Day 1 Aug 3rd
Flight from ROC at 7:30am. Arrived
in Casper, WY at 1:30pm. Wait time for connections was minimal Car camped off dirt rd on the way to Worthen Meadows. Dinner was from grocery store. Fire ban in Wyoming so we needed to pick up three 16-oz fuel cannosters for the trip. As we pulled into our campsite, car light came on indicating low tire pressure. A bit worried, will deal with it in the morning.
Day 2 Aug 4
Cold cereal breakfast. Packed up and decided to play it safe and bring car in to get it checked out. Exiting the woods after twelve days to find a flat tire would not be a good idea. A few minutes down the road we spotted a truck with a mountain bike. We stopped to ask if he had a pressure gauge. He had a tire pump with a pressure gauge. Only one tire was 1 psi lower than the rest so we turned around and headed to the Sheeps Bridge trailhead in Worthen Meadows.
Wow my pack is heavy. Going to be a tough first day on the trail. We have multiple options for the trip as a whole with opportunities to adjust as needed. Our Plan A for the day is to stop early but we could continue further if we desired. Stopped for lunch at Sheeps Bridge and made some soup. Was good for rehydration. The air is very dry. We were only 2.5 miles in. The next 4 miles would be tough, gaining over 1200' in elevation from 8500 to 9700'.
Yep it was tough. The legs felt like jelly Just like last time. I stopped regularly and took it slow. Took 3 hours to cover the distance. Only 4pm. Dan went to get water. We had 2.5 miles to Shoshone Lake and even at the slow pace, we would have plenty of time. The next two miles would be through the valley along an atv road/trail. Pressing on we opted to take the equestrian trail straight through the valley instead of following the atv trail. A few wet spots, but not too bad. About 100m after the horse trail combined again with the atv trail we could see the inlet stream of Shoshone Lake. Dan spotted some fish. Getting closer there were a ton, all stacked up in a small pool. Dan crept over with his fly rod and was pulling out brook trout with almost every cast. It was almost comical. He saved a few and we opted to camp nearby. Of course we had trout for dinner. Took a bath in the creek, it was cold, really cold. Tomorrow morning we will make it to Shoshone Lake.
Day 3 Aug 5th
Awake early like normal. Camp bread a nd fish for breakfast. Late start on trail. Short break at the inlet of Shoshone, then a longer one at the beach. We both took a short nap. Hid our packs and took a day hike up Cyclone Pass. 1,6 miles w/1000'. Even without the packs it was slow going (for me) Dan has been out here for a month already. He is hiking like a mountain goat. Nice view from the top. A short rest and then back down. On the way downm the sky grew dark. A few drops of rain as we returned to our packs. We found a relatively protected area, I set up my tent's rainfly so we would have a dry spot to cook and eat lunch (at 4pm). The rain subsided and we crossed the dam and found a site on the far shore of Shoshone Lake. Took a swim, had leftovers and snack before bed.
Day 4 Aug 6th
A group of ATV'ers across the lake had music playing when we went to bed. All we could hear was the thump thump of the bass. Either it did not last too long, or I fell asleep. A little rain overnight; slept great. I must have been quite tired. Hoping for a nice sunrise over the lake. The sky was threatening so I hung up my tarp just in case and packed up my gear. Made buckwheat pancakes for breakfast.
We set out down the trail, a lot of down; about 1000ft. Then headed off trail going up steeply through a burn area. Took a break part way up where we had a decent view from where we had been. It was nice knob to take a break. Dan had some pack repair to take care of so we made it a longer break. Sky turned threatening just as we set out again so we put on pack covers. Very quickly came the rain and hail. Some more steep woods until we finally hit our next trail. Dan was a couple of minutes ahead of me as I was moving slowly. As I arrived a family was walking down the trail past Dan. These uphills, especially off trail are brutal. We followed the trail to the next trailhead where we took a short break and had a snack under a tree.
