Moments in Dirt and Ink

Wyoming State Historic Site ( location ) I was making my way along county roads of uncertain quality. Most of them seemed to be oiled and not at all dusty, but one bit was one lane covered in big, dusty gravel. All of it was smooth. As the roads were improving again, I saw them, like rock beehives. Charcoal kilns. One of those signs in Leadville along the Mineral Belt was about the creation of charcoal. They would stake out a circle sometimes 100 feet wide, pile it high with wood, light it up, and bury it with dirt to make charcoal for the smelters. Eventually they started getting charcoal from places with kilns like these which were built where there were more trees. That's what it said. You look around Leadville, there's quite a number of trees. You look around here, there's nearly none. It's all range land now with this row of well preserved kilns in the middle of the sage covered hills. Three near perfect kilns and one ruin. Of course I had to stop. There...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (red line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 I had had thoughts of taking one more day heading north on Fremont Trail (and the Continental Divide Trail), but it wasn't going to happen after all. I turned to head for the trailhead instead. The shortcut trail is signed on this end. Leaving North Fork Lake, seen between the hills. But first, I was going to see what that black block on the map might be. There's a little bit of trail out to it, but I only caught that for the way back. There's a camp area that has been used by equestrians. Further into the trees is the old cabin. Maybe there was a guard station once. It looks like a rougher construction than those generally are. Then I headed out to find the Highline Trail. It was ultimately under some trees making a sharp bend on its way down a hill to get to Lake Vera. Unnamed pond along the trail. I turned the other way and headed for Macs La...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (orange line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 The stormy night wasn't anywhere near so cold as I feared it might be and I woke to the smoke cleaned up and most the clouds gone too. It was 28°F, but oh, what a beautiful morning! I spent it in my puffies. The sun gives a light touch to the surrounding peaks. Still beautiful light a bit later in the morning. I was still in shadow as I took off down something resembling trail. Water oozes out of the land near the lake and small streams come down from higher up frequently. Many of these were partly covered over in ice. Long fingers of ice formed overnight. Middle Fork Lake.

Bridger-Teton National Forest (blue line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 I wandered up the hill to the east of my camp and found what looked like a better option until I noticed the one huge hazard tree that looks like it wants to fall over the whole camp any minute now. Then I packed up and got on to the Highline Trail going south. On the way up, there were a few trees on Boulder Canyon Trail, especially on the highest bit. There were even walk arounds trying to get one a little lost in the last mile. It wasn't too bad, though. The little bit of Highline I'd walked north along the lake was looking less maintained. I hoped once I got going south, it might get better, but just past the junction is a mildly extravagant walk around. Only mildly. Hardly anything compared with the worst of the day. The main camping area appears to be to the southeast of Lake Vera. I didn't explore it enough to evaluate the hazard tree situation. It's p...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (purple line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 My original plan for backpacking in "the Winds" was to hike out of Boulder Lake where there are two trails for easy loop making. The road is nice as far as the county maintains it, but after the driveway for the Boulder Lake Ranch, it gets narrow and rougher. I took one look at the rocky hill down to the hiker parking and decided I liked the nominally 4x4 road to the corral better, so that's where I parked. It has an extra hill to get up at the end, but there's a bonus toilet. Both trailheads have registers. The comments gave hints that the level of trail work might not be as high here. These trails don't get quite as much use as the ones at the end of Skyline. Information and register at the stock trailhead for Boulder Lake. Hiker parking down near lake level where nearly all of the rest of the trail users parked. There's a shortcut trail that drop...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (red line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 It was smoky again when I awoke. There were no long tendrils to watch floating in. It was just sitting there over everything already. The peaks glow in the beginnings of morning light and Island Lake is not such a grand view anymore in the smoke. I got my breakfast and packed up and headed down to rejoin the Continental Divide Trail as it follows the Highline Trail. Sunlight up ahead where the Highline Trail passes. A well used trail with lots of fresh footprints. I didn't stick to it very long. The trail winds downward for a bit and then there's a junction. Good bye to the CDT and Highline.

Bridger-Teton National Forest (orange line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 I slept well, but woke up to smoke wafting along high in the sky. It inspired less outright fear than the stuff wafting over 14ers in the spring had, but did make me grumpy. I'd managed to stay out of smoke for all but that one day without any effort, but that was about to change. Smoke in the first light of day. Even more smoke from the north as the sun starts to rise. There was a little glow on the peaks in the morning sun, but not quite so impressive as the evening glow had been. The smoke was settling down over everything and was obscuring the view by the time I got started. Elbow Peak and a pond above Elbow Lake. Just short of a well used and signed junction the Forest Service had taken off their map, I found a fellow meditating upon his proposed route for the day along that unmaintained trail and then up and over a p...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (green line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 I must have found quite the cold pocket because the thermometer claimed it got down to 24°F. It's suspicious because all the other nights were around 40°F, but I did have frost on my feet again. Certainly below freezing! I was well positioned for sunshine, so it warmed up quickly once that nuclear reactor was visible. There was enough time to tag the top of Doubletop Mountain, so I only partly packed up before heading out. The trail may not be particularly visible at the junction, but once a little way along, there's plenty of trail. I soon turned off it heading for the lower of Doubletop's double peaks. Looking back toward Palmer Lake from the lower peak of Doubletop Mountain. Doubletop Mountain's higher peak. Then I turned and headed for the taller peak. There had been a false peak to catch me on the way up the lower one. The h...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (blue line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 My getting up and started wasn't quite as early as I might have liked, but the south facing climb wasn't as hot as I worried. There was a warning from a hiker coming the other direction that this trail was getting faint. The faintest it got was at a couple walk-arounds for trees about halfway up. After all the practice following trails past downed trees, noting tread goes there and walk-around goes there and following it was easy. I was still looking for faint trail when I started seeing recently logged out trees at the top. If this is "abandoned", the rest must be magnificent. A little view of Fremont Lake. Climbing up the north side of the big glacial canyon. A particularly red tailed hawk takes the easy way up riding the currents. Peakbagger had "Crows Nest Lookout" marked. This named viewpoint is probably copied from the B...

Bridger-Teton National Forest (purple line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 I had Labor Day weekend coming on as a motivation to run away into the wilderness and a brand new Beartooth map of the Wind River Range to facilitate the running. This is grizzly country, so when it was mentioned that bear cans are rented for donations, I jumped at that. (It's really come down from the $3 a day we paid Yosemite in 1998.) The lid on mine isn't screwing on properly, so I get to remember how much nicer the Garcia opening mechanism is. It's offset by being smaller, heavier, opaque, and the opening is just small enough to be annoying, but right then the opening mechanism is feeling all important. They also rent bear spray, but apparently I have a deep emotional disdain of the stuff. After about eight "no"s, I never found out how much that costs. There seemed to be a lot of bear spray on display for the short hike, but a sign...

Bridger-Teton National Forest ( map link ) I stopped by the Pinedale Ranger Station where I bought a Bridger-Teton National Forest visitor map, Beartooth's map covering all of the Wind River Range, and picked up a free rental Garcia bear can. My bear can's lid is just not fitting all the way on anymore, even when it's warm out, so I couldn't pass up a free rental. Then I headed out to see what something called "Skyline Road" has to offer and have a little hike at the end of it. I was told I wouldn't find parking at the top with Labor Day weekend getting started, but it was still Friday morning and I can read a map. As I went by, I craned my neck at the Pole Creek parking area and saw that it was quite full but the people who went in to park weren't coming back out. It still had spaces. I continued on through the campground to the parking for Pine Creek Canyon, which I incorrectly thought was the closer one for me anyway. I'd not quite figured...