. We had dinner and then headed to bed a little before 9 p.m.
Thunderstorm on Glacier Trail Pass
Smoky Golden Lake
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Last edited by arkheel on Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:12 am, edited 4 times in total.
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arkheel
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
Day 3 – August 7, 2021
Our day started with a day hike to Neck Lake. The air was still a little smoky, but better than the day before. We took a fun, slabby route next to a stream. The scenery along the hike was beautiful with lots of wildflowers. On our way back to our camp at Golden Lake we saw a pika. We packed up and headed back around Phillips Lake to the Glacier Trail.
After rejoining the Glacier Trail, we passed gorgeous Double Lake with views of Dinwoody Cirques. We passed Star Lake then dropped down some finely crafted switchbacks towards Honeymoon Lake. Honeymoon Lake is a bit off the main trail, and we had a very difficult time finding the unmarked “trail” to Honeymoon Lake. After several backtracks, bushwhacks and lots of cursing, we finally found the campsites near Honeymoon Lake. We saw a grouse and had nice views of Honeymoon Lake from our camp. It was a mostly smoke free day, with a high temperature of 68 degrees F, blue skies and a light breeze. The night sky was filled with stars.
Double Lake
Day 4 – August 8, 2021
We awoke to blue skies. We took the Glacier Trail towards the Downs Fork Trail. On the way we passed a USFS trail maintenance crew and thanked them profusely for their hard work. We took a little side trip to look at the brand-new Glacier Trail bridge over the Downs Fork. The bridge was sturdy and, in a place chosen to prevent it from washing away. We hope the bridge lasts for a long time.
We continued hiking along the milky blue Downs Fork. We came to the end of the maintained trail, crossed some talus and found the use trail to Blueberry Lake. The trail was a bit steep, and we kept losing it at downed trees. Then we would find it again. We rock-hopped the Blueberry Lake outlet and passed a well-used campsite, with trash and old fishing line (which we packed out). We continued to hike upwards towards Downs Lake, losing and then finding the use trail.
After a long afternoon of uphill hiking, we arrived at Downs Lake. Oh my, what a big valley! We were exhausted, but it took us about an hour of tramping around to find a flat, but not very well protected campsite. This valley is so large, that we really did feel like we were ant sized. The lake is the most amazing color of blue. After dinner, alpenglow lit the mountains. Mosquitos chased us into our tent early.
Honeymoon Lake
Downs Fork
Map of New Downs Fork Bridge Location
Our day started with a day hike to Neck Lake. The air was still a little smoky, but better than the day before. We took a fun, slabby route next to a stream. The scenery along the hike was beautiful with lots of wildflowers. On our way back to our camp at Golden Lake we saw a pika. We packed up and headed back around Phillips Lake to the Glacier Trail.
After rejoining the Glacier Trail, we passed gorgeous Double Lake with views of Dinwoody Cirques. We passed Star Lake then dropped down some finely crafted switchbacks towards Honeymoon Lake. Honeymoon Lake is a bit off the main trail, and we had a very difficult time finding the unmarked “trail” to Honeymoon Lake. After several backtracks, bushwhacks and lots of cursing, we finally found the campsites near Honeymoon Lake. We saw a grouse and had nice views of Honeymoon Lake from our camp. It was a mostly smoke free day, with a high temperature of 68 degrees F, blue skies and a light breeze. The night sky was filled with stars.
Double Lake
Day 4 – August 8, 2021
We awoke to blue skies. We took the Glacier Trail towards the Downs Fork Trail. On the way we passed a USFS trail maintenance crew and thanked them profusely for their hard work. We took a little side trip to look at the brand-new Glacier Trail bridge over the Downs Fork. The bridge was sturdy and, in a place chosen to prevent it from washing away. We hope the bridge lasts for a long time.
We continued hiking along the milky blue Downs Fork. We came to the end of the maintained trail, crossed some talus and found the use trail to Blueberry Lake. The trail was a bit steep, and we kept losing it at downed trees. Then we would find it again. We rock-hopped the Blueberry Lake outlet and passed a well-used campsite, with trash and old fishing line (which we packed out). We continued to hike upwards towards Downs Lake, losing and then finding the use trail.
After a long afternoon of uphill hiking, we arrived at Downs Lake. Oh my, what a big valley! We were exhausted, but it took us about an hour of tramping around to find a flat, but not very well protected campsite. This valley is so large, that we really did feel like we were ant sized. The lake is the most amazing color of blue. After dinner, alpenglow lit the mountains. Mosquitos chased us into our tent early.
