Wind Rivers (Part III)

On the 3rd day we rested. We soaked up much needed sun, read magazines, took photos, and scouted for our final day of climbing.

Even though it was September the alpine wildflowers were still out. . . 

At the end of the day we'd picked this as our next objective. . . 

Sacajawea

The 5th of September, my birthday, found us attempting a new route up the center of Sacajawea. We climbed through big dihedral systems, and beautiful granite.

Mark Jenkins Photo.

Mark Jenkins Photo.

Mark Jenkins Photo.

About halfway up we found ourselves forced into another challenging traverse pitch. 

Mark Jenkins Photo.

The Crux

Steep climbing followed along with the crux. A 5.10+ flaring chimney.

Mark Jenkins Photo.

Towards the top we climbed a beautiful featured ridge line with the whole world beneath us.

Mark Jenkins Photo.

Mark Jenkins Photo.

The descent involved a few rappels, lots of traversing, and even a little glacier travel.

Indian Paintbrush. IV 5.10+ 12 Pitches

Mark Jenkins Photo.

The horses weren't going to help us pack our stuff out. So we spent the evening trying to eat the last of our food and drink the rest of our beer.

Celebrating My Birthday in the Mountains and In Style. First Ascent in the Bag, Beer in one Hand, Whisky in the Other, and a Trash Fire to keep me Warm. 

Mark Jenkins Photo.

The Wind Rivers are among my favorite mountain ranges. As Mark stated in his trip report for the American Alpine Journal;

"There are lifetimes worth of new routes left in the Winds just waiting for the few, the proud, the backcountry alpinists. The climbing itself is not unlike that in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, although the hike in is often twice as far (15 miles), the approaches up talus are twice as long (2 hours), and the climbs themselves are twice as tall (a dozen pitches). Which means you can’t easily rap back to the base, instead one typically hikes down from the summit. Hence, climbing with a relatively heavy pack (approach shoes, light down jacket, rain jacket, fleece cap and gloves, 2 quarts of water, lunch, etc.) is often obligatory. Nonetheless, for a mere tank of gas and bag of groceries, the glory of unexplored granite is all yours."

After 4 beautiful days it started raining that night. We awoke before sunrise and started the long hike out under stormy skies. Our appetite for adventure satiated we marveled in our good fortune, and enjoyed the new bond further cementing our climbing partnership.