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gpsjoe
Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 535 Location: Mesa AZ
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Posted: 7/24/2009, 4:18 pm Post subject: Cirque of the Towers |
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GB and I backpacked into a base camp at Lonesome Lake in the Wind River WY wilderness. Starting from the Big Sandy trailhead it is about 9 miles to our Lonesome Lake camp site. You hike north an easy 5.8 miles to the north end of the long Big Sandy Lake. Then the fun begins. Serious elevation to do through rocky terrain past North Lake where the trail forks and you can stay low and go on the west side of Arrowhead lake or go high and pass on the east side. We went in on the west side experiencing a minor nightmare crossing the rocks on the west shore of Arrowhead (the east side was snow covered). On the return trip we did the elevation and went high above Arrowhead on the east side. This was a more scenic and easier route (in spite of the additional elevation) and I would recommend this approach.
After Arrowhead we climbed up and through Jackass pass and dropped down to our campsite at Lonesome Lake (open camping, no official sites and no facilities). We were now in the middle of the Cirque of towers. We spent 3 nights there and had 2 full days for day hikes in the area. On the second day we hiked up to Cirque Lake which was spectacular. I will let the photos tell the story for most of the trip. This is 5-star scenic country and I’m glad I finally made it there.
We were graced with the company of a few zillion mosquitoes. I brought a 6 ounce bottle of bug spray (deet) and used 5 ounces on this trip. The stuff works.
Pics are in the gallery. _________________ Become a skilled GPS user and it will set you free! |
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lzyboy
Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 201 Location: Mesa
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Posted: 7/24/2009, 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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You and GB never cease to amaze me! What a fantastic adventure, and such wonderful pictures! Thanks so much for sharing and giving us a feeling for the country up there... Keep on keepin' on dude!! _________________ I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it.
Rosalia de Castro |
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Trishness The Snake Charmer
Joined: 21 Sep 2003 Posts: 2530 Location: Apache Jct, AZ
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Posted: 7/24/2009, 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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What a wonderful trip Joe and GB!
_________________ ~~~Trish~~~
"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." � J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings. |
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wanderingsoul
Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 2285 Location: Gilbert AZ
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Posted: 7/25/2009, 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Joe for sharing your trip and Pics. It sure looks beautiful there. How pretty. Didn't expect to see snow but guess it would be there with the elevation. Sounds like you had a wonderful time.
Glad you had something to keep the mosquitoes away. They are sooo unwelcome and they love meeee. That is one of the things I don't miss living here in AZ. _________________ Wanderingsoul (Michelle)
Positive Thinking Is the Spark that Makes Dreams Happen~~~Unknown |
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kurthzone Thread Killer
Joined: 31 Dec 2002 Posts: 1097 Location: Peoria, Arizona
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Posted: 7/27/2009, 8:55 am Post subject: |
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Beautiful! _________________ ;o)> |
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sbkelley
Joined: 20 Feb 2007 Posts: 284 Location: Tempe, AZ
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Posted: 7/27/2009, 10:09 am Post subject: |
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I hear you about the mosquitoes! Makes you thankful we don't have that problem here in AZ.
Great pics, Joe, thanks for sharing. _________________ Mountains complement desert as desert complements city, as wilderness complements and completes civilization. - Ed Abbey |
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Arizonaheat Got Supes Juice?
Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 1741 Location: Mesa, AZ
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Posted: 7/27/2009, 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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Enjoyed the pics Joe. The Wind River Range is beautiful.
I assume you and Gabby did the 5.9 route up to the summit of Lizard Head Peak,
One thing I don't miss is the mosquitoes, horse flys and deer flys _________________ Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. |
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gpsjoe
Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 535 Location: Mesa AZ
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Posted: 7/27/2009, 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Arizonaheat wrote: |
I assume you and Gabby did the 5.9 route up to the summit of Lizard Head Peak |
I saw it and it just looks mean. My limit is class 3 (scrambling). Technical climbing has past me by and that's OK with me. The Cirque is very popular with the technical climbers and we saw a few. Mostly skinny young guys with lots of rope. That ain't me. But this was a most beautiful area and I highly recommend it. The Big Sandy TH may be the most popular in the Winds but it didn't seem too crowded when we were there. _________________ Become a skilled GPS user and it will set you free! |
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