Honeymoon Lake
Downs Fork
Map of New Downs Fork Bridge Location
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Last edited by arkheel on Sat Nov 27, 2021 9:59 am, edited 3 times in total.
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arkheel
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
Day 5 – August 9, 2021
We were tired and slept in. The only agenda for the day was to day hike to get a view of the Downs glacier and to move camp into the adjoining valley. The day was sunny with only a little smoke. We hiked towards the glacier to get a view, but there really isn’t much of the glacier remaining. The scenery was still worth the hike. We hiked backed to our tent, packed up and moved to the next valley. We found a flat somewhat protected campsite. The early evening was sunny and breezy, but then the mosquitos arrived. The stars were beautiful, and we saw shooting stars. During the night I heard hoofed animals nearby and smelled their musty odor.
Downs Lake
Day 6 – August 10, 2021
The morning was cold, and our thermometer said that the lows had been in the upper 30s in the vestibule of our tent. We woke at dawn and packed up camp. We wanted to cross Goat Flat and get to Bomber Lake before any afternoon storms and wind. The hike up the valley towards Goat Flat was a bit steep but beautiful with views of Gannett, Beartooth, and Molar peaks, and Downs glacier. We kept following green ramps and elk tracks.
After three hours of hiking, we reached the Oasis. The stream at the Oasis was crusted with ice. We crossed the Oasis snowfield and were astounded to see lots of canine tracks. They looked like the tracks of canines playing in the snow! We wondered if they were wolf or coyote tracks.
We continued our journey over Goat Flat, staying on the lookout for Bomber Gully. The walking was a bit more difficult than we had hoped it would be, with lots of talus stringers to cross. At least it was fairly flat terrain. We stopped often to check the GPS so as not to miss the head of Bomber Gully. The day was clear and sunny with the wind at our backs, and we could see the Absaroka Range from Goat Flat.
After two and one-half hours of hiking across Goat Flat, we found ourselves at the head of Bomber Gully. We couldn’t find much of a trail, so we headed down the steep, scree filled, talus ridden slope. The downhill seemed to go on and on. We crossed from one side of the gully to the other, looking for the best route down. The use trail came and went. At some point, we veered a bit to the right to stay on the route to Bomber Lake and kept going down and down. We were two very tired hikers when we reached Bomber Lake. It had taken us about eight hours to go 4.5 miles (up 1,500 feet and down 2,000 scree and talus-filled feet). We were in bed by 8 p.m.
Looking South from Route to Goat Flat
Dropping into Bomber Gully
We were tired and slept in. The only agenda for the day was to day hike to get a view of the Downs glacier and to move camp into the adjoining valley. The day was sunny with only a little smoke. We hiked towards the glacier to get a view, but there really isn’t much of the glacier remaining. The scenery was still worth the hike. We hiked backed to our tent, packed up and moved to the next valley. We found a flat somewhat protected campsite. The early evening was sunny and breezy, but then the mosquitos arrived. The stars were beautiful, and we saw shooting stars. During the night I heard hoofed animals nearby and smelled their musty odor.
Downs Lake
Day 6 – August 10, 2021
The morning was cold, and our thermometer said that the lows had been in the upper 30s in the vestibule of our tent. We woke at dawn and packed up camp. We wanted to cross Goat Flat and get to Bomber Lake before any afternoon storms and wind. The hike up the valley towards Goat Flat was a bit steep but beautiful with views of Gannett, Beartooth, and Molar peaks, and Downs glacier. We kept following green ramps and elk tracks.
After three hours of hiking, we reached the Oasis. The stream at the Oasis was crusted with ice. We crossed the Oasis snowfield and were astounded to see lots of canine tracks. They looked like the tracks of canines playing in the snow! We wondered if they were wolf or coyote tracks.
We continued our journey over Goat Flat, staying on the lookout for Bomber Gully. The walking was a bit more difficult than we had hoped it would be, with lots of talus stringers to cross. At least it was fairly flat terrain. We stopped often to check the GPS so as not to miss the head of Bomber Gully. The day was clear and sunny with the wind at our backs, and we could see the Absaroka Range from Goat Flat.