We then followed the atv road a short ways until we headed again off trail. There were plenty of horse and game trails here we were able to use. It was also rather open woods. We hit Bears Ears trail which we followed a ways then dropped off it to head towards our next destination. Soon we came across a path marked with cairns heading in our direction. Bonus! It led us directly to Funnel Lake although it was challenge sometimes to find the next cairn as there was a lot of blowdown int ha rea. While searching near a boulder field field, I headed down while Dan took the higher route. Dan called out whenb he found the next cairn, so I headed up towards his voice. Hopping across these boulders will certainly make my ankles sore tomorrow. We arrived at Funnel Lake, the terrain and ice/snow made a beautiful backdrop for the lake contrasting to the cold wind and light rain blowing directly across from the other side. Due to the wind and rain I set up a tarp area as well as our tents. Took a bath in the cold water, had dinner and now crashed in the tent. Listening to a red squirrel nearby making quite a racket. Hope to sleep well again.
Day 5 Aug 7th
Beautiful morning. Red sun to the East shining on our campsite and surroundings. Our earliest start yet. After breakfast we rounded the lake on a boulder field, then climbed 500ft to the saddle from which we descended the same. These boulder fields always wear me out both physically and mentally.
Arriving at Sand Lake, it was nicer to view it from above. Dan caught a few fish. From here we would climb a drainage to Bears Ears Lake. It started ok on a game trail, but then it became thick and rough terrain. A few times I needed to back track to take a different route. Dan was somewhere up ahead. Came to a nice waterfall which was the outlet of Bear's Ears letting me know I had significantly more elevation to go. Took a little break here. Eventually made it to Bears Ears Lake. It was gorgeous.
I was tired. The bushwhack really sapped my energy. I relaxed while Dan fished a bit. He landed a few cutthroats. The elevation and rough off trail travel was really wearing me out. I would find out just how much soon enough. We departed the lake and worked our way around to climb the next saddle.I was moving slow. Even at the top of the saddle with open terrain I was inching along. We descended to the valley in which we camped nearby in 2017. We crossed below the glacier to intersect with the Bears Ears Trail. From here we were going up some more. I was dragging along the well maintained stock trail, more or less just shuffling my feet. I said to Dan I running out of gas. He would get quite a bit ahead of me and then stop for me to catch up. After climbing this trail, the plan was to turn off and head up to another saddle and down a drainage. I was getting worried that I was not going to make it. If there were boulder fields to descend, safety would compromised for me.
I saw Dan waiting up ahead. By this point I wasn't even really walking; just leaning forward and my legs would fall forward to catch me. I stopped next to Dan and sat down. I told him of my physical predicament and worry. I could barely talk, my energy was so gone. As I sat and tried to communicate my body would shake a bit and tried to cry but it couldn't even manage that. Dan was very supportive, all those years as a social worker. I don't even recall most of what he said. He picked out a spot in field up ahead protected by some boulders and said we would camp there. After some time, I was able to get up and make my way to the spot. It was work to even traverse those 100 yards. Dan made dinner, filtered water for us. Was a real champ taking over all of my chores. I had some lemonade and was able to set up my own tent. I was able to help a little by cutting up the cheese for our dinner which we ate at 8pm. This likely would have been the time we might have arrived at our scheduled campsite; assuming I would even have made it which is doubtful. I cleaning the cook pot and we we went to bed.
Day 6 Aug 8th
Awake with the sun. Did not sleep as soundly as I had hoped. Started water for coffee. Dan cooked fish to go with leftover soup for todays lunch. I prepped the eggs, salsa & cheese for breakfast burritos. Over breakfast we spent some time modifying our route to do less miles and enjoy the ponds and views a bit more. We set out for the saddle which was supposed to be for yesterday. Going up was not too bad. On the way down, not so much. I rolled an ankle which just added to my physical limitations on this trip. Dan was aways ahead of me always checking back to make sure I managed the descents. Little Moss Lake was very pretty. We saw both Moss and Little Moss from atop the saddle. Made some lunch and Dan did some fishing. Brook trout were everywhere, as we headed around the lake we saw a half dozen sitting in the shallows. Dan handed me his fly rod and I was to just lower the fly down. Even without the casting challenge, hooking a trout on a fly is a significant challenge. A lot of patience even when watching them take the fly. Had many strikes and eventually managed to set a hook and land one of them. Afterwards we made our way to Moss Lake. Dan was kind enough to choose a route which minimized the exposed rock. Still it was just under 400 feet down over only a half mile. This was after the 1200' drop from the saddle to Little Moss.
