Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
|
|
That tr may have given away the secret fish in' hole.
Leave tmrw. Bringin da pole.
|
|
mike m
Trad climber
black hills
|
|
Many of the lakes have great fishing. Nice supplement to backpacking food.
|
|
Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
|
|
Went to the Cirque in 1963 to do a 1st ascent of Pingora's north face. Got stormed off about half way and bailed. Next day did Wolfshead.
Came back the following year and completed the Pingora route. My kids would bring back strings of trout every evening = a feast. Yes, Jim, sushi many miles from the ocean.
|
|
hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
|
|
It's 1983-50 Classic Climbs has come out so we plan our trip to hit a couple. Talking to Todd Skinner at Devils Tower, we find that there has been a fatality on Wolfs Head- Lightning.
Our VW has tire and oil problems, so we buy a couple of used tires in Gilette- one immediately develops a goose egg bump and the other has a slow leak- but if we fill it every 100 miles it's all good. The oil problem fixes itself with a can of STP.
We go to Big Sandy to walk in just as they are flying the body out. Not such a good way to begin.
We go into the cirque and thre's no real climbing activity that we can see. We do Wolfs Head and it was really great, super exposure, fun summit towers, and a rock brake-sitting glissade to get back to camp. One other party follows us on the route- couple of old groovers from Az.
Next day we do the NE on Pingora- another great route, but we hang a rope on the descent and end up bivvying. Weather holds, and we get down in the morning- no worries. We have the route to ourselves. Fun on the bottom- The hummock pitches were still in. The top has all sorts of 5.8 cracks that you can choose from.
Next, we climb a route on Mitchell and top out. That peak had really great views to the North- Camera was out of film so we didn't get the shots.
We hike out and the VW's "new" tire is flat. We had bought a can of fix a flat and that filled it up 2/3rds-sort of gave it a Dr. Suess look. We limped it back to Lander. If we were smart we would have just jacked up someone else's bug and traded tires, but we were too stupid.
Coming out we stop at the NOLS, to ask for a free shower--Completely made unwelcome. They send us out the door with out so much as a what did you climb? So much for the spirit of the hills. We went to the municipal pool in Lander and showered and swam there.
I hear that it has more people now, but anyone who is willing to schlep it in to go climb is probably good people, and worth meeting.
You need to bring in a lot of kit because the weather could do anything. If I go again I'm thinking Llama's or maybe college aged rope guns- I raised those two boys for a reason!
Good memories for me- Hope you have the same.
|
|
steveA
Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
|
|
Hey Norm,
By any chance is that Pronghorn?
If not, I'm curious, where is it? Great to see your still getting out!
I wish that I lived closer and had those horses of yours. Quite the life!
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
Looks sweet Norm!
|
|
okay, whatever
climber
|
|
I spent a week in the Cirque of the Towers in August 1976, and thoroughly enjoyed it, except for the skeeters, which were annoying, and ever-present, even on the summit of Pingora. We climbed Mitchell and Warrior I and Wolfshead, as well, on that trip. I can only imagine that Lonesome Lake is far more crowded now than it was then... we had it to ourselves... but still, it's a gorgeous place, with beautiful rock all around. And packing in there, over Jackass Pass, from the Big Sandy Opening, is good exercise, as I recall it... serious load humping, with ropes and hardware, tent and food, and so on!
|
|
Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
|
|
That's one proud looking piece of stone Norm, the Winds are certainly one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on earth. Looking forward to a return trip, unfortunately it's got to wait until next summer.
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
Okay, whatever, you bet the Cirque of the Towers is more crowded....nothing stays the same. When I first went to the Cirque in the early 70's I caught a nice, fat trout with my hands in a small feeder stream to Lonsome Lake and saw a Fischer running thru the boulder while hiking up to Pingora.
|
|
mike m
Trad climber
black hills
|
|
If your looking for that 70's Wind River feel go to the Big Horns.
|
|
clarkolator
climber
|
|
I missed you by days in '83, Hobo Dan.
On that trip we bought some dried beans at NOLS that didn't re-hydrate over the stove, and we got crippled by incapacitating gas. Liters per hour, hanging heads out the corner of the tent for air. Did Wolf's Head the next day and shared rap ropes with another party. On the way down, my partner had an attack of gostroenteritis and one of the other party members started throwing up. We were screaming at them to rap fast so they didn't let loose on us. I still feel bad for the next party.
As far as recommendations, I always wanted to turn right at Big Sandy Lake (instead of left towards COT), towards Steeple and East Temple. The one time I went camping up there it felt really remote, and the climbing looks spectacular.
|
|
Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
|
|
^^^Clark I heard you Eugene boys ate more than beans, or was that another trip???
|
|
okay, whatever
climber
|
|
Catching trout by hand... now that's a feat I've never pulled off, Jim Donini! And I always wanted to go back, partway in to the Cirque (but minus Jackass Pass!), and do the west face of Haystack, climb Steeple, and so on, having climbed most of the stuff I was interested in in the Cirque of the Towers. But that never happened. I did climb Gannett, in the northern Winds, back in the 70's, however. I always wanted to go in and climb Bonneville and so on in the "middle" of the range, and climb in the Titcomb Valley, further north (Squaretop, etc), but those trips never happened, either.
And mike m, I know a lot about the geology of the Bighorns, and used to spend a lot of time elsewhere in Wyoming, in the 1970's. But despite that, I've never been to the Bighorns, personally, though I have climbed Devil's Tower!
|
|
clarkolator
climber
|
|
Funny you should ask, Charlie!
We starved for a couple of days because we couldn't stomach the beans we brought. Almost killed and ate a grouse on the hike out, but my friend pointed out we were only four hours from chicken fried steak at the last moment.
|
|
guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
|
|
Returned to the Winds about 5 years ago after a 47 year hiatus and amazed how pristine and uncrowded it remains. The old David Brower formula for people factor being inversely proportional to the distance from the road. Thankfully it is a long way from any major population center.
|
|
norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
|
|
|
Aug 10, 2017 - 05:15am PT
|
Steve A no that's not Pronghorn. It's now called the Big Chief Buttress and is on the east side of Washakie Pass near Mt. Washakie. And no I don't have horses. I just get a packer when going heavy and deep. Best is a guy named Eric Kurchner. He'll pack a trip to anywhere you want to go as opposed to the standard outfitters will only go where they want to go.
I've been doing trips in the Winds every year since 1974. You can still find a 70's experience easily. Just stay away from the Cirque, Deep Lake, Titcomb and now the East Fork and you can find quality climbing without the crowds.
My wife Lorna, myself and a small handful of friends have sought out the unclimbed obscure together in many remote corners and have found some real gems. Some that are even climbable roundtrip in a day from home or at least the trailhead. It's not all 10-20 mile pack ins in the Winds if you study a map and Joe Kelsey's latest edition of his guidebook.
|
|
hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
|
|
|
Aug 10, 2017 - 05:24am PT
|
Clarko--We were eating soaked lentils and they mostly got softened up after 12 hours in the pan and then we cooked 'em up. No need for tent poles as were blasting away. Our seasoning was a taped up bottle of tobasco. We had a tin of sardines and four butterscotch candies for our emergency bivvy food.
I rate a good workout by how long into it I start thinking of food- on Pingora I was completely dreaming about Pineapple- go figure?
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!