Summer Adrift Episode 14: Wind River Range
Welcome to episode 14 of A Summer Adrift!
After being in Jackson and saying goodbye to Chase and Aimee, we ventured farther south to Pinedale, Wyoming with Peter, Shruthi, and Micah. We came here with plans to head into the backcountry for a four-day backpacking trip.
MAK our exploring in Wyoming
Before we could leave for our trip we needed to get some work done in preparation for being out of service for a few days. We found a delightful little spot on a lake where we had a private beach. It was the perfect place to be productive, and enjoy the view in our free time.
Shruthi enjoying cocktail hour by the lake
Owen being a cutie
The sunsets here were incredible. Sadly, Owen sent the drone up to capture one of them and the drone inexplicably never returned. Naturally, the drone company found us at fault claiming that it was a user error… even though Owen told it to return to home, and it simply never showed up.
Peter and Shruthi watching the sunset
Anytime we head into a new area we like to see what kind of local food options there are. Trying new things is one of our favorite parts of traveling. When we spotted a place called Pitchfork Fondue, we had to check it out for ourselves!
The infamous night at Pitch Fork Fondue
Turns out it was an all you could eat cowboy-style cookout. Everything (minus salad and dessert) was fried in a massive kettle of oil. When your meat of choice was ready it was served to you on the end of a pitch fork. We enjoyed every minute of this meal, however, later that night our bodies had something else to say about it…
We were all up for most of the night with violent stomach cramps and unpleasant **clears throat** bathroom experiences.
Our first clear view into the Wind River Range
At some point that night as I laid in bed sweating, I thought to myself “There is no way in hell I’m hiking 15+ miles into the backcountry!” But we all got up and agreed we should just suffer through it together and get a move on.
As the miles melted away we started to feel better. I think that the exercise helped us “process” what was in there faster. I think it also helped that the views were so beautiful. It kept us sufficiently distracted.
View from basecamp
Before we knew it we’d arrived at the place we’d call home for the next few days. Here we’d be setting up a basecamp so we could do day trips to venture further into the basin that laid on the other side of the lake.
This is a view that will forever live in our hearts. Owen and I were over the moon to finally be here. For years, Owen and I have tried to come to the Winds to do this exact hike, and each time we’ve been shut down due to weather or other unforeseen reasons. One year the snowfall had been so heavy over the winter that the snow never melted enough to even make it to the trailhead, let alone into the mountains themselves.
MAK making dinner and enjoying the view
The following day we planned to summit the second highest peak in the range, Fremont, which is located just to the left of my head in the above picture and is the peak in the picture below.
Sunset on Fremont Peak
We woke up early in preparation for a long day on trail. Even though our destination was visible from our camp spot, we felt a sense of urgency to get to the peak quickly. Leading up to this trip we had been keeping an eye on the weather in this area and began to notice that the higher peaks (Fremont included) were prone to afternoon storms that were never picked up by the area’s weather forecast.
Enjoying coffee in preparation for heading to Fremont Peak
We figured if we could be off the summit before lunch that would give us some time before a potentially dangerous storm rolled in. With just enough water and food for the day in our packs, we hit the trail towards Fremont.
Owen inspecting our path for the day
MAK looking at Fremont
The climb up was beautiful and challenging. Once again, there was no actual trail that takes you to the summit. We had to use OnX to help us read the terrain and pick our best path of travel.
The last half mile before we reached the summit the pitch of the mountain got incredibly steep and contained 1500ft of elevation gain. Winded but exhilarated we pressed further up into the sky.
MAK taking a break during the last push to the summit
Owen happy to be on the summit
MAK enjoying the view
We made it to just shy of the summit and stopped to let Peter and Shruthi catch up. There was another group on the summit so we decided to hang back and wait for them to enjoy the peak for themselves. In the video, I never make mention of the fact that they took a gratuitous time up there. We waited around for at least 15-20 mins and started to get nervous looking at our watch and seeing that noon was fast approaching.
We went up to the summit before they’d left just to be sure we got to enjoy it for a few mins before we needed to start our return journey. It was a spectacular view of the rugged Wind River Mountains and the glacier below.
The team on the summit
After about five mins on the summit, dark clouds started to form off on the horizon. We knew in an instant that we’d overstayed our welcome. Hurriedly, we took our last photos and started our downclimb.
