| Cirque of the Moon |
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BETA PHOTO: Screen cap of the Cirque of the Moon viewed from d...
Description This is a compact horseshoe of walls and buttresses lying south of the North Fork of the Popo Agie about 12 miles in from Dickinson Park between Long Lake and Papoose Lake. Rock is generally high quality Wind River granite and the location secluded compared to the nearness of the Popo Agie. First routes were done in here in 1978/79 by personnel including: Mark Dalen, Mark Leonard, Dave Baltz, Dave Dahrling, Paul Horak and Mike Head.
Getting There North of Lander, WY, turn into the Shoshone National Forest and follow service roads up to Dickinson Park. Trail climbs a shoulder to the east before dropping down to the Popo Agie following the river first south then curving west toward the Cirque of the Towers. Only one river crossing is required as long as the bridge is not taken that lies about 1 mile downriver of the turnoff to the Cirque of the Moon. Wander instead through dense forest on the south side of the river until boulders appear from the talus bench leading into the cirque (open sky will also be visible). Floor of the cirque is largely boulders and rubble (hence the name) but there is one patch of tundra that has supported up to 3 tents and which lies within a hundred yards of a tarn where water can be had.
The ClassicsMountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Cirque of the Moon:
Pipeline 5.9 A3 PG13 Trad, Aid, Alpine, 9 pitches, 1000 feet, Grade IV
Featured Route For Cirque of the Moon
Pipeline 5.9 A3 PG13 WY : Wind River Range : Cirque of the Moon
The northwest facing wall of the cirque is called Tycho Wall and has 3 distinct buttresses (far right is unclimbed). Pipeline takes a direct route up the middle buttress. Undisputed gem of the area, the climb follows an obvious crack system up impeccable granite for two-thirds of its height, then more broken but still quality rock for the remainder. Pipeline takes its name from the fact that some of the crack system acts as a siphon for water from the upper plateau. This was only a problem o... [more] Browse More Classics in WY
BETA PHOTO: Screen cap of the Cirque of the Moon viewed from t...
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| Comments on Cirque of the Moon |
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By J. Albers
From: Colorado
Dec 30, 2011
| Great addition to MP; the old photos are sweet. Nice job Doc. |
By docsavage
From: Albuquerque, NM
Dec 31, 2011
| Thanks J, glad you like it. Funny that it took 30 years for the forum to exist wherein these routes could be posted. Hopefully as some of the other ascensionists come to notice it the entry may be further 'fleshed out'. Certainly more and better photos can be had. The ones here are scanned prints of transparencies, that is to say, twice removed from the original images. And they are all I have after losing all my slides some years back. We always thought the area was worth some notice. It would be particularly nice to know if any of the routes have been repeated since their initial establishment in the late 70s.... |
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