Wind River - 4 days, Elkhart-AngelPass-Dennis Lake

outnabout

outnabout

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Aug 14, 2014
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Hey ya'll! I promised @Nick that I would do a TR of my solo trip in the Winds so here goes. This will be my third time in the Windies and my second solo trip (with k9 buddy Tyke). Last year I did the classic Elkhart-Titcomb trip and had a blast. This year the goal was to try a less-traveled route and try to get to some good lakes for fishing. I'm no expert angler by any means but I am definitely enjoying the sport.

Day 1 (half day) Aug 18
I got to Elkhart TH fairly late (2:30pm) so today wasn't all that exciting. I'm really starting to dislike the first four miles of the trail due to the massive horse-feces mud puddles. It was killer on the way back when I was exhausted and didn't feel like climbing over deadfall to avoid the mud. Anyway the first day brought me to the Pole Creek Lakes just before the first Pole Creek crossing.

Obligatory picture at photographer's point
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First Camp near Pole Creek (Tyke waiting for his food)
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After the turn-off onto Pole Creek Trail I saw very few people. In fact I only bumped into one guy during my entire trip after day 1. I saw a few tents and one time saw a group far away but that's about it.

Day 2 Aug 19
Continued on the Pole Creek Trail towards Bald Mtn. Basin. This was my first time going off trail soloing and it wasn't too bad. Route finding to Spider Lake was a bit tricky if you followed the stream. Stay above it and follow the elevation lines on your GPS and it was great terrain. Once I got to Spider Lake I decided to take lunch there and do some fishing. Caught a ton of little brookies and had a great time. There were still quite a few mosquitos out.

Lunch time table for two
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Brookies galore. And one rainbow in the end.
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I decided not to follow Miss Pallister's route to the 10,950 lake over "Cook Pass". I took Angel's Pass since it seemed like a more direct route.

Angel Pass as seen from Spider Lake
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There was quite a bit of talus and much route finding but I'm lucky the weather was okay. No rain but there definitely were some dark clouds threatening.

view of Spider Lake on the way to the pass
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Tyke's Christmas day = finding snow
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The other side of Angel Pass
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I was pretty tired by now and wasn't looking forward to going down this talus field but I had my camping site spotted already and was ready for a warm meal.

Camp 2
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Eating dinner in front of unamed lake just below Angel's Pass
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Day 3 Aug 20
Today was a chill day. Only did 5 miles total but turns out camping at 11,200 ft means a pretty fitful night. It's amazing how much difference you feel between 10,000 ft and 11,000 ft. Hiked to Dennis Lake passing a couple of unnamed lakes. Had some great weather with occasional sunshine. It did get windy in the afternoon and rained/stormed at night.

Morning view
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Unnamed lake
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Dennis Lake
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A dog's life
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Day 4 Aug 21
I cut the trip short one and hiked out today. I didn't enjoy the weather (rained pretty much all day) and the elevation the past couple of days took a toll on me. My pack and contents got wet as well otherwise I think I might have stayed when the sun came out. The hike down the west face of Angel's Pass got pretty dicey since the rocks were so slick. I also got cliffed out a few times. Didn't take many pictures today due to my grumpiness and the rain. It was a brutal 20 miles out.

Heading out (notice the fog/clouds/rain) :(
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The sun finally came out (after 7 hours of on/off rain)
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Eklund Lake
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It was tempting to camp at this lake since the sun had come out and it was so pretty but I was committed. The dark had set by the time I got to the truck.

Oh... my prize catch at one of the lakes I passed. Check out this 15 inch bad boy! :wavespin:IMG_8966.JPG

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Fantastic trip report! Looks like a fine taste of the Fitz via Angel Pass. I am jealous to say the least. Sadly, I didn't make it to the Windies this year, but this makes me already look forward to next year. And beautiful photos too. Thanks for posting!
 
That is quite the fish for a high mountain lake.
 
I never tire of seeing pics from the Winds. Looks like a fine trip, thanks for posting.
 
Awesome photos/trip! I would have died on that hike out! I hiked all the way out from the Cook Lakes and was dead by the time we hit the TH.
 
HomerJ said:
Awesome photos/trip! I would have died on that hike out! I hiked all the way out from the Cook Lakes and was dead by the time we hit the TH.
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Ditto that! I hiked out all the way from Cook via Lester Pass and bonked hard in the last few miles. Made for a rather unpleasant birthday after about the 15-mile mark.
 
Nick said:
Ditto that! I hiked out all the way from Cook via Lester Pass and bonked hard in the last few miles. Made for a rather unpleasant birthday after about the 15-mile mark.
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Ya, your hike out was even longer than mine! :confused:

I think part of it was that we had planned on camping half way out and when it looked like it was going to rain we continued on out, but my body was still thinking half way... Made those last few miles a drag. I remember finally getting down that little gully near the TH, where the trail turns south to the TH, and it seemed to be 5 miles long. When I went to Titcomb a few years later I had to laugh at how short that distance is (.13 on my topo software)...
 
Nice trip. Too bad about the weather, but without it the trip might not have been quite as epic. Good fishing too. @Duke is right it's a golden. You can tell from the big red strip down the side. I love the winds and I'm glad you had a good time too.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. @uintahiker @Duke @TannerT I was pretty proud of myself for that Golden. ;) @Vegan.Hiker And yes, my dog has those doggy soulful eyes down. We were actually a search and rescue team with Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs until I moved out of the state. I was talking to a friend of mine who asked if I had run into any bears and I hadn't. In fact I saw very little wildlife save for a few deers and your typically pikas. Does having a k9 make a difference do you think? I've actually never encountered any bears on any of my high mountain trips (knock on wood) but Tyke always comes with me so I don't have anything to compare it to.
 
Dogs can affect the wildlife but not normally. They generally dissuade wildlife if they are barky and loud. The worry I have (not that I want to get anyone nervous) is that on occasion a canine friend decides to go explore the landscape or chase after who knows what and spooks a bear, or worse a moose, and the dog returns to the master, running, with the wild beast in tow. I'm always more weary of moose than bears in the backcountry. They just don't care. Bears on the otherhand usually don't take the time to figure out what you are, or look at you long enough to realize that it's not worth any effort. At least this has been my experience. I have a pooch that comes in the backcountry with us but she is very loyal, obedient, and quiet. She has a lot of training and we constantly work with her. She is a 2nd gen Labrodoodle (75% poodle). I would think, @outnabout, that your puppy is sufficiently trained as well given the fact that you were on SAR. That's my too cents, now back to work.
 
Mine is Fin dome in the Sierras, and I would venture that the pic in @outnabout is Pengora in the Cirque of the Towers.
 
Nice TR! I love the shot of you and your dog on your way out in that weather. I do not have a hard time imagining walks a little too long, wet, and grumpy with the camera safe away in my pack.
 
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