After two and one-half hours of hiking across Goat Flat, we found ourselves at the head of Bomber Gully. We couldn’t find much of a trail, so we headed down the steep, scree filled, talus ridden slope. The downhill seemed to go on and on. We crossed from one side of the gully to the other, looking for the best route down. The use trail came and went. At some point, we veered a bit to the right to stay on the route to Bomber Lake and kept going down and down. We were two very tired hikers when we reached Bomber Lake. It had taken us about eight hours to go 4.5 miles (up 1,500 feet and down 2,000 scree and talus-filled feet). We were in bed by 8 p.m.
Looking South from Route to Goat Flat
Dropping into Bomber Gully
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Last edited by arkheel on Sat Nov 27, 2021 3:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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arkheel
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
Day 7 – August 11, 2021
We slept in until about 7:30 a.m. Then we packed up and headed to Turquoise Lake. It was a beautiful hike, and we were glad that we chose to go there. We took a break to enjoy a snack and the views and saw two other hikers on the other side of the lake. Then, we decided to head to Spider Peak Ponds. The route between Turquoise Lake and Spider Peak Ponds appeared to involve lots of talus hopping. We stopped and looked at the route. Compass noticed a series of grassy ramps that seemed to be going where we wanted to go. These ramps allowed us to work our way around some small cliffy areas and avoid most of the talus. The grassy ramps had elks tracks and elk scat, so we knew that we were on a good route.
We arrived at Spider Peak Ponds and agreed that this would have been a lovely place to camp. While navigating around one of the ponds I pushed against some Krumholtz and it pushed back, sending me flying into some thankfully soft willows. Once I realized that I was unharmed, we had a good laugh.
Our goal for the day was Mile Long Lake. The route dropped through a timbered area and then through a wide swampy area. We passed an area in the willows where a large animal had recently bedded down. We finally picked up a use trail that led us to Mile Long Lake. The mosquitos chased us into our tent as the sun was setting.
Bomber Lake and Spider Peak
Turquoise Lake
A Spider Peak Pond
Day 8 – August 12, 2021
In the morning we took a short walk along the lakeshore and scared up a female American pipet and her two fuzzy chicks on a gravel bar. The mama pipet called out and acted as if she had an injured wing so that we would follow her and leave her chicks alone. We veered away from the shoreline to give them some peace.
We left Mile Long Lake on a use trail towards Upper Ross Lake. When we arrived at the inlet to Upper Ross Lake, we saw our first and only bear track of the trip. It wasn’t fresh and it wasn’t very big. We followed the use trail along Upper Ross Lake until we came to a cliff. Then we ascended below the cliff face until coming to the talus cone from the Crystal Lake outlet. We thought that we had ascended high enough and started across the talus. After crossing big talus for a long time, we realized that we should have ascended higher. We were caught up in steep talus for a long time. After lots of cursing and talus crossing, we were able to descend to the use trail to the Upper Ross Lake outlet. We saw a couple of people fishing near the outlet.
We crossed the outlet stream on a good log jam bridge. We circled a hill, navigated down some more talus and finally came to Ross Lake. We found a camp site on the peninsula. We cooked dinner while looking at great views of a waterfall and Ross Glacier. There was a big thunderhead to the north, but it wasn’t coming in our direction. We were both tired, but the views made up for our tiredness, and thankfully, for the first night of our trip, there were no mosquitos.
The fishermen that we had seen earlier returned to their nearby camp and proceeded to build a fire and cook their fish. We were grumpy about their fire, since there was a fire ban in place and the fire danger was very high.
Still Morning at Mile Long Lake
Upper Ross Lake
Log Bridge at Upper Ross Lake Outlet
We slept in until about 7:30 a.m. Then we packed up and headed to Turquoise Lake. It was a beautiful hike, and we were glad that we chose to go there. We took a break to enjoy a snack and the views and saw two other hikers on the other side of the lake. Then, we decided to head to Spider Peak Ponds. The route between Turquoise Lake and Spider Peak Ponds appeared to involve lots of talus hopping. We stopped and looked at the route. Compass noticed a series of grassy ramps that seemed to be going where we wanted to go. These ramps allowed us to work our way around some small cliffy areas and avoid most of the talus. The grassy ramps had elks tracks and elk scat, so we knew that we were on a good route.
We arrived at Spider Peak Ponds and agreed that this would have been a lovely place to camp. While navigating around one of the ponds I pushed against some Krumholtz and it pushed back, sending me flying into some thankfully soft willows. Once I realized that I was unharmed, we had a good laugh.
