TR:Wind Rivers 3: Big Sandy South
Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 8:34 am
Big Sandy South Loop
August 7-12, 2023 (7 days, 28 miles)
8/6/2003. Drive to Big Sandy Trailhead Campground
After another rainy night I left Fremont Lake Campground mid-morning with a wet tent and need to recharge my electronics. It was Sunday so nothing was open. I went to the town park playground where there was a bathroom and picnic tables and dried the tent and washed my face. The Post Office lobby was open so I walked in, found an outlet under a table, and sat on the floor while locals came in and out picking up their mail from their post office boxes. Everyone was friendly and acted like sitting on the floor and “stealing” electricity from the post office was a normal Sunday activity.
It took almost three hours to drive to Big Sandy Campground. The last 10 miles to the trailhead was in horrible condition, single lane in places, huge rocks sticking up out of the road, muddy shoulders, blind corners; a real car-eater; basically a 4wd high clearance road. My old Toyota Camry crept along at about 5 mph.
Luckily the last of the four campsites was available. I took a bucket to the river and bathed hidden in the willows. A couple with two teen sons had camped next to me. Later a fellow drove in with a truck camper but all sites were taken so I shared my site with him. He offered to share the cost, but one of his ice cream bars was fair enough trade for me. Note that daily miles include fishing and day-hikes.
Day1. 8/7: Big Sandy Lake
(5.4 miles, about 3 hours, 675 feet elevation gain/ 75 feet loss)
The fellow in the camper was day-hiking to the Cirque of the Towers and left before I got up. I finally stashed my pack near the trailhead and moved my car down the road since the parking lot was full. I walked back, put on the pack, and started up the trail leap-frogging with the family and teens also going to Cirque of the Towers. In spite of the forecast for zero percent chance of rain, just as I reached Big Sandy Lake threatening clouds were building. I had intended to get farther but decided to take it easy on my foot.
First I checked out campsites on the opposite shore that offered privacy. The trade-off would be shadows in the early morning and difficult fishing on the timber-choked shoreline. I came back to the main trail. Before I reached the Jackass Pass Trail junction, the skies opened and rain poured down. I ducked into trees and put on a rain jacket and pack cover. There were many other backpackers and we all were looking for a campsite. The few I first sites I found were too small for my tent, out in the open or posted “site restoration”. I wandered in the rain for what seemed like forever, eventually finding a site across a stream I had to wade. I set up and hunkered down for the rest of the storm until mid-afternoon. Rain stopped and the sun slowly peeked out now and then. As I put wet clothing on rocks to dry I noticed several tents had camped below me out in the meadow. The grandfather of the family group came up and asked me if I planned to stay the next day. They wanted to use the site as a base-camp for three days. I wanted to leave in the morning but had no intention of starting out in the rain. And rain it did later in the evening.
Day2. 8/8: Stuck in rain at Big Sandy Lake
I awoke to rain and did not get out of the tent until well after 9AM. Given the need to rest my foot I stayed, although conditions were not so bad that I could have moved to Black Joe Lake if I really wanted to. I fished in breaks from the rain, hoping it would clear so I could leave. The wind howled creating whitecaps in the lake. Only those spin fishing had any success. The group camped below me day-hiked in the morning and returned drenched. The chatty grandfather came up and asked when I planned to leave. I told him there were plenty of places to set up tents near me and he could move their tents up next morning whether I left or not. I certainly wanted to leave! By early afternoon I gave up on moving. Later a ranger came by and cited the group below and several others with illegal camping. He then came by me and said my site was OK before dropping to the lake to check if fishermen had licenses. Given the rain, those he cited were allowed to delay moving tents until the next morning.
Day3. 8/9: Black Joe near the inlet
(2.3 miles, about 3 hours, 860 feet gain/ 290 feet loss)
Morning arrived with plenty of blue skies and sunshine. I kept the tent up until it dried and left a bit after 9AM. The trail soon crossed the creek from Black Joe Lake. Instead of balancing on the slippery rickety jam of logs I put on the Crocks and waded across. One branch of the trail continued to Clear Lake. I took the other to Black Joe Lake where it ended near the outlet. I wanted to camp near the inlet to Black Joe Lake where fishing was good. To access the fishermen’s trail on the north shores I first had to cross the broken old dam timbers. The next obstacle was a 350-foot buttress that blocked access along the shore. Previously I had used two routes; a direct route with a short section of Class 3 rock, or a nasty brushy gully to the left; and did not like either. With plenty of time to spare, I tried to find an alternate route in the middle. It started well but ended in cliffs where I had to backtrack and drop to the upper part of the direct route anyway. So much for that effort!
From the top of the buttress I descended adjacent to a rocky gully, on a good use-trail at the timber’s edge. The continuing trail along the shoreline looked wet and flooded. I followed a disconnected series of game trails higher up the slope that stayed dry for the most part. Having previously camped near the inlet, this time I sat up on one of the beautiful established sites mid-shore near where I had caught a big fish in the past. After gathering water I fished but it was too early in the day and the fish were staying low in the lake as wind whipped up whitecaps. I took a bath, washed socks and a shirt, and poked around taking photos. About 5PM I started fishing again, this time farther down towards the outlet. No luck. A hiker on Skurka’s High Route passed through. The weather was perfect, the lake deep blue, the meadow lush green and huge cliffs surrounded my campsite. I was happy fish or no fish and cooked dinner. My only regret was not moving up here the day before. If I did not have an injured foot, I should have been able to get to Black Joe the first day.
