Wind River Range Sept 2021 (part 2)

[wsp_scott]

9/6 - 9/11/21 (5 nights)
Big Sandy Trailhead
After part 1 (https://backcountrypost.com/threads/wind-river-range-sept-2021-part-1.10345/) I woke up, got breakfast in Pinedale and headed back to the Winds. The weather forecast looked great for the next couple of days. It was Labor Day and the Big Sandy Trailhead was packed. I passed a number of people heading out as I headed towards Dads Lake, very glad that I wasn't in the area over the holiday weekend.


Dads Lake is very pretty, but looked to be heavily used, definitely would not want to be here on a holiday weekend.


Chasing moths/butterflies occupied me for a little bit






Then on to Marms Lake. I got to the southern shore of the lake and decided to make camp.




A couple guys showed up around 5ish and set up nearby. The dog was very well behaved and the guys were nice. They were doing a loop towards the Cirque and were planning on fishing as many lakes as possible.






From the small rise above the lake






Beautiful morning




I packed up and headed towards the East Fork








And then over to Pyramid Lake


Yay, another beautiful morning. Today was over Hailey Pass to Grave Lake






I got setup near the shore of the lake. This is looking west at Pilot Knob








Sunset






Blue Hour, I think that is Jupiter in the middle and Saturn in the upper right


First hint of the Milky Way




The full effect and now time for bed


Next morning, more glass-like water and great reflections








Time to start heading back to the car. I headed East and then South towards Washakie Lake since I wanted to check it out.


Waterfall not far off the trail




Good lunch spot and then over towards Washakie Lake


I think this is Loch Leven




and then Washakie Lake, but too early to make camp




Off to the South Fork Lakes


Sunset


Not a bad campsite




And another beautiful morning






Climbing up towards Lizard Head Plateau


The plateau itself is very stark and windy/cold. I managed to find a place to filter water and have lunch where I was out of the wind.








Looking down at Lizard Head and Bear Lake




Bear Lake up close




The famous Cirque of the Towers




Clouds are building. The sky opened for for a couple of hours not long after this photo. I had a nice sheltered campsite and my tent ready, so no big deal.


And then clearing storm clouds




Woke up to what looked to be a beautiful day (foreshadowing)




Not many clouds in the West as the early sun hits the Cirque


Looking east towards the rising sun


Less than an hour later as I left camp


And another hour as I neared Jackass Pass


The rain started as I descended from Jackass Pass, so no more photos


Talked to a couple dayhikers and we got to the trailhead about the same time. They were in the campground (friends had done a bigger hike) and invited me for a beer.

Then the drive out of Big Sandy ...


... the drive is long from the trailhead, but very pretty.




I drove up to Pinedale with the plan of staying at the Jackalope again, but they were full and so was everything else in town. I was able to confirm that the Boulder store had a room, so I drove back down the road to check in and then drove back to Pinedale to get dinner and do laundry. A lot of extra driving, but I didn't have anything else to do, so not a big deal.

A couple views of an old tractor that was right outside my room.



Tomorrow, off to Grand Teton for the night and then backpacking in Yellowstone

 

[wsp_scott]

@Bob is right, the Cirque is overrated, it is beautiful, but there are a ton of beautiful places in the Winds without the people. Glad I saw it, won't make a special trip to the Cirque again.

 

[Georgia Yankee]

Enjoyed your trip reports (part 1 & 2). September sure looks like a nice time to out there. Great photos, by the way. I always think about all the wonderful photos I am taking but end up mostly disappointed when I look through them later... Those black and white ones--did you use some sort of infrared filter? Does such a thing even exist? And the milky way photos--do you know what exposure you used?

Thanks!

 

[wsp_scott]

Enjoyed your trip reports (part 1 & 2). September sure looks like a nice time to out there. Great photos, by the way. I always think about all the wonderful photos I am taking but end up mostly disappointed when I look through them later... Those black and white ones--did you use some sort of infrared filter? Does such a thing even exist? And the milky way photos--do you know what exposure you used?

Thanks!

I don't think I am a great photographer, but shooting RAW gives a lot more options once you get home. I "process" the photos in Capture One (similar to Lightroom). I generally do B&W in Capture One but sometime will use the old version of NIK Silver Efex which makes it easy to do interesting B&W.

The star photos were ISO 6400 for 15-20 seconds at f/4 and 24mm.

I have learned a lot from Glenn Randall's books, Dusk to Dawn and Great Landscape Photography, well worth the ~$25 each.

 

[Georgia Yankee]

I don't think I am a great photographer, but shooting RAW gives a lot more options once you get home. I "process" the photos in Capture One (similar to Lightroom). I generally do B&W in Capture One but sometime will use the old version of NIK Silver Efex which makes it easy to do interesting B&W.

The star photos were ISO 6400 for 15-20 seconds at f/4 and 24mm.

I have learned a lot from Glenn Randall's books, Dusk to Dawn and Great Landscape Photography, well worth the ~$25 each.

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the books.