We found a very nice campsite and set up. I rested while Dan day-tripped to Gaylord Lake to fish. I was messing around with my tarp when Dan returned. I had done some camp chores; hung the bear bag line, re-arranged the fire-pit and set up the tent. We again took a look at our itinerary and made adjustments. Nice campsite. Windy as heck and some cool geologic drama across the lake. Glad we are going to take it slower to enjoy it more.
Day 7 Aug 9th
Best nights sleep yet. Ankle is tender, but I should be ok as today everything is on trail. After breakfast we crossed the Moss Lake outlet and headed North to catch the trail. From here only 3.5 miles to Bears Ears Trail; forested trail much to my liking. I am not sure Dan enjoyed it mush as he prefers the big open views. The trail went up and down about 700ft with a few nice lookout spots along the way. Under 2 hours to the river ford to catch the trail on the other side. Now another 1.5 miles to Grave Lake. Passed a couple of hikers coming the other way. Usually only see people when we are on the trails. Once at Grave we went to the south shore to scout out potential campsites and fishing. The North side has the trail and can get busy. While walking the beach and rocks we saw a group of 8 hiking on the other side. Dan wasn't having much luck fishing. The wind is crazy here; whitecaps on the lake. Had a long lunch break on the south shore. Dan did some more fishing and scouting for campsites. I filtered water and poked around the immediate area. We returned to the beach area which was the only good suitable area to camp. Should have a nice sunset view over the mountains at least. With the wind, setting up camp was a slight challenge. After securing our tents Dan did some more fishing while I prepped dinner. Dan did not say how long he would be, but I had the dirty rice dinner waiting for him when he returned.
A group of three had set up camp in the nearby meadow. They had a large german shepherd; appeared to be well trained. I went to the beach where I had set up some driftwood logs as a bench. Dan eventually returned and was ravenous. Good thing I had dinner waiting. He joked "man I was so hungry I could have killed and eaten someone" if food wasn't ready. Even with the heft dinner, he still cooked and ate more fish. Winds are still gusting, the setting sun is producing some neat lighting.
Day 8 Aug 10th
The wind subsided over night, but had returned by morning not as strong.Easy breakfast and Dan fished some more. While I enjoyed the lake view I watched a horse team arrive and depart apparently dropping off a resupply for a group. Dan returned with a good amount of fish. Being too early for lunch we packed up and headed towards a small pond at which we planned to make lunch. The pond was below the trail and often we could see or hear groups hike past. From here we day-tripped to Spearhead Pond; only a mile away but of course uphill [elev 10,600]. Dan fished while I enjoyed the drama around the lake. I fell asleep a bit, when I awoke it had been about an hour. I scanned the lake and did not see Dan. Strange. Perhaps he went to Upper Spearhead Lake? Did he think I left? No, he wouldn't have.
Then some voices. A small group approached me from behind. Some guys with fly-fishing gear. As they set up their kit, Dan came around. He asked if I was nervous about the time. He must have sensed some residual worry. I replied I took a nap and when I awoke I could not see you across the lake. Apparently his clothing had blended in with the rock. Said he found fish down deep, but was watching the time. He went back and fished for another half-hour and caught a few more; enough for breakfast maybe.
We went back to our packs and tokk the trails 3 or so miles to our next lake for the evening. Loch Leven, a very pretty spot and a cool name. There is another group farther down towards the outlet. We took a swim, set up camp and readied dinner. The backdrop of the lake was a giant cliff to the west so we would not see the sunset, but it did make some neat colors around the rest of the lake. The colors seemed to change every few minutes it was wild. Noticed a lot more mosquitos here. So far they haven't been an issue. Fish and fresh bread on the menu for breakfast.