August 7-12, 2023 (7 days, 28 miles)
8/6/2003. Drive to Big Sandy Trailhead Campground
After another rainy night I left Fremont Lake Campground mid-morning with a wet tent and need to recharge my electronics. It was Sunday so nothing was open. I went to the town park playground where there was a bathroom and picnic tables and dried the tent and washed my face. The Post Office lobby was open so I walked in, found an outlet under a table, and sat on the floor while locals came in and out picking up their mail from their post office boxes. Everyone was friendly and acted like sitting on the floor and “stealing” electricity from the post office was a normal Sunday activity.
It took almost three hours to drive to Big Sandy Campground. The last 10 miles to the trailhead was in horrible condition, single lane in places, huge rocks sticking up out of the road, muddy shoulders, blind corners; a real car-eater; basically a 4wd high clearance road. My old Toyota Camry crept along at about 5 mph.
Luckily the last of the four campsites was available. I took a bucket to the river and bathed hidden in the willows. A couple with two teen sons had camped next to me. Later a fellow drove in with a truck camper but all sites were taken so I shared my site with him. He offered to share the cost, but one of his ice cream bars was fair enough trade for me. Note that daily miles include fishing and day-hikes.
Day1. 8/7: Big Sandy Lake
(5.4 miles, about 3 hours, 675 feet elevation gain/ 75 feet loss)
The fellow in the camper was day-hiking to the Cirque of the Towers and left before I got up. I finally stashed my pack near the trailhead and moved my car down the road since the parking lot was full. I walked back, put on the pack, and started up the trail leap-frogging with the family and teens also going to Cirque of the Towers. In spite of the forecast for zero percent chance of rain, just as I reached Big Sandy Lake threatening clouds were building. I had intended to get farther but decided to take it easy on my foot.
First I checked out campsites on the opposite shore that offered privacy. The trade-off would be shadows in the early morning and difficult fishing on the timber-choked shoreline. I came back to the main trail. Before I reached the Jackass Pass Trail junction, the skies opened and rain poured down. I ducked into trees and put on a rain jacket and pack cover. There were many other backpackers and we all were looking for a campsite. The few I first sites I found were too small for my tent, out in the open or posted “site restoration”. I wandered in the rain for what seemed like forever, eventually finding a site across a stream I had to wade. I set up and hunkered down for the rest of the storm until mid-afternoon. Rain stopped and the sun slowly peeked out now and then. As I put wet clothing on rocks to dry I noticed several tents had camped below me out in the meadow. The grandfather of the family group came up and asked me if I planned to stay the next day. They wanted to use the site as a base-camp for three days. I wanted to leave in the morning but had no intention of starting out in the rain. And rain it did later in the evening.
Day2. 8/8: Stuck in rain at Big Sandy Lake
I awoke to rain and did not get out of the tent until well after 9AM. Given the need to rest my foot I stayed, although conditions were not so bad that I could have moved to Black Joe Lake if I really wanted to. I fished in breaks from the rain, hoping it would clear so I could leave. The wind howled creating whitecaps in the lake. Only those spin fishing had any success. The group camped below me day-hiked in the morning and returned drenched. The chatty grandfather came up and asked when I planned to leave. I told him there were plenty of places to set up tents near me and he could move their tents up next morning whether I left or not. I certainly wanted to leave! By early afternoon I gave up on moving. Later a ranger came by and cited the group below and several others with illegal camping. He then came by me and said my site was OK before dropping to the lake to check if fishermen had licenses. Given the rain, those he cited were allowed to delay moving tents until the next morning.
Day3. 8/9: Black Joe near the inlet
(2.3 miles, about 3 hours, 860 feet gain/ 290 feet loss)
Morning arrived with plenty of blue skies and sunshine. I kept the tent up until it dried and left a bit after 9AM. The trail soon crossed the creek from Black Joe Lake. Instead of balancing on the slippery rickety jam of logs I put on the Crocks and waded across. One branch of the trail continued to Clear Lake. I took the other to Black Joe Lake where it ended near the outlet. I wanted to camp near the inlet to Black Joe Lake where fishing was good. To access the fishermen’s trail on the north shores I first had to cross the broken old dam timbers. The next obstacle was a 350-foot buttress that blocked access along the shore. Previously I had used two routes; a direct route with a short section of Class 3 rock, or a nasty brushy gully to the left; and did not like either. With plenty of time to spare, I tried to find an alternate route in the middle. It started well but ended in cliffs where I had to backtrack and drop to the upper part of the direct route anyway. So much for that effort!
From the top of the buttress I descended adjacent to a rocky gully, on a good use-trail at the timber’s edge. The continuing trail along the shoreline looked wet and flooded. I followed a disconnected series of game trails higher up the slope that stayed dry for the most part. Having previously camped near the inlet, this time I sat up on one of the beautiful established sites mid-shore near where I had caught a big fish in the past. After gathering water I fished but it was too early in the day and the fish were staying low in the lake as wind whipped up whitecaps. I took a bath, washed socks and a shirt, and poked around taking photos. About 5PM I started fishing again, this time farther down towards the outlet. No luck. A hiker on Skurka’s High Route passed through. The weather was perfect, the lake deep blue, the meadow lush green and huge cliffs surrounded my campsite. I was happy fish or no fish and cooked dinner. My only regret was not moving up here the day before. If I did not have an injured foot, I should have been able to get to Black Joe the first day.