August 2017 - Day 11 (day 3-of-3 Cirque of the Towers)

Monday, August 14, 2017 - Day 3-of-3 hiking 3 days-2 nights Cirque of the Towers:


11.71 miles in 6 hours 11 minutes.

There are a number of reasons why I wanted to do this August 2017 trip - visit family and friends, 2 Counting Crows concerts, visit Art Museums, hike in Colorado, see the Total Eclipse - but maybe the main reason is to hike up in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Both Albert Bierstadt and Alfred Jacob Miller have painted in that area, and I will share paintings from each for the 6 blogs I have about hiking in the Wind River Range. The third pair are:

Albert Bierstadt - "Wind River, Wyoming", c. 1870 (The Anschutz Collection, Denver, CO):


Alfred Jacob Miller - "Wind River Mountain Range Scene", c. 1858-1874 (Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX):


I have been hiking alone - I like my company, I keep my own (fast) pace, and I laugh at my jokes. To allay any concerns about my safety, I carry an "Emergency Pack" which I wear on my front-belt area:

- a small water bottle (I have my two big Nalgene bottles on my backpack, and to use them I have to take off the backpack. It is a lot easier to use the small bottle, and refill it from the Nalgene bottles when necessary),
- my compass,
- my ResQLink Emergency Beacon, which is registered with the proper authorities,
- my headlamp,
- my red plastic "bear whistle",
- my blue Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System,
- a few bandaids,
- my "electronics bag", which contains a recharged battery, some cables, a nano, a little "Boom Cube" speaker, ...
- my map, shoved in a side pocket:

It all packs up nice-and-neat:


Today I got up as the sun came up, and started hiking at the same time as yesterday - 7:13 AM. Nice views "heading out of town":




Going up to Jackass Pass, you can look down and see the camps to the southwest of Lonesome Lake:



Jackass Pass is PRETTY COOL:


Looking down at Arrowhead Lake, with the "correct trail" off to the left (yes, that "line across the snowfield!"):


Once again, the granite in these mountains is VERY IMPRESSIVE:


Back down into the land of wildflowers:


Big Sandy Lake, looking south:


A very nice day for a hike:


Going above V Lake:


The hike finishes alongside the Big Sandy River:


It is good to get back (by 2 PM) to the Fit!!:


Still not a lot of life out here:




Made it to the Gannett Peak Lodge in Pinedale, Wyoming by 4:30 PM:



And dinner (REAL FOOD!!) at the Wind River Brewing Company:


WOW de WOW de WOW Thank you God for this wonderful day, and for my EXCELLENT "Cirque of the Towers" ADVENTURE!

Driving to Pinedale, music for today was albums from my purple nano:

Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, 1958


The Beatles - Revolver, 1966


Cream - Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005, 2005 (live, 2 cds)