Our goal for the day was Mile Long Lake. The route dropped through a timbered area and then through a wide swampy area. We passed an area in the willows where a large animal had recently bedded down. We finally picked up a use trail that led us to Mile Long Lake. The mosquitos chased us into our tent as the sun was setting.
Bomber Lake and Spider Peak
Turquoise Lake
A Spider Peak Pond
Day 8 – August 12, 2021
In the morning we took a short walk along the lakeshore and scared up a female American pipet and her two fuzzy chicks on a gravel bar. The mama pipet called out and acted as if she had an injured wing so that we would follow her and leave her chicks alone. We veered away from the shoreline to give them some peace.
We left Mile Long Lake on a use trail towards Upper Ross Lake. When we arrived at the inlet to Upper Ross Lake, we saw our first and only bear track of the trip. It wasn’t fresh and it wasn’t very big. We followed the use trail along Upper Ross Lake until we came to a cliff. Then we ascended below the cliff face until coming to the talus cone from the Crystal Lake outlet. We thought that we had ascended high enough and started across the talus. After crossing big talus for a long time, we realized that we should have ascended higher. We were caught up in steep talus for a long time. After lots of cursing and talus crossing, we were able to descend to the use trail to the Upper Ross Lake outlet. We saw a couple of people fishing near the outlet.
We crossed the outlet stream on a good log jam bridge. We circled a hill, navigated down some more talus and finally came to Ross Lake. We found a camp site on the peninsula. We cooked dinner while looking at great views of a waterfall and Ross Glacier. There was a big thunderhead to the north, but it wasn’t coming in our direction. We were both tired, but the views made up for our tiredness, and thankfully, for the first night of our trip, there were no mosquitos.
The fishermen that we had seen earlier returned to their nearby camp and proceeded to build a fire and cook their fish. We were grumpy about their fire, since there was a fire ban in place and the fire danger was very high.
Still Morning at Mile Long Lake
Upper Ross Lake
Log Bridge at Upper Ross Lake Outlet
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Last edited by arkheel on Sat Nov 27, 2021 9:36 am, edited 2 times in total.
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arkheel
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
Day 9 – August 13, 2021
We ate breakfast while gazing at Ross Glacier and a beautiful waterfall in the morning light. We left camp at the leisurely time of 10 a.m. and quickly passed two piles of bear scat on the Ross Lake use trail. The use trail made walking easier, though we still crossed some easy talus and struggled a bit to find a route around a buttress.
We crossed the Ross Lake outlet stream on a log jam bridge that was a little scary. The log jam bridge itself wasn’t too bad, but the strainer of logs downstream from the log jam bridge gave us pause. We continued along the use trail, while starting to look for the official Ross Lake Trail. After scrambling around a bit and some back tracking we found the Ross Lake Trail. We met a fellow from Idaho who was doing a long day hike.
We hiked until we came to a big meadow and a stand of Whitebark pine. The meadow was surrounded by strangely eroded granite hills. We set up our tent in the stand of pines. The stream near the tent site was dry, so we hiked back to a pond in the meadow, about a half mile from our campsite, to get water. The mosquitos made their presence known while we were cooking dinner.
There were lots of blunt pine limbs at about head high near our campsite, and Compass ran into one and cut her forehead. Ouch! The night was cool, clear and starry.
Waterfall at Ross Lake
Ross Lake
Day 10 – August 14, 2021
While we were having breakfast, two mule deer wandered casually by. When they saw us, they sped away. The mosquitos returned. We packed up and headed for the trailhead and our car. On our way towards the Ross Trail/Whiskey Trail junction, we had great views back towards Hidden Lake and Ross Lake. The trail went down and down on some good switchbacks. We passed a spring with a steady trickle of water. This section of trail had patches of sun and shade but was very warm. We were glad to be going down, not up.
We arrived at the Torrey Creek Trailhead at 11:20 a.m. and our neighbor from North Carolina (trail name “Neighbor”) was waiting for us at our car. He had taken a shuttle to the Torrey Creek Trailhead from the Riverton Airport five days earlier and had been doing a shorter trip to acclimatize to the elevation. He would be joining us for the second half of our Wyoming trip.
We drove straight to the Lander Bar and Gannett Grill in Lander, Wyoming for pizza, salad and beer.
