Lupe had already seen deer and wild turkeys on an exciting early drive from Sheep Creek Bay, when she dropped by the dam at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Last night had been her first in Utah in nearly 3 years, but the Carolina Dog wasn’t staying, just doing a bit of sight-seeing on the way to Little Mountain(9,131 ft.) in Wyoming.
The lake was beautiful. This was going to be a great day! Hardly any clouds in the sky, though. Going to get hot! Lupe took only a short stroll out by the reservoir before returning to the G6.
Lupe drops by Flaming Gorge Reservoir on a beautiful July morning. Photo looks NW.The Flaming Gorge Dam. Lupe would go right over it on Hwy 191. Photo looks ESE.
SPHP drove E over the Flaming Gorge Dam. Hwy 191 wound N, then NW for a while. Before leaving Utah, Lupe made one more sight-seeing stop at Antelope Flats. The name sounded promising, and there was plenty of room for antelope out there, but Looper didn’t see any. However, she did have a distant view of another part of Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
Flaming Gorge Reservoir from the Antelope Flats pullout along Hwy 191 in N Utah. Photo looks WNW.
N of Antelope Flats, Hwy 191 crossed into Wyoming. For the second day in a row, Lupe and SPHP were following excellent directions by peakbagging hero Edward Earl. Little Mountain was supposed to be only 10 miles or so from the Utah border, and soon came into view.
As Edward noted, Little Mountain greatly resembles Pine Mountain(9,550 ft.), the Sweetwater County, Wyoming High Point, which Lupe had visited a year ago. Like Pine Mountain, Little Mountain was a large, crescent-shaped mesa with a steep S slope.
Heading E on Hwy 191 just S of Little Mountain, SPHP watched for a sign for Clay Basin Road on the R (S). A couple of small pullouts were close to the highway’s high point less than a mile before reaching the turn. Lupe could have started for Little Mountain from one of these pullouts, but Earl had parked along Clay Basin Road. Lupe and SPHP wanted to start from the same spot, then duplicate Earl’s trip up the mountain.
It would be fun to follow Edward’s footsteps from nearly 11 years ago!
Lupe along Hwy 191 just before the turn onto Clay Basin Road. Photo looks ENE.Clay Basin Road is also known as Sweetwater County Road No. 62. Photo looks SE, away from Little Mountain.
After making the turn, SPHP parked at a big pullout on the E side of Clay Basin Road. Edward Earl must have parked here in 2007.
Oh, here we are – right where Edward Earl parked years ago! That’s Little Mountain ahead. Only looks like a big hill from here, but it’s nearly 1,200 feet of elevation gain to the top! Photo looks NNW.
As soon as SPHP was ready, Lupe started for Little Mountain(9,131 ft.). (8:22 AM, 70°F). The American Dingo followed Clay Basin Road back to Hwy 191, turned W along the highway for a short distance, then left the road heading up Little Mountain’s sagebrush-covered S slope.
Not far off to the NW was a higher escarpment topped by a line of gray rocks. Looked interesting, but this whole region made SPHP nervous. Too much vegetation! Even though Lupe was already close to 8,000 feet elevation, SPHP was still worried about the possibility of encountering rattlesnakes. For a short distance, Lupe followed a level cow path NE to a more barren-looking ridge.
The ridge wasn’t completely bare, but for a long way, it was covered by only short, sparse grasses. Much easier to see what was on the ground here! SPHP felt better about the situation as Lupe turned NW following this ridge toward High Point 8592 on the topo map.
Looking up the more barren short grass ridge toward High Point 8592, the lower hill on the L. Photo looks NW.
The more barren ridge was a long, steady, upward trudge. Higher up, Lupe stayed W of a stand of bushes. Upon reaching High Point 8592, she was already halfway up Little Mountain. Loop saw several pronghorn antelope from here, but they were much farther up the mountain, and soon disappeared beyond the upper edge.
After visiting High Point 8592, Lupe crossed a patch of yellow dirt on the way N down into a small saddle leading to the second half of the climb.
Near the top of High Point 8592 looking at Little Mountain‘s upper S slope. Lupe would go straight up near the center, then angle L to arrive up on the ridgeline a bit R of the lone tree (L) near the top. Photo looks N.
The rest of the way up, Little Mountain became progressively steeper. Lupe headed pretty much straight up the S slope from High Point 8592, until she was quite close to the top. So much sagebrush grew on these upper slopes, that it couldn’t be avoided. While SPHP was still leery of rattlesnakes, Lupe didn’t come to any. By now she was approaching 9,000 feet, so perhaps there weren’t any around to begin with.
Start of the 2nd half of the ascent looking back at High Point 8592. Photo looks SSE.
The final part of the climb was the steepest. Lupe angled NW (L) until she finally made it up to the rim of the summit plateau.
The top of Little Mountain was a vast flat to gently rolling mesa. The highest terrain existed as a wide band of open ground along the S edge. To the N, a slightly lower forest was in sight hundreds of feet away. The topo map shows two separate 9120 foot contours on Little Mountain. Lupe had come up between them closest to the larger E contour, which was where Edward Earl had noted that the true summit was located.
The terrain where Lupe had come up was dominated by medium-sized reddish, purplish rocks. However, as she headed E looking for the true summit, the geology changed. Loop only had to go 500 feet to reach a big flat area which appeared to be the summit of Little Mountain. By the time she got that far, the reddish, purplish rocks had vanished. At first glance, the parched barren ground looked light gray.
Upon closer inspection, the summit of Little Mountain was comprised of a conglomerate of a wide variety of pebbles.
The true summit was composed of a wide variety of pebbles and small stones.
Looking back to the W, it was clear that Earl was right. Lupe actually was at the true summit of Little Mountain. The whole summit area was enormous and so nearly flat that no one spot stood out as the absolute high point. Lupe selected a group of slightly larger rocks that seemed to be at least as high as anything else for her official true summit.
There wasn’t a speck of shade here. The Carolina Dog simply laid down on the rocky ground to take a break, while enjoying the magnificent panoramic views on offer toward all points S.
In brilliant sunshine, Lupe reaches the true summit of Little Mountain in the E 9120 foot contour. Photo looks SW.Looking farther NE along the S edge.The forest to the N was slightly lower.Looking WSW in the direction Lupe had come from once she reached the top.
The air was hazy with the smoke of distant forest fires. Despite the haze, Lupe could see the long blue ridge of Pine Mountain(9,550 ft.) more than 15 miles off to the ESE.
Pine Mountain, the Sweetwater County high point, is the long ridge on the L. Beyond it, just R of Center, may be Middle Mountain(9,559 ft.) in Colorado. Photo looks ESE.
The best views were closer by, looking due S. Utah was only 5.5 miles away as the crow flies. Lupe could easily see Clay Basin Road where she had started her ascent of Little Mountain from.
Clay Basin Road heads away from Hwy 191 on the L. The yellow N slope of High Point 8592 is seen below on the R. Photo looks SSE.Richards Mountain(8,728 ft.) (R) is the closest big ridge. It is still in Wyoming, but everything beyond it is in Utah. Photo looks S.
