We had the weekend before Dani returned to school picked out but monsoon rains scared us away! Which was a difficult pivot with the amount of preparation and planning that we had put into this trip. Our Wednesday evening and Thursday were difficult times, as we eyed the weather and deliberated on what was the best decision. We finally made the call - but with a significant letdown and headed to the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming with deflated enthusiasm. Fortunately for us, we found similar terrain and flora in the Bighorns but with more striking peaks and larger lakes!
We started at the West Tensleep TH which lies at the terminus of Tensleep Canyon, an incredible scenic gorge with HWY access and rock climbers in sprinter vans dotting the landscape.We puttered on in the Insight to the dirt road and made camp to rest from our 8 hour drive before setting out in the morning.
We hiked into Wilderness Basin on our first day so that I could take in the view of Cloud, Indomitable, and Blacktooth from the west side. We lounged in the sun for hours in near-perfect weather before making the hike back to Mistymoon Lake where we camped. I started thinking about Mossi and how capable he will continue to be as he ages. We are becoming aware of that reality now and really want to cherish these moments with him in the mountains.
Saturday morning we set the alarm for 4:45am to catch the meteors and get an early start up Cloud Peak, the highpoint of the range, and the main attraction for visitors to the Bighorns. The early start was nice for solitude and sunrise. We stopped on the lower slopes of the western flank to have breakfast and sip coffee, and were passed by the first of many groups that we would encounter on the day.
Summit Shot! Cloud Peak and the Bighorns have bee in my imagination from map musings for over a decade. The glacial cirques and seeming remoteness of the range intrigued me. All of those things are true, but this is also one of the more popular places to backpack that we've visited. Think Red Castle Lake or Naturalist Basin in the Uintas. Unlike the Uintas - the crowd in the Bighorns seems to have received the "leave no trace" message better. Campfires were hard to find, as was trash, and most hikers had waste bags. Hopefully, Utah's backcountry scene can match this adherence to best practices.
Mossi made the big hike with his typical impressive rock-hopping skills. He received many compliments from the other hikers as he navigated the giant talus piles that guard the upper reaches of the summit.
We arrived back at Mistymoon in early afternoon and rested before continuing on our route over Florence Pass on the Solitude Trail. The east side of Florence Pass was my favorite part of the hike. The canyon drops quickly through mind defying talus piles that challenge you to consider how glaciers could have created this geology. The walls continue to rise steeper and are interspersed with impressive slide paths and waterfalls.
We stumbled into a primo campsite nested in spruce and overlooking the valley right around dusk, and cozied up for the night, which advertised a cold front and possibly rain/snow.
No snow, but rain and an impressive lightning bolt/thunder awakened us in the wee hours of the night.
The morning brought colder temps and a blanket of fog covering the canyon. Fortunately - our cliff was south-facing, so soon we were soaking in the sun and marveling at the beauty of the day.
We decided to cut our loop short because Mossi's paws were a bit damaged from the Cloud Peak hike, and our intended route had a few miles of off-trail exploration to cross the mountain crest above Frozen Lakes, so I made an explorative hike up to Powell Lakes that terminated in the impressive cirque above. Throughout the hike we found some very impressive mushrooms, that made us wish we brought the backcountry cook setup.
Oysters?
Aspen Bolete
Frozen Dasies