Day 9 Aug 11th
Over night the stars were out in full. I was up earlier than usual by only a few minutes. Put water on for coffee and retrieved the bear bags. Was hoping for a nice colorful sunrise from here but it never materialized. I made the bread and Dan fried the fish. This is one of our favorites, but ittakes some time to prepare. After breakfast Dan went to fish some other lakes while I stayed here to fish. While fishing I heard the sound of a jet overhead. As looked toward Payson Peak, the contrail made a neat image against the peak. Hooked a nice rainbow on a blue/silver kasmaster. She hit it hard and jumpoed clear out of the water. The fight was a good one and I eventually landed her. She would be added to Dan's morning catch for lunch along with leftover potato soup.
Dan returned and I showed him my catch. We chatted a bit about our fishing while getting lunch ready. A few Wyoming locals came by and we all talked fishing. They were a bit surprised we had all this cooking gear. After lunch we had a short but steep bushwhack to the next set of lakes. If it were up to me, I would have just taken the trail. Off trail here can easily put me into situtations I would rather not contend with. In the Adk's off trail obstacles are more easily dealt with. Dan plotted a route which would avoid the most exposed sections. It was still rather steep. We would first be heading toward Pason Peak which we could see approaching last nights campsite and and while at camp. We then followed up a drainage to reach South Forks Lake. The only campsites we could find were tiny. We settled on a clear area between two of the ponds. Just to make sure we both went in opposite directions to checkon some other areas. While exploring Dan caight a nice cuthroat.
We set up camp in the open area, there were no trees in which to hang a bear bag so we would have to chance it. After the giant lunch I was not hungry for dinner, but Dan's appetitte is insatiable. He went to fish some more while I cooked up the full batch of chili, we figured we could use the leftovers for lunch. It was past 8pm when Dan returned with two more cuts. He then ate all of the chili! As we readied for bed we joked about the damage that chili was going to do to his sleeping bag. Ha! Hoping for a good sunset here but again the mountains are to our west. Some decent colors, but not like the previous night. Pre-soaking breakfast for an earlier start in the morning.
Day 10 Aug 12th
Dan was awake early. I had a lumpy tentsite. Apparently I was able to nudge myself between two lumps to be comfortable enough to get some sleep. After breakfast, dan went fishing and I stared at the mountains and day-dreamed. It was hot and dry in this valley. I imagined this is what desert camping must feel like a little. At least nothing had come for our food as we slept with it. Dan returned with more fish. For lunch we had Dr. Ramen w/fish then headed overland 1/2 mile to Upper Valentine Lake and then down to Valentine. Dan took a straight shot towards the lake to fish while I worked my way around to find a suitable campsite. A short day today with a big day tomorrow starting with a 1000ft climb over two miles to the Lizard Head trail, then atop the ridge line for 5 miles before descending to Lizard Head Meadows, likely the most popular spot in the winds as it is the main approach to the Cirque of Towers & Lonesome Lake.
I found a decent campsite, and then went to fish a bit on Valentine, Caught a few small (8 inch) brookies all on the kastmaster spoon. Dan day-hiked to Dutch Oven Lake while I prepped camp and dinner. I was hanging the bear bag line when Dan returned. The trees here were not easy to even see branches well. After dinner I went to hang the food. It was barely 8ft off the ground with all the sag in the line. I lowered the ropes and re-tied everything. I was able to get it at least to 12ft up. Still lame. "utterly defeated" I said to Dan. He chuckled and told me some bear bear bag hanging stories from his past. There is a reason we both have different roles in this partnership, we cater to our strengths and bear bag hanging is one of his. We headed to bed hoping our food would still be there in the morning.