The area over by the W 9120 foot contour was clearly lower. Even so, when Lupe was done at the true summit, she headed that way exploring along the S rim. The map showed that the 9,131 foot survey benchmark was over at the W high point. Edward Earl hadn’t seen it, but maybe Lupe would? A distant view of Flaming Gorge Reservoir might also be available from over there.
As the American Dingo wandered W, she sniffed many clusters of the reddish, purplish rocks that looked like they might mark the position of the 9131 foot survey benchmark, yet Lupe didn’t find it. She went all the way to the W high point, finally stopping a little before reaching a fence.
There was more high ground to the NW, but it wasn’t quite as high as where Lupe was now. She could see part of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and would have had an even better view of it, if she had gone farther. On a clearer day, that might have been worth doing. However, with the smoke haze somewhat marring the scene, it didn’t seem necessary.
Along the S edge not far from the high point of the W 9120 foot contour. A portion of Flaming Gorge Reservoir is in view. Photo looks W.Hwy 191 snakes away toward Flaming Gorge Reservoir (R). Photo looks SW with help from the telephoto lens.Looking back toward the true summit from the W high point. Photo looks ENE.
In the end, Lupe headed back E again, still keeping an eye out for that wayward survey benchmark. Like Edward Earl, she never did find it. Loop left Little Mountain(9,131 ft.) starting back down from about the same spot she’d come up.
The Carolina Dog’s return route was about the same until she was below High Point 8592. She then stayed more to the W, hoping to explore the top of the gray rock escarpment she’d avoided on the way up. Going this way, Lupe came to some reddish, purplish boulders covered with bright orange lichens. Their vivid appearance was striking.
Now that is one brightly decorated boulder!
The gray rock escarpment itself was a disappointment. Tall bushes and cactus grew in great abundance upon it. Lupe had to retreat, ultimately descending into the dense vegetation E and below the escarpment that SPHP had hoped to avoid. The American Dingo scared up a deer and a jack rabbit, but never even knew it. She wasn’t tall enough to see over all the grass, bushes and sagebrush.
Little Mountain had been a success, but marked the end of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Bighorn Mountains and Wind River Range (and beyond as it turned out!). (11:28 AM, 80°F) All that remained was a scenic, air-conditioned drive home across Wyoming.
By early evening, the low, dark blue ridge of Lupe’s Black Hills of South Dakota appeared on the horizon.
Heading home. The Black Hills of South Dakota come into view from Highway 450 W of Newcastle. Photo looks NE.
Two summer of 2018 Dingo Vacations were now over. Lupe had enjoyed great times, and explored many beautiful places on both. The American Dingo wasn’t done yet, though! In early August, Lupe would be setting off on her grandest Dingo Vacation of 2018 of all.
She hopes you will return soon ready for action, adventure, and more scenic peakbagging fun!
Well, this is about it for this time around from Little Mountain in SW Wyoming! Hope you will return soon to join me on my next big Dingo Vacation. It’s going to be a real doozy!
Day 11 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Bighorn Mountains & Wind River Range of Wyoming!
6:00 AM – Foggy. Too bad. No point in the American Dingo running down to Lower Green River Lake to gaze upon that fabulous view of iconic Squaretop Mountain(11,695 ft.) one last time. She wouldn’t see a thing. Twenty minutes, and SPHP had everything ready to go. Lupe was on her way out of the Wind River Range.
What a difference a good night’s sleep made! Yesterday, worn out and weary, SPHP was convinced it was over. Lupe was going straight home. This Dingo Vacation was kaput! However, as the G6 bumped along the washboardy road from Green River Lakes back to civilization, the fog began to lift. The gorgeous Green River came into view. Skies turned blue. A surge of energy and sense of well-being! Optimism returned.
Lupe still had a couple of peaks on her wish list in SW Wyoming. They were only a few hours drive away. Why not let Looper do them now? Neither involved exhausting backpacking trips like Bomber Mountain and Squaretop had been. Half a day each, if that.
Riding with her head out the window, Lupe kept an eye out for gophers scampering over or alongside the dusty road. A frenzy of shrill Dingo barking erupted each time one came into view. Loop certainly seemed to have recovered. Clearly, she was all for extending her vacation!
Long before the G6 made it back to pavement, a new decision. Home could wait. Lupe was heading for Medicine Butte(8,608 ft.), the Uinta County, Wyoming High Point!
In G6 air-conditioned comfort, Lupe spent the morning exploring new territory on a scenic drive S on Hwy 189 to I-80. Her only complaint was that this region was so deserty that even cows and horses were scarce.
By early afternoon, SPHP was looking for the R turn off Hwy 89 N of Evanston onto County Road No. 108. Although there were no signs for No. 108 until after the turn was made, this was the road to the landfill, and there was a big sign for it.
Heading N out of Evanston, Wyoming on Hwy 89 watch for this sign for the landfill on the R. This is the turn onto County Road No. 108 to Medicine Butte. Photo looks N.
The pavement ended almost immediately, but County Road No. 108 was wide and well-graded. After a mile or two, the road went over a hill, and Medicine Butte(8,608 ft.) came into view off to the NE. Medicine Butte was nothing more than an over-sized, thirsty-looking, sagebrush-covered hill, itself. Nary a tree in sight on the SW slope, but Loopster could see towers up on top.
There’s Medicine Butte (Center) now! Not looking like I’ll be finding any squirrels up there, but at least there ought to be some fine views! Photo looks NE.
The landfill was 3 miles from Hwy 89. SPHP parked the G6 along No. 108 0.33 mile beyond the landfill entrance. (1:09 PM, 82°F) The road began to deteriorate here, but even the G6 could have gone miles farther. That wasn’t the plan. The American Dingo was here to get the full, genuine Medicine Butte experience – 1,700 feet of elevation gain with panoramic views of Wyoming sagebrush territory.
All the action was at the landfill. Bulldozers pushed piles of human-generated debris around. Meanwhile, clouds of white birds that looked like badly misplaced seagulls swirled excitedly overhead. Landfills are inherently revolting, but it was sort of fun to watch the birds, though one wondered whether they were likely to profit by their keen interest in the landfill’s contents, or end up suffering for it.
Evanston swirling birds landfill action! Photo looks S with help from the telephoto lens.Never ask a bird what restaurant they recommend.
County Road No. 108 winds all the way to the top of Medicine Butte, a distance of roughly 4 miles from close to the landfill where the G6 was parked. The road climbed nearly the entire way with only one minor dip. It didn’t get steep until near the end, where high clearance and 4WD might be required.
Looper about to set off for Medicine Butte. The road was a gentle incline at first, but gradually steepened. Photo looks NE.
Fearing cactus and rattlesnakes, SPHP persuaded Lupe to stay on the road the whole way. Partway up, cows were grazing on what looked like slim pickings in a ravine N of the road. Loop was interested, but went on by without getting too rambunctious.
No. 108 went E at first, working its way up onto a long ridgeline S of Medicine Butte. It then followed the ridge N. The hike along the open ridge was fairly scenic, amazingly so, for fans of sagebrush.
Getting the full, genuine Medicine Butte experience early in the afternoon on a day in late July probably isn’t ordinarily the best plan of attack. There wouldn’t have been any shade, but the luck of the Dingo held for a while. For some reason, this wasn’t a searing hot day, and a cloud formation hung around providing shade for close to half of the way to the summit.
