Gannett Peak
Ralph taking in the view at Photographer’s Point.
After I got home from the Wind River Range in 2018, Ralph gave me a phone call and asked if I’d want to make an attempt on Gannett Peak. I told him why not, let’s do it. So, in the winter/spring of 2019 we started planning our trip. Ralph and I met up at the Salt Lake City airport, and headed off into the night trying to get as far as we could before we were both too tired to drive any more. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the surrounding hills and continued on our way. We found a local gas station where it seemed like all the cowboys were eating and joined in. Inside we were treated to fresh homemade breakfast sandwiches and burritos, they were fantastic, and if you’re ever on your way to Pinedale, and need breakfast along the way stop at All-American Fuel in La Barge, WY.
Next stop was in the town of Pinedale, where we got some local beta from the Great Outdoor Store. It sounded like no one had been all the way in to titcomb basin yet so we had a bunch of unknowns about the snowpack and the bugs. With these unknowns, we decided to take snowshoes in, and leave the rope/crevasse stuff in the car thinking it would still be full of snow. We finally got to the trailhead, finished packing up our stuff and were ready to hit the trail. As we were packing up we saw a guy come out who looked like he’d been in the wilderness for weeks. He was carrying skis, and was packing stuff out on a sled. Ralph went over to talk to him and found out he didn’t make it to the basin, and turned around because of too much snow. We weren’t sure what to expect at that point.
We left the car on 7/3 at about 11:30am. Making solid time on the slightly uphill trail, we crushed the 5 miles to photographer’s point in a mere 2 hours. From there we stopped to take in the view and eat our sandwiches we grabbed at the General Store. The weather started to pick up from there, and we heard some thunder in the distance. Continuing down the trail we encountered a bunch of snow with upwards of 4 foot drifts in some places. It was annoying to go through especially because I opted to not bring gaiters. Lesson learned, bring dirty girl gaiters. We passed by Barber and Hobbs lakes with the worst snow coming before Barber. We had a goal for Seneca lake which would put us at about 10 miles on the day. It was a hard last climb before getting to Seneca lake. Once, up on the banks surrounding Seneca lake, we didn’t see any good campsites, and took almost an hour before finding one that wasn’t underwater. We were exhausted, but set up camp while eating the remainder of our sandwiches. The sun came out briefly, but mostly it was a cold, cloudy and moody day. No snow or rain tonight and we’ll try to get to Titcomb Basin tomorrow. There have been around 9 groups to pass us heading back after being turned around with the same goal of trying to climb Gannett. Ralph and I weren’t sure how far in we’d be able to get, but wanted to have a good time and try nonetheless.
7/4 - July fourth!!~ We woke up super slow, because it looked like it was going to rain all morning. Dark fast clouds were over us all morning and we tried to wait out the impending rain/snow. But, after oooing and ahhing about the fast moving clouds we finally had to get up and break down camp. We left Seneca lake around 10:30am, and the next few miles weren’t that bad in terms of elevation. However, the snow going down to Island Lake was horrible, we were constantly changing paths, jumping to rocks, and trying not to posthole into an under snow river of cold water. It was a bright sunshiny day, so when we reached the edge of Island Lake we sat down and had lunch near a cascading waterfall that was coming down the rocks and into the lake near us. As we started up the next pass, a storm rolled in fast, and the dark clouds were back once again. This time looking even more fierce than this morning. We trudged on to the point were we were about to head into the Titcomb basin, and that’s when the snow started. I went for a quick look over the pass and told Ralph to follow. We’d be better off hiking through through the snow rather than stopping there to make camp. After a few more miles, and finding a secured campsite in the basin, we pitched the tent and hung out. The sun finally came out as the evening pressed on, we were able to enjoy some of the views before night fell upon us.
Campsite in Titcomb Basin.
7/5 - As we awoke, there was a soft pitter patter of cold rain on our tent. Peering out beyond the tent fly, the whole valley was socked in with clouds. Slow moving, we got up at 8:30 with the plan to get to the top of Bonney Pass and look over at Gannett. We made it past all the lakes in the basin with relative ease, stopping to admire the wildflowers and take pictures of the snow covered mountains surrounding us. At the end of the lakes, I went ahead of Ralph with the plan I’d charge up to the pass, while he’d stay down in the valley and watch me ascend. I started going up and up, the snow slope getting steeper as I continued up. It was a bear, I was sweating in the hot sun of the day kicking steps all the way up. As it got later and later in the day I continued to wonder about when I should turn around. When would I actually reach the top? How long would it take to get down? I decided to just keep going to the top. When I got to the top, I wasn’t sure where the cornice was, and stayed close to some rocks. I got up on top and realized I definitely went up the wrong pass. I could see over Bonney Pass to Gannett. The only view of the mountain we would get the entire trip. The mountain was absolutely covered in snow. I think even if we stacked the odds in our favor we wouldn’t have been able to get up there because all the snow would have taken us too long. Maybe if we had skis we would have gotten up there, but it would have taken significantly longer with snowshoes. I started down climbing in my steps i kicked on the way up. I tried to convince myself to glissade down once and got too scared I wouldn’t be able to stop. So, I down climbed more and then finally went for it. It was great and I shouldn’t have worried too much about stopping. I was in control the whole way, which was great. Exhausted, I made the trek back to where Ralph and I had planned to meet. When I finally got there I ate some food, drank some water and we started the journey back to our campsite. When we got back, there was a marmot that had chewed through a bunch of our stuff which was annoying, but, mostly everything was alright except for a few casualties. Luckily the sun held out for us and we were able to sit out on the rock next to our tent and enjoy the rest of the night.
7/6 - Today we hike out of the basin. It quickly became apparent at how much snow had melted in the past two days alone. The trail was quickly becoming uncovered which was nice because it made the hiking a little easier and we were able to go faster. I tried my luck fly fishing in one of the streams on the way back without any luck. I didn’t even see a fish, which as bas as I smelled, I could understand why they’d want to stay away. A few rain showers came and went really fast, so it didn’t have much of a downer on our day. We made it to Hobbs lake around 3:30, and found a nice campsite up on the ridge away from the bugs. It also had a sweet view of Titcomb basin. After some afternoon naps, we were able to take in the sunset. We set ourselves up for 7 miles the following day to get back out to town.
7/7 - Today we hiked the rest of the way out, with a quick stop at photographer’s point again to take in the view one last time. Back in town we got a bunch of food, took some showers, and relaxed in the park. The rest of the trip was really a blur, but we got back to Salt Lake City, and were able to stop and see our friend Augie. The winds are a really special place that I’m sure i’ll be back to either for climbing or more backpacking(maybe even skiing?!). We’ll see. I’ve got a two year streak going with heading to Wyoming, and a trip planned for early 2020, to go see the Tetons. Stay tuned to see if it becomes four!