Day 11 Aug 13
Both of us awake early before sunrise. I slept well, weird dreams about which I do not recall. Retrived bear bags (which were untouched). Since lunch was made, we had an easy granola breakfast for an early start. On trail just before 8am. About 8 miles to do with a lot of elevation. Starting with a gentle climb to the trail junction and then the big ascent. The climb was not difficult as it was all on switchbacks but it took some time to do. Still we reached the top quicker than I expected. We were now on the Lizard Head trail for the next 5 miles. From along this ridge we would have a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. Last time we were here it was a thunderstorm with hail and we raced along the exposed landscape. This time the weather could not be more perfect and we would be able to enjoy it. Dan spotted a marmot which kept an eye on us as we walked by. About a third of the way along, we passed a couple heading the other way. These were the first folks we would see today, and would not see others until we descended. We reached our highest elevation today at just under 11,800 feet. We started the day at 10,400 and it was only mid-morning.
We descended to 9800 feet, but before we got to the bottom we stopped at Bear Lakes. Dan took the direct route and I stuck to the trail. He was going to fish the one side and work his was around to the other where I would be waiting. Along the trail I passed by two hikers; Maggie and ?? with three very friendly dogs. Maggie was also from Rochester. The side trail to Bear Lake came sooner than I remembered. I looked at my map while I filtered water from a drainage. When I got to Bear the familiarity from searching for a campsite on the last trip was recounted. I was soon on the far side of the outlet. I climbed atop a large rock so Dan would be able to spot me. He did right away. I crossed back over the outlet to a shady spot and we had lunch.
With 550 feet more to descend, I thought about how it is sometimes more difficult going down than up especially on my knees. As we closed in on the Lizard Head trail again we ran into "Nikon" and his friends whom we met at Valentine Lake. They were resting a bit. At the valley we found a potential campsite. One of the ponds a ways up towards the cirque, had fish so Dan went to investigate. I relaxed and read some. No fish, so we pressed on to Papoose Lake another mile down the trail. Had some difficulty finding the edge of the lake as it was a giant boulder field obstructing it. We did find a wonderful campsite near some backwaters of the Popo Agie River. We eventually chose one of the sites we had passed by with a mice view of the mountains in multiple directions. It was also off the beaten path.
Late dinner, the first time we used our headlamps outside of the tents, Only a few days left, we had already done so much even with the shortened mileages. We had plenty of food, helps when the fishing is so good and from eating dinner leftovers for lunch. We are running low on fuel. We have quite a few no cook meals to ration the fuel.
Day 12 Aug 14
Slept great, apparently Dan not so well. Had buckwkeat pancakes with pecans for breakfast. Only a 6 mile day to our next campsite we found on our last trip. Dan wants to throw a line in a pond a bit off trail on the way, so our plan is hike together and then solo a bit and meet at the campsite. We followed the trail along the PopoAgie River which would need to ford in a little bit. The ford was a lot shallower than other fords. As we were putting on our boots another hiker appeared at the river's edge. I asked Dan if it was bad I knew the brand of backpack he was wearing with just seeing across the river.
Not long after the ford, Dan took a bearing and headed overland while I stuck to the trail. At the next stream crossing (just a rock hop) the hiker from earlier passed by. He was really moving. Soon the trail began to head uphill on mostly switchbacks. A total of 1000'. I took the trail towards Pinto Park. About 3/4 up the hiker from before was resting, "taking a fiver" he said. From here I could clearly see the label on his pack, "HMG". Sadly I was correct. We talked for a few, he was bailing on a trip with some friends due to injury. He had an 18 mile day to get out. I am not sure why he needed to do it all at once. Anyway we talked about how the mountains would still be here for the next time. I recalled my own ordeal years ago on a bail out; a battle between one's heart & head and the head should win out. The head says to the heart. "yes you can finish this trip but it could be your last".
HMG headed off as he still has 17 miles to go for the day. I only had a mile to go and it wasn't quite noon. I took a break at my next trail junction and looked more closely at the map to make sure I did not miss the unmarked path to our campsite. The path was less obvious than I remember; a few horse tracks but not the heavy trodden area as I remembered. A quick rock hop over the outlet to the "marshy" section gave a quick reminder of the drought conditions and related fire ban. The campsite was just as I remembered. Looking at the firepit there were three staves laying next to the large rock. "No, it couldn't be", I thought. "It must". These had to be the staves we used to make the tripod 4 years ago. This is a little used site and certainly has had some visitors but apparently no one burned our tripod poles.
