Wind river range conditions?

GDodds dodds wrote: any updates on conditions?

I was there a week ago and it was fridged. Post holing was unavoidable and it snowed. Mosquitoes were fine I’m sure because it was freezing. 

I was in the cirque 7/9-12. Two days of bluebird, two days of occasional overcast, only a couple hours of light showers. Overall great temps and lots of fun in the sun (we heard it had hailed the morning we hiked in as we saw multiple parties gtfo; just luck of the draw). Snow was mostly just an annoyance but easily manageable. Only one rude post hole and otherwise we found mostly hardpack. Glissading was good in the afternoons, but bugs were fierce. For a brief time while the last snow melts out, it's gonna be real hard to deal with. With hot temps coming thru it might be clear up to 11k be week's end. Texas Pass and similar elevations, and north aspects, still looked full of snow.

Thanks!

Posting to follow - may be going mid to late August (cirque)

This morning a Lander local told me he'd heard there was an accident on Gannett yesterday. Does anyone here know anything about it? We asked at NOLS but the people we spoke to didn't know anything. We're leaving tomorrow to climb it. 

John E. Pearson wrote: This morning a Lander local told me he'd heard there was an accident on Gannett yesterday. Does anyone here know anything about it? We asked at NOLS but the people we spoke to didn't know anything. We're leaving tomorrow to climb it. 

Helicopter rescues fallen climber near Gannett Peak  :   wrrnetwork.com/2019/07/18/h…

We found this one too. https://county10.com/climber-injured-after-fall-in-the-wind-river-mountains-fremont-county-sheriffs-assist-rescue-effort/  One would assume the pictures with the circle are current conditions but I thought there was more snow than shown in the photos? 

1. Not the best quality photo, but there seemed to be a fair amount of snow under Wolf's Head. The snow was mostly gone in the Deep Lake area, except for a big patch of snow at the bottom of the Grassy Goat Trail. The mosquito's were only bad to Big Sandy Lake, but I never had to wear a head net once we got past there. This was taken on 7/19. 

John E. Pearson wrote: This morning a Lander local told me he'd heard there was an accident on Gannett yesterday. Does anyone here know anything about it? We asked at NOLS but the people we spoke to didn't know anything. We're leaving tomorrow to climb it. 

We saw the Blackhawk flying in and ran into his climbing partners the morning after. They told us that he had slipped on some rocks while wearing his crampons and likely broke his collarbone and some ribs. His climbing partners stayed with him the whole time and didn't get back to camp until 1:30 that night, making for a 26 hour day!

The conditions for climbing Gannett are perfect right now! The trail to Titcomb Basin is in great shape: little snow and the stream crossings are all easily manageable. Upper Titcomb Basin is free enough of snow that there are plenty of places to camp. Excellent snow conditions throughout summit day with the exception of coming back down Bonney Pass in the late afternoon. Very few crevasses open on the glacier; any that were visible were easy to avoid. There was really no reason to go the normal route over the Gooseneck bergschrund and up the steep and long slope above it right now. We bypassed it and climbed a steep and wide snow slope to the left of the bergschrund (there's one snow slope in between) that has a benign runout. Above that, there was very easy rock scrambling (no more than Class 2) to the slope leading to the summit ridge. The summit ridge has a lot of snow. It's very exposed, but the steps are secure.

Anybody need a cirque partner in early August? Message me! 

Just got back from the cirque. Almost everything is in. We were even able to get up/down to the wolfs-overhanging col with minimal snow travel (crampons/axe not needed)

Joe Petroske wrote: Just got back from the cirque. Almost everything is in. We were even able to get up/down to the wolfs-overhanging col with minimal snow travel (crampons/axe not needed)

Awesome! I've never been in before but my partner and I just commited to going mid to late August. It seems like the overwhelming majority of people approach from Big Sandy. A friend who has been in before recommended that we approach from the east instead. Is anybody's familiar with that approach? He said it's 15 miles but less elevation change.

Bryan wrote:

Awesome! I've never been in before but my partner and I just commited to going mid to late August. It seems like the overwhelming majority of people approach from Big Sandy. A friend who has been in before recommended that we approach from the east instead. Is anybody's familiar with that approach? He said it's 15 miles but less elevation change.

Unless you really like lander, there’s no use in going in from that side.

What's the mosquito situation in the cirque like right now? 

Jake Stern wrote: What's the mosquito situation in the cirque like right now? 

It's the alpine in late July...

DavisMeschke Guillotine wrote:

Unless you really like lander, there’s no use in going in from that side.

Okay good to know. Thank you. What do most people do for bug spray? A small little container of high-deet stuff? Is anybody bringing a hat with a net over it or anything like that? I am already planning on spraying my clothes with permetherin before hand as well (lyme disease person - paranoid about ticks). 

How far out of the way is Haystack Mountain from the hike to and from the Cirque? I wanted to hit Minor Dihedral either on the way in or way out. It looks like the hike might be 2 hours each way out from Big Sandy lake? It's hard to tell from looking at maps.

Bryan wrote:

Okay good to know. Thank you. What do most people do for bug spray? A small little container of high-deet stuff? Is anybody bringing a hat with a net over it or anything like that? I am already planning on spraying my clothes with permetherin before hand as well (lyme disease person - paranoid about ticks). 

How far out of the way is Haystack Mountain from the hike to and from the Cirque? I wanted to hit Minor Dihedral either on the way in or way out. It looks like the hike might be 2 hours each way out from Big Sandy lake? It's hard to tell from looking at maps.

Bring DEET. Bring a headnet if bugs really bother you... The net bothers me more than the bugs, so I always skip it.

Look at your map more carefully, it'll tell you exactly where Haystack is.

Joey Jarrell wrote:

Bring DEET. Bring a headnet if bugs really bother you... The net bothers me more than the bugs, so I always skip it.

Look at your map more carefully, it'll tell you exactly where Haystack is.

Awesome, thanks.

Bryan wrote:

Okay good to know. Thank you. What do most people do for bug spray? A small little container of high-deet stuff? Is anybody bringing a hat with a net over it or anything like that? I am already planning on spraying my clothes with permetherin before hand as well (lyme disease person - paranoid about ticks). 

How far out of the way is Haystack Mountain from the hike to and from the Cirque? I wanted to hit Minor Dihedral either on the way in or way out. It looks like the hike might be 2 hours each way out from Big Sandy lake? It's hard to tell from looking at maps.

Just returned from Elkheart Park.  Bugs are the second worst I've seen since 1970.  Bring a headnet, hat, and deet.  Usually, the bugs are getting better by now but I think it is two weeks later than usual due to snowy winter and wet spring.

Little Dihedral is about 3 - 4 miles from Big Sandy.  You have to cross Black Joe Creek and then it is steady uphill to Clear Lake.  Then around the lake and a bit more uphill.  The bottom of the Grassy Goat trail descent is a little farther south from the start of the route.

A Ranger told me there is a problem bear around Big Sandy that Wyoming Game & Fish is going to euthanize, so be careful.  I would call Wyoming Game & Fish in Pinedale before your trip to get better info.

Have fun and climb safe.