Nevertheless, the road hike was a little warm for wearing a fur coat, and Lupe hadn’t changed out of hers. As had been obvious from the start, she came to no water at all. Fortunately, SPHP had brought plenty. Periodic water stops were a necessity and helped lighten the pack.
Getting closer. County Road No. 108 goes along the top of the near ridge on the R, eventually reaching the tower on the R before heading L to the summit. Photo looks N.
Heading N along the ridge, Lupe passed an initially confusing sign about access, but it became clear that the road actually was legal public access. A lone pickup truck that went by, then came back down an hour later, constituted all the traffic Lupe encountered. An hour and a half after leaving the G6, Loop was on the final steep slope nearing the summit.
Closing in on the summit of Medicine Butte. Photo looks NW.
The top of Medicine Butte was roomy and covered with an assortment of towers and associated small buildings. The highest point, and apparent true summit, was a pile of rocks close to a white concrete block building.
Lupe reaches the highest pile of rocks at the summit of Medicine Butte. Photo looks SE.
A search for a survey benchmark turned up only a metal pin painted blue a little SE of the highest rock pile.
A search for a survey benchmark revealed only this metal pin.
Lupe was hot. She plunked herself down on the ground in the shade of the white concrete block building. Ants swarmed up onto her, and for a while she busied herself eating ants. The ants were too numerous, though. Annoyed with the whole situation, Loop moved closer to the building where there weren’t nearly as many.
A Carolina Anteater, sometimes called an American Anteater, relaxes in the shade.
The towers and small buildings were the only obstacles blocking the views from Medicine Butte. Of course, it was easy enough to move around a bit and see in any direction one wished. Unfortunately, the air was hazy with smoke from distant forest fires. A clearer day would have revealed much more detail, but Lupe could still see a long way.
Looking SW toward Evanston, WY.Evanston again, with help from the telephoto lens.County Road No. 108, which Lupe had taken up, is seen on the R. Photo looks SE.
Although the S slopes of Medicine Butte were treeless, it turned out the N slopes were partially forested. Miles beyond the trees, a big wind farm was in view off to the NE.
Only a few of the turbines were turning. That was surprising. Yes, the air had been calm on the way up Medicine Butte, and only a light breeze was blowing close to the white concrete building when Lupe had come up from the SE. However, when she went over to the NW side of the summit, a 15 or 20 mph wind was coming out of the NW.
Lupe clearly enjoyed being in the wind. Not something the Carolina Dog usually likes, but the breeze felt good on a warm summer afternoon.
A wind farm was in view miles away. Only a few of the turbines were turning, even though there was a good breeze out of the NW on Medicine Butte. Photo looks NE.Loop at the NW end of the summit enjoying a 15-20 mph breeze. She had a great view here, too. The territory NW of Medicine Butte was the most unspoiled. Photo looks NW.The W half of the summit area from the NW side. Photo looks SE.
Medicine Butte(8,608 ft.) was the highest mountain in any direction for a long way. Nothing close to being as high was in sight anywhere to the N or E. Distant ridges to the W looked about equal in height. Only to the S and SE were higher peaks seen, and they were far, far away.
No one else was around. Lupe and SPHP enjoyed the views for half an hour, then it was time to think about leaving Medicine Butte. One more peak left on this Dingo Vacation before the Carolina Dog really would be on her way home. Little Mountain(9,131 ft.), the Sweetwater County, Wyoming Prominence Peak was a couple hours drive away. Lupe might as well get closer to it this evening.
A final look around, and Lupe was on her way.
SPHP had no idea what these contraptions were. The Evanston Landfill is in sight below. Photo looks SW.Back at the true summit of Medicine Butte before heading back. Photo looks S.County Road No. 108 snakes down from the tower on the L along the near ridgelines to the far R. Photo looks SE.Lupe about to start down County Road No. 108. Photo looks SE.
The trek back down along County Road No. 108 was easier and went faster, a pleasant time. Lupe felt energetic, and roamed off road a little. Fortunately, she suffered no encounters with cactus or rattlers.
SPHP had left a pair of wet boots up on top of the G6 to dry while Lupe visited Medicine Butte. Worked great. They were completely baked by the time the American Dingo returned. (5:03 PM, 86°F)
In Evanston, SPHP picked up some fried chicken and a few other things at Walmart. Lupe spent the evening enjoying dinner with a “moo”vie in the G6, munching on chicken and barking at big herds of black cattle as SPHP drove E on Hwy 414 down the beautiful valley of the Henry’s Fork of the Green River. By the time the sun went down, she was in Utah with a splendid view of Sheep Creek Bay, part of Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
After Lupe’s huge adventure up Squaretop Mountain in the Wind River Range, Medicine Butte had been the perfect recovery day. Not too long, not too short. Not too hard, or too easy. Solitude and a pleasant trek with panoramic views of Wyoming’s wide open sagebrush country, all sandwiched between relaxing, scenic drives before and after.
Can’t ask for much more than that!
Sheep Creek Bay of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Utah 7-23-18
Days 9 & 10 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Bighorn Mountains & Wind River Range of Wyoming!
7-21-18, morning, Beaver Park – Yesterday’s march in from Green River Lakes had been tiring. Despite having crawled into Lupe’s new Marmot tiny house early, and having slept well, the sun was up again long before Lupe and SPHP reemerged.
Not good. Not good at all. Looper hadn’t made it up to her intended base camp at Granite Lake yesterday evening. And now a late start from Beaver Park. This was the critical big day, too! Perhaps Lupe’s last chance to ever get to the top of Squaretop Mountain(11,695 ft.).
Lupe and SPHP went over to meet the neighbors. John and Lisa were camped on the only truly dry ground in Beaver Park at a small grove of big pines near the S end. Loop had seen their tent yesterday, but they hadn’t been around then.
Turned out John and Lisa had gone off climbing the big ridge to the W looking for Granite Lake. They hadn’t found any consistent trail up, but had made it to a forested high point on top of the ridge. They hadn’t seen any sign of Granite Lake, though. Without a map, they’d had no idea which way to go looking for it, either, so they’d just come back down.
John and Lisa were from Illinois. They said they had been coming to camp for a week at this exact same spot in Beaver Park every year in late July for years now. Best week of every year – they loved the Wind River range! They’d been here a few days so far. Lots of people came and went. Many stopped by to ask them how to get to Granite Lake, or where the route up Squaretop Mountain was, but they really didn’t know. All they really knew was that very few of the people they talked to ever made it to Granite Lake. A teeny tiny minority succeeded in climbing Squaretop Mountain.
“Squaretop Mountain Route … The route on up to Square Top is not difficult. The smallest child I ever took up there was 4 years old, but you have to hand him up over the ledges in a lot of places.” – Finis Mitchell in Wind River Trails
About the time the conversation with John and Lisa was winding down, a dozen young men and teenagers emerged from the forest over by the ridge W of Beaver Park. SPHP talked to several of them as they came by. They had been camped up at Granite Lake the past 2 nights. Yesterday, every one of them had made it up Squaretop Mountain! Only took 3 hours to summit from the lake.