Sadly, the storm moved in in a matter of minutes. First, the wind picked up, then the hail started to come in sideways. The first section of our down climb consisted solely of slick rock. When the hail came to rest it melted almost instantly and made the rock slippery. After I took a fall and slid down 15-20 feet we realized it was too dangerous for us to continue in these conditions. One slip like that in the wrong place could be deadly.
We found two small “mail slots” in the rock. Each only big enough for two people. Each couple slid into one and we yelled back and forth to each other trying to figure out what to do. When we got inside of our little rock shelter the lightning moved it and started to strike and shake the entire mountain. We laid like that for nearly an hour before we got an opening in the weather to make a break for it.
Hunkered down for a passing storm
When we started moving again we all had a hard time moving. Before the storm, we were drenched in sweat. The sudden change in temperature left us frozen to the bone. Our joints had stiffened up from being curled in a small ball for so long.
As painful as it was we were all relieved when we made it back down to the saddle (an area where we finally started to feel less vulnerable to passing storms). The rest of the journey back to basecamp was thankfully uneventful, minus one stop to shelter from another passing storm.
MAK, Shruthi and Peter happy to be safely off the summit
Experiences like that, as scary as they are, really have brought us together as a team. I know that I can rely on Owen, Peter and Shruthi no matter what. I’d go anywhere and do anything with them for that reason.
Back at camp we sat back for a relaxing evening of watching the sunset on Fremont and eating a well earned dinner and desert!
MAK getting up for another day of hiking
The following day we had a far easier day planned. We wanted to venture further into the basin to see it from a different vantage point. The hike had little elevation change or risk of getting hit by lightning. It was a welcomed break from the high-stress day we had on Fremont.
Peter taking in the view
The view
The scenery was beautiful as expected. It was cool to have seen this terrain the day before from above to then go wander through it on the ground. On the way out I spotted this rock and knew that on the way back I had to get in.
MAK diving into the lake on the return trip
The water was too inviting and the scenery just was too breathtaking to deny. Even though it wasn’t the warmest of days, the water was shallow and refreshing. Here is a life lesson I’ve learned over the last few years: I NEVER regret jumping in an alpine lake. No matter how cold it is, I’m always happy I did it.
I think the rush of cold water over your skin is exhilarating, it’s like having a cup of coffee in your system!
View from the new camp spot, 35mm
After our jaunt into the basin, we returned to basecamp where we packed up and headed a few extra miles back in the direction we came a few days prior. We wanted to put in some distance that evening so we would have an easier day the following morning when we started the trek back to the trailhead.
Our new and last camp spot for the trip was in a nice little spot near a new lake. When we got there we realized that we had run out of fuel and thus had to build a fire to heat up our water. The evening was enjoyable and so was the hike out the following day.
Thank you so much for reaching and watching! We will see you next week!
Love,
MAK
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Our work life is powered by Battle Born! They make the best lithium batteries on the market and are a crucial part of our power and solar system that makes working from the road possible! It took an incredible amount of power to create Summer Adrift, and we have Battle Born to thank for making it possible.
We’ve now been living our of our flat-bed Four Wheel Camper for 2 years now. FWC builds comfortable and durable campers that can fit on any truck. We can confidently say that a FWC is the most comfortable and livable rig we’ve had in all of our years on the road!
Maps are your best friend when you’re on the road. On X makes it easy to find open routes and trails near you no matter where we are or the time of year. On X allows us to access saved maps to locate ourselves in the wild. The GPS works perfectly offline, even when service is nonexistent.
MAK’s favorite underwear (or shall I say innerwear) company anywhere! After a long search to find, comfortable, technical and sustainable underwear the search is finally over! Made of ethically sourced Marino Wool, Branwyn underwear are ready for anything you could through at them. Use code BFN15 for 15% off your next order!
Main Line Overland is the shop that built our incredible rig, Roxanne. They are incredibly knowledgable of everything overlanding. We chose to work with them because they build thoughtful, reliable and durable vehicles that can get you to anywhere you ant to be!
Tires can be some of the best insurance when you are out in remote places. We love and trust our Toyo ATIII’s to get us in and get us out safely no matter the terrain. They’re amazing in mud, moon dust, loose rocks, slick rock, you name it!