I sat again the rock and had my share of lunch. We had split up the cheese & salami at breakfast in preparation. After lunch I took my fishing gear down to the lake. Nothing hitting the kastmaster so I switched to the #2 mepps black fury. Fist cast caught a loop in the line and created a mess to untagle. The long casting spoon put some twists in the line which the lighter weight mepps was not able to deal with. I cut off about 20 yds of line. I considered putting the fishing gear all away but figured I was already invested in the enterprise. A decent cast with the black fury; nothing But on the retrive I noticed a rise 30 degrees from where I had cast so I sent out another in that direction and boom. A nice fat 13" brook trout. I caught another 12" a bit later but let her go knowing Dan would arrive with a creel full.
I was just beginning to read a little when Dan arrived. He told me of his adventure and I regailed mine. He was impressed with the stoutness of the brookie. She had more girth than the 16" rainbow he brought back. As we readied dinner, a rumble of thunder in the distance couple with the growing gray overhead signalled the impending storm. We put on our rain gear and Dan reminded me of the extra tarp I was carrying so we alos put that up over our cooking area. Or as Dan likes to call it, "the culinary arts center". With some of our meals, the name is apropos. The winds picked up and we caught a small amount of rain but the main storm passed us by to the north. Follwed by the re-emergence of the sun for the waning hours of the day.
We added fried fish to the black bean & sweet potato stew (home dehydrated meal). With a little time left before the daylight completely vanished Dan took to the lake again to bring in a few more trout. I sat up on the rock watching the moon over the lake. As the darkness took over, we settled into our tents for the night. Tomorrow is our last full day on the trail.
Day 13 Aug 15th
Tried to sleep in to no avail. Used up the rest of the salami & cheese by adding it to the eggs for breakfast. After breaking camp, Dan would head south to investigate two other lakes while I waited trailside. The sky was threatening and did begin to rain slightly so I covered both our packs with the raincovers and put on my rain gear. Dan returned shortly thereafter. We headed down trail to where I had rested the day prior. From here Dan would go check out another pond while I slow walked the trail to the next junction 2 miles away. The rain subsided so I removed my jacket. It was nice walking at a slow pace especially through the Pinto Park area. The rain returned just as I arrived at the junction and Dan within minutes as well. We hiked towards Pinto Pond to have lunch. We found an unmarked trail to the pond and went through the brush to the North side looking for a nice lunch location. We settled on a spot where someone had recently had a fire (even though we are in a fire ban area). I set up the tarp while Dan fished the pond. Fish wraps with add-ons from a different lunch; dried cranberries, pecans, ranch dressing. As lunch ended so did the rain and the sun returned. We returned to the main trail. A couple miles later Dan wanted to turn off the trail and head straight down hill. I opted to stay on the trail instead of trying to shave off 0.3 miles. We would meet at the river crossing.
Dan would arrive 5 minutes before me. Probably would have been almost the same time, but I stopped to watch a mule train go by at one of my junctions. We forded the river heading to our final night's campsite in the unknown. As we appraoched the campsite area we started to look for something suitable. We paused at one which was "ok". Moments later a couple passed by the other direction also lscoping out campsites. They were at a smaller one just down the trail. We figured we had better claim ours now. We chatted with them for a few minutes. Dan then went to fish while I preppped dinner. The lake was shallow so Dan waded out to fish the "deeps". He returned with a couple 14" brookies. real fat ones like the one I had caught at Lower Baer Lake.
After dinner I went lakeside to clean up. Tomorrow we would be back at the car to begin our travels home. Dan asked me if I would ever do another western trip. "Not sure" was my reply. I really do enjoy the eastern woodlands, but the views here are rather awe-inspiring. If I did return, I would probably stick to the trails for the most part.
Day 14 Aug 16
[no entry] I recall us using the final bit of fuel to make coffee. And when we returned to the car and campground area we made lunch and cooked fish over a fire at the campground where fires were allowed. We then had to drive to Denver for our flight home. We stopped and camped in a field off of a trail over night and spent the lat night in a hotel near the airport.