One of the men had a GPS track of the route they’d taken. The screen was small and hard to see in the morning sunlight, but the glimpse SPHP got looked like they had gone W from Granite Lake, turning more NW as they got higher. The whole group was enthused by their success. They marched off to the Highline Trail and disappeared, apparently intent on returning to the trailhead at Lower Green River Lake.
A shame they had all left so quickly! SPHP would have liked to have learned more about their route, and what they’d encountered. Still, this was certainly good news. Sounded like they had done exactly what Lupe intended to try based on Finis Mitchell’s account in Wind River Trails.
Better get on with it, too! 9:30 AM already. John and Lisa wished Lupe success, then she headed NW across Beaver Park for the 1200 foot high W ridge where Granite Lake lay hidden above.
Starting for Squaretop Mountain (L) from Beaver Park. Granite Peak(9,892 ft.) (R). Photo looks NW.
“Granite Lake Trail – A short distance after crossing the bridge a faint trail takes off to the right with a sign showing the Granite Lake Trail. This trail, an old horse trail, is very difficult to follow unless you’ve had a lot of mountain experience. In 1953 there was a big forest fire here. It burnt the whole side of the mountain and it’s still the mess that it was when the fire went out.” – Finis Mitchell in Wind River Trails
“Squaretop Mountain Route – If you want to climb Square Top, after you cross the foot bridge on the Green River you go about 150 feet out into the woods and you come into the upper end of a big park. You go over to the edge of the timber and follow it down until you get down to and beyond the forest fire and downed timber. Then there is a draw comes right down from Granite Lake to the river, with green live timber in it. You work your way up the draw, past the burned area and pick up the old horse trail and go on to the lake …” – Finis Mitchell in Wind River Trails
No doubt it all made perfect sense back in the 1970’s when Wind River Trails was published. However, Loopster hadn’t seen any signs for the Granite Lake trail, and in the 65 years since the forest fire, the forest had regenerated to a point where no burn area was visible.
No worries, though. The topo map was crystal clear. All Lupe had to do was head WNW up the 1200 foot ridge staying S of Granite Peak. Once the terrain leveled out, Granite Lake ought to be close at paw. Simple enough.
Nearing the timber, Lupe crossed a boggy area, then a mucky little trickle of a stream at the base of the big ridge. Any ravines or old trails were still probably farther N than where Lupe was. SPHP didn’t bother looking for them. The Carolina Dog went right up into the forest, and started a long climb.
The slope was uniformly steep; wearying, but not dangerous. For a long way, the forest hid all views. Deadfall timber was present, but usually not that much. Lupe came to no major rock outcroppings or cliffs. The slope simply went up and up, with little variation. SPHP tried to angle NW, thinking Lupe was farther S than Mitchell’s recommended route.
On the way up the 1200 foot ridge W of Beaver Park. Photo looks S.
Loop was making good time going up the ridge, limited only by SPHP’s heart, lung and leg capacity. She was already quite high when she came to a clearing. Although the morning had started out sunny with bright blue skies, by now it had clouded up. A light rain began to fall. SPHP stopped to don the old blue plastic rain poncho.
The clouds didn’t look all that threatening. Lupe continued climbing. She stayed in the clearing – a long, skinny, continuous strip that went W straight up the ridge nearly all the rest of the way to the top. The rain subsided, and SPHP stopped again to remove the poncho.
Following the clearing higher. Photo looks WNW.From the clearing, Lupe had steadily improving views of the Green River valley, though the river itself could not be seen. Photo looks SE.
Two hours after leaving Beaver Park, Lupe reached the top of a hill. This seemed to be the high point of the entire 1200 foot ridge. The clearing had ended shortly before getting here. The hill was all fairly open forest, with lots of sizable deadfall timber scattered around.
Lupe had no unobstructed views, but by moving about, much of the E face of Squaretop Mountain could be seen between the trees. A glimpse of Granite Peak was visible off to the N, but Granite Lake was not in sight. SPHP studied the views, comparing them to the topo map.
This was probably the same hill John and Lisa had made it to yesterday. Minus a map, they hadn’t known which way to go from here to get to Granite Lake. However, SPHP was just about certain where Lupe was. This hill had to be High Point 9385. The S end of Granite Lake was only 0.25 mile NW.
At High Point 9385, a hill at the very top of the 1200 foot ridge. Photo looks SW.Granite Peak (L) from High Point 9385. Photo looks N.
“Squaretop Mountain Route … You go right around the right hand side of the lake to the outlet and cross (no trouble crossing). You go back around the lake part way and take up a little tiny stream that comes off of Square Top. You follow that stream clear up till you get above timberline, crossing a lot of snow. There’s a break in the ledges and you can go clear to the top.” – Finis Mitchell in Wind River Trails
Hmm. SPHP was surprised Lupe was still as far S as High Point 9385. The outlet stream Mitchell said to cross was way over at the N end of Granite Lake more than 0.5 mile away. Furthermore, she was already 140 feet higher than the lake. No doubt Mitchell was the expert, he’d spent nearly his whole life in the Wind River range. Maybe, though, there was a closer alternate way up?
A giant cirque S of High Point 11383 way up on Squaretop Mountain was partially in view. The topo map made it look like the cirque might not be as steep as Mitchell’s route farther N among the ledges. The last few hundred feet to the top looked challenging, but maybe it wasn’t all that bad?
Part of what SPHP suspected was the area of Finis Mitchell’s route was also in view. The upper end of it looked challenging, too. Was it really any better?
The giant cirque (Center) S of High Point 11383 (R) from High Point 9385. Photo looks WSW.The upper end of the cirque S of High Point 11383 with lots of help from the telephoto lens. Photo looks WSW.As SPHP understood it, Finis Mitchell’s route up Squaretop must be in the area near the center of this photo. Photo looks NW from High Point 9385 with help from the telephoto lens.
The giant cirque was closer, but not a proven route. The safest choice, with the highest likelihood of success, was for Lupe to go find Granite Lake, then follow Mitchell’s instructions as precisely as possible. Those happy young guys Lupe had met down at Beaver Park this morning had apparently done just that.
Maybe it was the lack of oxygen in the thin mountain air? SPHP led the Carolina Dog toward the giant cirque.
Traveling SW through the forest from High Point 9385, Lupe came to a boggy clearing rich with tall green grasses. She stayed N of the clearing going W. Loop had lost only minor elevation coming down off High Point 9385 to this saddle area.
At the rich green boggy clearing WSW of High Point 9385. Photo looks SW.
As Lupe got closer to Squaretop Mountain, she eventually turned NW to look for the inlet stream that comes down to Granite Lake from the giant cirque. SPHP thought the American Dingo might be able to follow this stream up into the cirque.
In fact, in SPHP’s mind, Finis Mitchell’s brief description of his route up hadn’t entirely excluded the possibility that he actually did mean to take this same inlet stream up into the giant cirque. He never actually came out and said that, though, which he likely would have if that had been the case.
When Lupe reached the inlet stream, what she saw fairly conclusively ruled out this possibility. Mitchell had described the stream to follow up the mountain as “tiny”. The inlet stream wasn’t huge, but had decent flow. Furthermore, it was braided with a number of channels, some widely separated, taking different courses down the mountain.