We ate breakfast while gazing at Ross Glacier and a beautiful waterfall in the morning light. We left camp at the leisurely time of 10 a.m. and quickly passed two piles of bear scat on the Ross Lake use trail. The use trail made walking easier, though we still crossed some easy talus and struggled a bit to find a route around a buttress.
We crossed the Ross Lake outlet stream on a log jam bridge that was a little scary. The log jam bridge itself wasn’t too bad, but the strainer of logs downstream from the log jam bridge gave us pause. We continued along the use trail, while starting to look for the official Ross Lake Trail. After scrambling around a bit and some back tracking we found the Ross Lake Trail. We met a fellow from Idaho who was doing a long day hike.
We hiked until we came to a big meadow and a stand of Whitebark pine. The meadow was surrounded by strangely eroded granite hills. We set up our tent in the stand of pines. The stream near the tent site was dry, so we hiked back to a pond in the meadow, about a half mile from our campsite, to get water. The mosquitos made their presence known while we were cooking dinner.
There were lots of blunt pine limbs at about head high near our campsite, and Compass ran into one and cut her forehead. Ouch! The night was cool, clear and starry.
Waterfall at Ross Lake
Ross Lake
Day 10 – August 14, 2021
While we were having breakfast, two mule deer wandered casually by. When they saw us, they sped away. The mosquitos returned. We packed up and headed for the trailhead and our car. On our way towards the Ross Trail/Whiskey Trail junction, we had great views back towards Hidden Lake and Ross Lake. The trail went down and down on some good switchbacks. We passed a spring with a steady trickle of water. This section of trail had patches of sun and shade but was very warm. We were glad to be going down, not up.
We arrived at the Torrey Creek Trailhead at 11:20 a.m. and our neighbor from North Carolina (trail name “Neighbor”) was waiting for us at our car. He had taken a shuttle to the Torrey Creek Trailhead from the Riverton Airport five days earlier and had been doing a shorter trip to acclimatize to the elevation. He would be joining us for the second half of our Wyoming trip.
We drove straight to the Lander Bar and Gannett Grill in Lander, Wyoming for pizza, salad and beer.
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
Glad to hear that the new Downs Fork Bridge is finished. And thanks for the air photo that shows the location.
It looks like you did almost the same trip that I and my friend did in 2020. We had a lot of fun on it too. Getting from the trailhead to Dinwoody Lakes is tempting, but I have always taken two days either staying in Bomber Basin, as you did, or camping at 10,000 feet where the trail crosses the creek. It is feasible to do it in one day with a light pack on a short trip, but as the first day on a 10-day trip it is quite rigorous.
I am looking forward to a report of more of your trips, assuming you did another one.
It looks like you did almost the same trip that I and my friend did in 2020. We had a lot of fun on it too. Getting from the trailhead to Dinwoody Lakes is tempting, but I have always taken two days either staying in Bomber Basin, as you did, or camping at 10,000 feet where the trail crosses the creek. It is feasible to do it in one day with a light pack on a short trip, but as the first day on a 10-day trip it is quite rigorous.
I am looking forward to a report of more of your trips, assuming you did another one.
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arkheel
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
We thought that others might like to see the location of the new bridge over the Downs Fork. The new bridge location seems to add about two miles to the Glacier Trail, if you are continuing on that way.
Your 2020 trip report was what inspired us to try this trip. It really was a beautiful trip, and except for the Glacier Trail, we saw very few other people.
After we finished up this trip, we spent the next day resupplying in Lander. On August 16 we started a loop out of the St. Lawrence Basin TH. I hope to have that trip report finished soon.
Your 2020 trip report was what inspired us to try this trip. It really was a beautiful trip, and except for the Glacier Trail, we saw very few other people.
After we finished up this trip, we spent the next day resupplying in Lander. On August 16 we started a loop out of the St. Lawrence Basin TH. I hope to have that trip report finished soon.
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
The "musty smell" you noticed near Downs Lake was from mountain sheep. There is a fairly large herd up there. It is a prime hunting area for mountain sheep. Hunting licenses are by lottery and very few are given.
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arkheel
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Re: TR: Wind River Range - Torrey Creek TH Loop, Aug. 5-14, 2021
We wondered if we might be smelling sheep. I think that you mentioned the presence of mountain sheep in your trip report from 2020. We never saw any sheep. I wish that we had seen them. That would have been a treat.
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