After a climb in the forest and passing through a rocky area going NW, Lupe reached this slope where the inlet stream to Granite Lake poured down from the giant cirque in a number of different channels. Granite Peak (R). Edge of Squaretop Mountain (L). Photo looks N.One of a number of similar channels of the Granite Lake inlet stream.
SPHP thought it best to cross over to the N side of the inlet stream, so one by one, Lupe crossed the various channels.
Loop about to cross another channel.
As Lupe worked her way higher, the stream became more concentrated, the separate channels starting to combine into a single course. Loop was climbing fairly steep slopes that were partially forested, and part open meadows filled with wildflowers.
Looking higher from just N of the main stream course. Photo looks W.
After a good climb, it appeared Lupe was approaching the base of a rock ledge or line of small cliffs. SPHP could find no break in this formation. Looper was forced S. She ultimately gained the top of the ledge by climbing a series of little waterfalls right up the main stream bed.
Approaching a line of small cliffs. Lupe was forced to climb right in the stream bed (L) in order to get up on top. Photo looks W.
Above the ledge, the terrain was still steep. Lupe stayed farther N again, as she worked her way W through mostly forested territory. She gained substantial elevation. The views back to the E and SE of the Green River canyon became ever more spectacular, though the valley floor down by the river still could not be seen.
Heading higher somewhere above the line of small cliffs. Photo looks SW.Among the wildflowers.Approaching rockier terrain. Photo looks NW.
On and on! The American Dingo kept climbing. Staying N of the stream, she made steady progress toward the giant cirque. The forest thinned out. The terrain became rockier. Lupe started coming to large boulder fields more and more often. The views opened up.
Hey, looky here! Now we’re starting to get somewhere! Photo looks WSW.Giant cirque S of High Point 11383 dead ahead, I do believe! Photo looks WSW.Entering the E end of the giant cirque. Photo looks SSW.Looking up at what was directly above. Lupe would stay S (L) of the high point at Center. Photo looks NW.Looking back down at the Green River canyon. Photo looks SE.Whew! It’s farther than it looks, but we’re getting there! Photo looks SW.
As Lupe got higher and farther W into the giant cirque, SPHP expected to see some fairly easy routes up out of it along the upper edge. At first this seemed to be the case. However, as Looper got even closer, SPHP began to realize that all the channels or gullies leading to the upper lip of the cirque seemed to be full of snow at dangerously steep angles, far steeper than Lupe and SPHP were prepared to deal with.
SPHP began scrutinizing all the cliffs along the upper edge of the cirque. Which way? Where should Lupe go? At the far SW end were several gullies that looked fairly promising. It appeared there might be a route over there where only a short section of snow would have to be crossed where there was exposure. However, that area was farthest away from where Lupe was now, and time was already a consideration. Who knew what it all actually looked like up close?
Loop was closest to a big gully on the R (N). SPHP had great hopes for it, but as the Carolina Dog approached, those hopes were dashed. Way too steep. Too much snow.
As Lupe got closer to the W end of the huge cirque, SPHP scanned the cliffs along the upper edge looking for a way up. The area seen directly beyond Lupe seemed to hold promise, but was farthest away. Photo looks SW.Another look back at the Green River canyon from higher up. Photo looks SE.
Lupe kept climbing. As the perspective changed, SPHP kept scanning for possibilities.
Looking W.The most intriguing possibilities are on seen on the L, but getting over there would take some time. Photo looks SW with help from the telephoto lens.Getting closer to the first big gully (Center) that didn’t pan out. Photo looks W.Checking out that upper SW end of the cirque again. Photo looks SW.Zoomed in on the upper W end of the cirque where a stream plunged down in a series of small waterfalls. Photo looks WSW.
The next gully W beyond the first disappointing one on the R (N) looked like a decent option. It was narrower, and had a steep snow bank in it, too. However, it appeared Loopster could go up a 2 or 3 foot wide gap between the snow and the rock wall to the SW. She ought to be able to get high enough in this manner to reach a point where she could leave the gully, and have an easy climb the rest of the way up.
Approaching the next promising nearby possibility. Photo looks WNW.OK, this might be the way! Going to try staying in between the rock wall and the L side of the snow bank. Photo looks NW.
By the time Lupe reached the bottom of the snow bank, it was clear this gully and the snow bank were much steeper than they had looked from below. However, it was possible to go carefully up the gap between the snow and the rock wall to the L. Loop did manage to get as high as it looked like she would have to before leaving the gully, but the escape route proved to be an illusion.
No way! Ahead the rock wall protruded against the snow, completely closing off the gap Lupe was climbing up, and any possibility of going higher without actually getting up onto the snow. As steep as the snow bank was, that was completely out of the question. Failure!
SPHP was ready to start a careful descent, when out of the corner of an eye, there was movement to the R. Lupe! In horror, SPHP glanced over to see her standing quite happily a few paces away right up on the snow. Apparently she had realized that she had to get up onto it in order to go any higher. Somehow she had done so of her own volition.
In horror, SPHP realized Lupe was standing out of reach on the perilously steep snow.
Lupe stood smiling proudly at SPHP. She was ready to keep going! If she lost her grip, though, and started to slide, there would be no stopping what would happen next. A 75 to 100 foot rocket slide straight down the chute to be dashed onto to the jagged rocks below!
Looking down the Gully of Death.
Come, Lupe! Come here, girl! Come! Come to me!
Lupe did. A couple of steps and she was within reach. SPHP grabbed her collar and yanked her to safety. Dodged a bullet! Gonna be OK. That careful retreat now began. No more getting up onto the snow!
Time consuming, but Lupe made it safely down out of the Gully of Death. SPHP began leading her toward that most promising area way over to the SW. Lupe hadn’t gone far, however, when it looked like she might be able to simply scramble directly up the rocky slope just above her. Didn’t look far to some ledges and easier terrain above. Why not?
Another illusion was why not. Once Lupe started up, it became clear this route was much steeper, and safety much farther and higher, than it had first appeared. Exposure! SPHP hates exposure! The route kept threatening to end abruptly. Many times SPHP managed to creep, crawl, or climb higher wondering if Lupe stood any chance of following. As if by magic, the Carolina Dog always did.
What had appeared to be a 40 or 50 foot climb, turned out to be more like 200 or 300 before Lupe finally got to where the situation improved, and SPHP was certain the scary part was over. Never again! SPHP resolved Lupe would find another route for her descent. The thought of ever coming back down this way was petrifying.
Loop relaxing after a nerve-wracking ascent of the steepest part of her route out of the giant cirque. Photo looks SE.
Lupe still had another 300 or 400 feet higher to go to completely escape the giant cirque, but the worst was over. Still a very steep trek at first, the slope of the terrain steadily decreased. Loop was on vegetation now. The ground wasn’t so rocky. She started having fun again roaming W, while leading the way up along the N side of a big ravine.
Looking back down. Lupe’s route higher was still very steep at first, but the worst was over. Photo looks SE.Oh, yeah! Looking better now! Photo looks SSE.
A stream full of tiny waterfalls flowed E down the center of the ravine. Lupe came to multiple false summits as she sniffed and explored higher. The slope of the terrain kept decreasing. Couldn’t be much farther!
Lupe (Center, R of the closest snow) leads the way up the big ravine. Photo looks W.Out of the giant cirque at last, along the upper edge. Photo looks SE.
Finally! Loopster was out of the giant cirque! She stood at 11,000 feet, nearly 3,000 feet higher than where she’d started the day back at Beaver Park. She had reached Squaretop Mountain’s huge summit plateau, but was still a long way S of the actual true summit, nearly 700 feet higher.
“Squaretop Mountain Route … When you get out on top, then in order to look back down to Green River Lakes (you’re on the rear end of the top) you have to go about a mile and a half over the top to where you can look back down over the lakes. From the main trail it’s a couple of miles to Granite Lake, then about another mile to the top. On the top you don’t have to go clear to the front to get a good view. You can stay along the right side and go out on points where you can see the river and your trail all the way up. You can turn around when you get on top and see clear back to Gannet Peak and a lot of the glaciers. You’re at 11,695 feet, about three and a half thousand feet above the river …” – Finis Mitchell in Wind River Trails
The topo map disagreed with Mitchell’s distances, but his elevations were spot on. So was the overall gist of his description of the layout. Lupe needed to head N. The true summit was still a mile away as the crow flies. Though hours of daylight remained, it was clear she would be pressed for time on the return. Loop had to go even farther N than the summit in order to look down upon the Green River Lakes.
Didn’t matter how long it was going to take. Though unprepared, even if it meant having to stay up on Squaretop overnight, the American Dingo was going to get there. Not coming this far only to beat a retreat! After pausing a few moments to enjoy the thrill of having escaped the giant cirque, Lupe headed N.
Before her was a broad plain strewn with numerous low-lying boulders. Beyond this plain were flat-topped ridges of rock a few hundred feet high. A wonderful, easy romp was ahead all the way to those rocky ridges.
On Squaretop’s summit plateau after escaping the giant cirque. A wonderful, easy romp was ahead. Photo looks N.
0.33 mile N got Loop close to the first of the rocky ridges. The plateau was still broad here, but narrower than before. A wide lane of alpine meadow along the E side was clearly the easiest way forward. Lupe passed near large snow banks to the W from which tiny meltwater streams trickled down through the meadow and over the E edge.
Were these snow banks the source of the tiny stream Finis Mitchell said to follow up from Granite Lake? SPHP was convinced they were. If so, Mitchell’s route must reach the summit plateau in this area. This theory seemed more than plausible. Unfortunately, Lupe couldn’t afford to waste valuable time further investigating this possibility.
Lupe (R) leads the way past the snow banks W of the alpine meadow. This meadow may be where Finis Mitchell’s route reaches the summit plateau. Loop is headed for the E (R) end of the rocky ridge just ahead. Photo looks N.
The Carolina Dog continued on. Before getting very far beyond the snow banks, the first rock ridge extended almost all the way to the E edge of the mountain, choking off the alpine meadow. Lupe began climbing, and soon made a significant discovery. Cairns, and a faint trail! More evidence that Mitchell’s route did come this way.
Looking back from the ridge, Lupe had a better view of the area where Mitchell’s route probably came up. From the alpine meadow, the terrain sloped ever more steeply down to the E seemingly destined for a plunge into an unseen abyss. Of course, if that actually was Mitchell’s route, the appearance had to be deceiving. Still, the unnerving scene did not make SPHP want Lupe to consider a descent that way on her return trip.
Starting the climb up the first rock ridge of the summit plateau. Photo looks S back the way Lupe had just come. The alpine meadow from which tiny streams trickle down to the E (L) is at Center. Mitchell’s route seemingly must come up from the ravine on the L.Looking SE now from the same spot. If SPHP was right, Mitchell’s route continues down toward the lower L. Yikes!Gannet Peak(13,804 ft.) (Center) from the same spot. Photo looks SE.Cliffs along a notch in the E face of Squaretop Mountain. Green River valley below on the R. Photo looks NNE.
Lupe climbed NW, and reached a less rocky area N of the first ridge. A big notch coming in from the E face of Squaretop forced her to continue W or NW. A few minutes brought Loop clear over to Squaretop’s W edge for the first time. Here she could see partway down into the Marten Lake canyon, although she wasn’t close enough to the edge to see all the way down to the lake.
Of more interest was the view to the SW. Off in the distance, there was New Benchmark(11,850 ft.)! New Benchmark was the very mountain where Lupe had been stymied by a huge steep snowbank that prevented her from continuing toward Squaretop Mountain from the W in 2017.
Near the W edge looking over the Marten Lake canyon. New Benchmark is the high point in the distance farthest R near Center. Photo looks SW.Peak11,820 (L) and New Benchmark (R). Photo looks SW with lots of help from the telephoto lens.
Having reached the W edge, the terrain now favored climbing back to the NE. Lupe came to a succession of relatively gently sloping rock strewn meadows where she made rapid progress. However, each meadow led to a much steeper, slower climb up a bouldery ridge.
One of a series of alpine meadows each leading to steeper climbs up boulder ridges. Photo looks N.Tiny wildflowers decorated the meadows.
After traversing several such meadows and ridges, a notable high point was seen ahead. A collection of large boulders forming a wall 25 or 30 feet high sat perched upon the largest ridge yet near the E edge of the mountain. Was that the summit of Squaretop Mountain(11,695 ft.)? Lupe headed toward it.
Approaching what SPHP thought might be the true summit. Photo looks NE.
No! As Lupe scrambled up onto the ridge, a clearly higher collection of boulders was seen farther N. That was it, no doubt about it – the true summit of Squaretop Mountain! Lupe was almost there!
Approaching the true summit of Squaretop Mountain (Center)! Photo looks N.
The true summit was 500 feet farther N, sitting out on a flat plain full of rounded boulders far from any edge of the mountain. The boulders weren’t numerous enough to seriously impede progress.
Ignoring the first high point she was already practically right next to, Lupe took off for the summit. She scrambled to the top from the W end in a flash. Easy, squeezy! Nothing to it! SPHP soon joined her.
Lupe reaches the true summit of Squaretop Mountain. Photo looks SE.
Another similar collection of boulders sat even farther off to the N across the bouldery plain, but it was clearly lower. Lupe was definitely at the true summit. SPHP searched, but found no survey benchmark or registry. Only a pathetic little excuse for a cairn marked the top of mighty Squaretop Mountain (11,695 ft.).
Even farther N across the bouldery plain sat yet another similar collection of boulders forming yet another high point, but it was clearly lower. Photo looks NW.
Nothing impeded the views from Squaretop Mountain’s true summit. In nearly all directions Lupe saw a grand assortment of tremendous peaks. The most impressive lay mostly along spine of the Wind River Range off to the SE, where Gannet Peak(13,804 ft.), highest in Wyoming, and many others SPHP didn’t recognize were on display.
Lupe’s L ear (seen on the R) points up toward Gannet Peak. Photo looks SE.Gannet Peak (L), the Wyoming state high point, from Squaretop Mountain. Photo looks SE with help from the telephoto lens.Same view with Gannet Peak on the L, but with less help from the telephoto lens. Photo looks SE.Gannet Peak (Center) and others along the spine of the Wind River Range. Photo looks SE.Zoomed in on Peak 11,820 (L) and New Benchmark (R). Photo looks SW.New Benchmark(11,850 ft.) (Center) far beyond Lupe. Photo looks SW.Gannet Peak at far R. Photo looks ESE.Looking SSE with lots of help from the telephoto lens.
Time was running out. Yet there was more to see from Squaretop, lots more. Due to the late start and all the other mistakes SPHP had made, Lupe only got to spend 15 or 20 minutes at the true summit before she really needed to be moving on. She had her peakbagging achievement, but still had not seen the premier view that makes Squaretop Mountain such an incredible destination.
She still hadn’t seen the glorious view looking back down the Green River canyon all the way to the Green River Lakes.
SPHP scrambled down first. For several magical minutes the Carolina Dog remained alone atop the true summit of Squaretop Mountain.
Lupe alone at the true summit. Photo looks E.Hard to believe I’m finally really here!Last moments awaiting the signal to come down.
SPHP signaled. Lupe raced down. Puppy, ho! On to the next cluster of boulders to the N! May as well check it out. It was on the way to those fabulous, long highly anticipated views of the Green River Lakes.
The next cluster was actually a somewhat trickier proposition. The top was narrow and a bit precarious. Another cairn was up here. However, a glance back to the S only served to confirm that the true summit really was back there.
Loop atop the far N high point. SPHP remained of the opinion that this was not the true summit. Photo looks SE.
Flags and purple wildflowers decorated this far N high point. The flags led SPHP to think maybe some did consider this the true summit? Who knew? Perhaps it was. Mountains can produce strange and convincing illusions. No registry here, either, though. SPHP wasn’t swayed. Lupe ventured no opinion. She’d been both places now, so what difference did it make?
Up on the far N high point. Photo looks S.Purple wildflowers decorated the far N high point.Did the flags mean this was actually the true summit? SPHP didn’t believe it. Lupe never said. Photo looks N.So, SPHP, now that we’ve gotten all these preliminaries done, can we please get on with it and go see what we came to see?
Lupe didn’t stay on the far N high point long. The Green River Lakes were calling!
Excitement mounted as the American Dingo approached the N edge of mighty Squaretop Mountain. Two minutes, and Looper was there. The mountain fell away revealing the view so long sought after. 3,500 feet below, the Green River meandered away to the NNW toward Upper, and more distant Lower, Green River Lakes.
The Green River and Upper & Lower Green River Lakes from Squaretop Mountain. The big ridge on the R is White Rock(11,284 ft.). Photo looks NNW.Upper Green River Lake is closest. The trailhead Lupe had started from yesterday is at the far end of more distant Lower Green River Lake. Photo looks NNW.Green River Lakes from Squaretop Mountain. Photo looks NNW.Green River Lakes with lots of help from the telephoto lens.
The view was stunning, glorious, magnificent! 5 minutes was all the longer Lupe had to enjoy it. Time was pressing, if she expected to have any hope of getting off the mountain tonight. For those marvelous 5 minutes, Loop stood there near the edge of the precipice taking it all in.
Off to the NW, a somewhat lower lobe of Squaretop’s summit extended farther N. Sadly, no time to go over there to explore and enjoy it.
Sadly, Lupe didn’t have time to go explore the slightly lower lobe of the summit (L), which extended farther N. Photo looks NW.
Should have been up here many hours ago. Would have been wonderful to have time to explore Squaretop Mountain’s vast summit from one end to the other. So much to do and see up here!
How fun it would have been to visit the S end of the mountain, too! Way down by High Point 11415, S of the giant cirque, Lupe could have peered down upon the saddle to the SW leading to High Point 11590. She would have found out if she had ever stood a chance of getting here from New Benchmark.
That would remain a mystery. SPHP regretted the mistakes which had delayed Lupe’s arrival at this grand viewpoint. Chief among them, not getting to Granite Lake to set up base camp yesterday evening, and then the needlessly late start this morning.
Yet, at the same time, it had all been such an adventure! A completely joyous experience once it had been clear Lupe was going to succeed in escaping the giant cirque! Lupe had at long last made it to the summit of Squaretop Mountain. For these precious few minutes, she really was standing here by the soaring edge gazing down on the wondrous view of Green River Lakes.
Nice view. Got anything to eat in that pack, SPHP?
The moment passed. Lupe headed S.
The American Dingo’s Squaretop Mountain adventure was far from over. She traveled along the E edge of the mountain where she could peer down into the Green River canyon. Loop never made it to Granite Lake this morning, but now she did get to see it from more than 2,400 feet above.
Looking down on Granite Peak(9,892 ft.) (L), Granite Lake (R), and even Beaver Park (Center). Photo looks, umm, down. (And ESE!)Along the E edge. The first high point SPHP thought might be Squaretop’s summit is on the far R. Glover Peak (12,068 ft.) is a little L of Center in the distance. Photo looks SSE.The Green River canyon from Squaretop Mountain. Gannet Peak on the L. Photo looks SE with help from the telephoto lens.A final look back. Lower Green River Lake (L) and White Rock (Center). Photo looks N.Approaching Squaretop’s true summit (L) again. Peak 11820 (Center) and New Benchmark (R). Photo looks SW.
As Lupe passed by Squaretop’s true summit once again, now heading S, the race was on! 2.5 hours until sunset. No more than that.
From above, it was possible to see that Lupe could avoid down climbing the worst of the bouldery ridges by staying farther W. Most of the clouds had blown away. A gorgeous evening! The views were fantastic as Loop raced S.
Heading back along Squaretop’s summit plateau. Glover Peak on the L. Photo looks S.A final look at Peak 11820 (L) and New Benchmark (R) both near (Center) beyond the Marten Lake canyon. Photo looks SW.
Lupe still had to go back near the E edge to get down from the first ridge she had come to on the summit plateau. Then it was through the alpine meadow, and past the big snow banks where the trickling streams were. The sun was still up, and would be for a while yet, as the Carolina Dog reached the big ravine leading E back down into the giant cirque.
Lupe charges ahead toward the big ravine leading to the giant cirque. Photo looks SSE.Frolicking on a pink snow bank in the big ravine.Looking down the big ravine leading to the W lip of the giant cirque. Gannet Peak in the distance L of Center. Photo looks SE.Thirsty Dingo.So what do you think of the rouge I put on back at the pink snow bank? Am I beautiful?
Lupe stayed near the stream down in the bottom of the big ravine as she drew near the upper lip of the giant cirque. Such trepidation! Was there going to be any reasonably safe way down? Lupe wasn’t even going to attempt a descent where she’d come up. Way too scary!
Waterfalls and steep terrain had been visible along this stream before Lupe had made her ascent. However, Loop lost a surprising amount of elevation without any problem. Spirits soared when she started coming to cairns! The cairns helped tremendously, but eventually either SPHP lost the way or they ran out.
The going became tricky. The cairns had led into another draw a little S of the stream. The route became very steep, with several down climbs SPHP had to help Lupe with. Fear grew. At one point it looked like this was it, Lupe had cliffed out, but after rounding a corner, a viable way lower appeared.
SPHP was enormously relieved when Looper made it to the base of the gullies. The scariest part was over, but a lot of time had been chewed up during the cautious descent. The sun still shone on the mountaintops, but wouldn’t for much longer.
Hurry! Hurry! Now it was down, down the giant cirque. Lupe stayed close to the bottom this time, mostly S of the stream instead of N. The frequent boulder fields were slow going, but Loop did come to a long snowfield, which helped her avoid some of them. On and on.
Loop had been in the mountain’s shadow for a long time, and was N of the stream when she did cliff out. She had reached that first ledge she’d gotten around by climbing up the stream bed. Light was fading fast, but much easier terrain was still visible 300 or 400 feet lower. No way to get to it, though.
Trying that trick in the stream bed again seemed like a bad idea now. It was getting hard to see. The terrain above the ledge seemed alarmingly steeper going down than it had going up. Staying far from the ledge, which would be easy to slide over, was a priority. So what now?
Off to the S, beyond where the stream was, a 45° forested slope went far down to the E. A viable option, if Lupe could get over there. Yeah, try that! Loop regained 75 feet of elevation before managing to work her way over to the stream again at a point where it could be crossed.
By the time Loop succeeded in reaching the 45° slope, the forest was so dark the headlamp and flashlight had to come out. There was a bit of a ridgeline here. The plan was to follow it down. Puppy, ho! Onward!
The black forest phase of the ordeal began. Nothing at all could be seen except a tiny faintly lit region in SPHP’s immediate vicinity. Lupe sniffed her way around with complete confidence in and out of total darkness. For a while everything seemed to be going fine. Lupe lost elevation steadily, passing minor rock formations along the ridgeline. It was a long way down, though. She still had 1,500 feet of elevation to lose.
The ridgeline eventually vanished. Lupe reached a boggy area where the terrain leveled out. Traveling along the S edge of the bog, she soon found herself following a tiny stream SE. The slope steepened, and the stream plunged through an area choked with deadfall timber. Progress nearly ground to a halt as SPHP struggled through the tangled mess.
A few easier spots were encountered, but were always shortly followed by another steep descent amid more deadfall. Lupe lost what seemed to be an incredible amount of elevation, but the situation did not improve.
Weary Lupe tries to get a few winks in somewhere on the long black descent.
Lupe finally came to an open slope. It was steep, too, but at least there was no deadfall. About this time, Loop got scared. She was starting to hear thunder and see lightning. Not that close yet, but coming this way. The Carolina Dog begged SPHP to stop. She wanted to hide and wait out the approaching storm.
SPHP did stop briefly several times, but kept encouraging Loop to keep going. A few raindrops were felt. The rain was about to start in earnest. SPHP put on the blue rain poncho, then sat on an uncomfortably steep slope. Lupe cowered inside the poncho on SPHP’s lap.
Lightning! Thunder! Rain fell for 20 minutes. Enough to get everything soaking wet. When it was over, the black descent resumed. The clearing ended. Back into the deadfall filled forest! Down, down, forever down!
For hours the roar of the Green River had been heard from the canyon. Lupe was getting closer. The river’s roar became louder and louder, but she never seemed to get there. Finally, the river sounded much louder. Loop had to be very close now, but she hadn’t come to the Highline Trail.
SPHP was virtually certain the trail was on the near side of the river, but in the dead of night fears mounted. What if it wasn’t? What if Looper reached the river as it cut through a steep-sided area almost impossible to traverse? What if she had already somehow crossed the trail without recognizing it?
Nutty alone at night in the wilderness phantoms! Suddenly, when the roar of the Green River was so loud it seemed a few more steps would plunge Lupe into it, there she was, standing right on the Highline Trail. Thank heavens! The Green River actually was only a few feet away down a vertical embankment.
0.75 mile back to Beaver Park and the Marmot tiny house. On the verge of utter exhaustion, Lupe and SPHP piled in. Famished, Loop devoured an entire can of Alpo. She curled up on her red sleeping bag. SPHP covered her as well as possible. She was gone in an instant, running strong and free again in the glow of the beautiful evening sunlight in Dingo Dreamland high up on Squaretop Mountain.
7-22-18, morning, Beaver Park – The sun beat down on the Marmot tiny house. Gonna cook in here! Wearily, SPHP crawled out. Lupe didn’t want to budge despite the heat. SPHP had to force her out into the shade beneath the rain flap. No energy at all. Just drained. An hour shot by while SPHP lazily took down the tiny house and packed up.
John and Lisa were up, having their morning coffee. Before leaving, Lupe and SPHP went over to visit them. They were curious. Had Lupe made it up Squaretop Mountain? They’d begun to wonder when she hadn’t gotten back by dark. What time did she get in?
Oh, yeah! Lupe had been there! She’d made it up Squaretop. As to what time she got back, SPHP had no clue. The tangled black forest had been endless. Seemed like 2 or 3 hours had gone by after the storm before Loop had made it back to Beaver Park.
John was amazed. The storm had gone through at 1:30 AM. So Lupe got back around 4:00 AM? Maybe. Who really knew? SPHP’s estimate may well have been off. Time often passes far more slowly than one thinks in the dark. Still, it must have been plenty late.
John and Lisa had news. They said that they’d been told about a good trail up to Granite Lake. Evidently a thin line of trees divides Beaver Park into two parts. The N section was smaller. Over along the W side there was supposedly a big rock at the base of the ridge close to where the good trail went up. Worth remembering, if Lupe ever came back.
The sky clouded up. Noon already. Lupe and SPHP bid John and Lisa farewell. A long trek back to the trailhead at Lower Green River Lake was in store. No matter. Loop had all day to get there.
It was a slow plod. The mood had completely switched from the hopeful journey in 2 days ago. Light rain fell. Mosquitoes harassed. Depleted, Lupe and SPHP didn’t even stop by the beautiful rapids on the Green River. The dull gray sky and annoying bugs even discouraged paying any attention to the gorgeous scenery. A feeling of sadness developed. Squaretop Mountain was over. Would Lupe ever be back? Not likely.
Forevermore in the mind’s eye, though, miles beyond the Green River Lakes, the spirit of the precious Dingo stands proudly at the brink of a spectacular precipice atop the mighty sentinel of the Wind River Range. She gazes down upon a splendid scene, still hopefully awaiting that happy day.
End – 7-22-18, 8:00 PM, Lower Green River Lakes trailhead
Lower Green River Lake & Squaretop Mountain, Wind River Range of Wyoming 7-19-18
“Squaretop Mountain Route … Most younger groups such as Boy or Girl Scouts take two days going from the end of the road to the bridge at Beaver Park. There are numerous camping spots all over the area. From the bridge to the top of Square Top and back is a good day’s hike for this age group and families.” – Finis Mitchell in Wind River Trails
What! Seriously? Good grief Looper, I must have seriously botched this one up. Seemed like a wonder we made it at all. Next time we’re staying at Granite Lake, getting up at dawn, and sticking with Mitchell’s route. You’re gonna have practically all day to explore the whole dang summit plateau!
