As I was contemplating of which mountain I should lay eyes on for this adventure, Gannett Peak came across my mind. She is the highest peak in Wyoming (sorry, Grand Boobies, you're not the one). So, not only is Gannett 13,809 feet above the sea level, which would be the highest elevation I've ever been on, but also the most remote of all the state high points in the lower 48. Thought process and excitement flooded my mind.
Am I ready for this? Why do I strive for something that's way over my capability? How do I know if there's a limit? Will I do it right? I immediately worked on my research, read trip reports, and talked to people about doing it solo on this beastly expedition. I found several topographic maps, acquired multiple climbing routes, and learned some useful techniques about glacier travel and self-rescue from friends and the internet.
The plan started.
On August 15th, 2012, I left for this epic expedition of my own and arrived in Dubois, WY, late evening on August 16 after driving for 17 hours from St. Paul, Minnesota.
That night, I decided to get a campsite at a local campground that was only several miles away from the trailhead in order to sort out my gear, and also, to get a good night sleep before hitting the trail.
Day 1, 2 & 3
Glacier Trail Approach: 23 miles to basecamp;
3,590 feet gain.
In to the Wind River Range, Glacier Trail welcomed me right away with a crap load of constant uphill and switchback suckfest. Immediately after was the high 5-mile Burro Pass that would take you to the end of the world where you might reconsider climbing Gannett.
Once
I attained the Pass, it was, for me, a matter of grinding
it out, one miserable step at a time. I was tired, I was hot, and I was beginning to wonder what on earth had prompted me to
embark upon this insane adventure. After hating my life for 11 miles, I finally
made it to Phillips Lake, the first water source, and rested there for
the night. Rumor said that a lot of sleep and hydration would help these tired muscles
and joints.
The
next morning, breakfast was heavenly. I needed to eat and
prepare for the suck. After demolishing the whole dehydrated meal and several Cliff bars, I quickly chugged 2 full bottles of water, mixed with chia seeds and honey. An hour later, I continued on the good old trail
and reached Double Lake, Star Lake, and the view of Honeymoon
Lake. Beautiful morning. Beautiful sun. Beautiful lakes. Long series of
switchbacks appeared. No problem. I went down some thousand vertical
feet with more rocks and gravel to encounter the most beautiful creek
I've ever seen. After approaching the Big Meadows, Dinwoody Creek and
Klondike Creek lead me to Wilson Meadows in less than 2 hours. At this
point, Gannett peaked her face around the corner for the very first time
to say, "Hey, silly girl, you're only half way there!" The hike was a lot
less strenuous, but I decided to pitch my tent early anyway to get
plenty of rest for the final push tomorrow. Highlight of the day: I saw a
herd of elk and a moose shortly after my first sight of Gannett Peak.  |
| Double Lake |
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| View of Gannett Peak for the very first time. |
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| A herd of Elk |
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| Say Hello to my little Moose. |
The
third day of this solo expedition started out very, very wet. And by "mwett", I meant crossing Gannett Creek and the many rivulets
that form the headwaters of Dinwoody Creek. There were three or four of
these to cross in this area and each had a
makeshift bridge formed by logs thrown across. I figured out the way
through this confusing area and made it over safely with great help from
the trekking poles.Continuing up the trail, about an hour later, I passed the tree line and walked up the valley toward the mountain. With green meadows and colorful wild flowers in abundance, and thousands of feet of towering rock on both sides, this valley was, so far, one of the most pleasant sights yet. However, the ascent up the long, steep sections leading directly to the gentle swayback grew increasingly aggravating and seemingly never-ending. Finally, it brought me almost to the end of Glacier Trail and the beginning of nasty boulder fields. I found a convenient, flatter area and called it a day.
Day 4 - Pre-Summit Interlude.
There were a few potential factors to my concern on successfully climb the summit: dehydration, lack of oxygen, lack of time to acclimatize, out of shape, bad weather, basecamp too far, running out of time... So, I gave myself an extra day at the "basecamp" to acclimatize, load up on calories, hydrate my body with delicious glacial water, and try to learn the route while convincing myself that staring at the summit enough would take me there eventually.
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| Basecamp right under Gannett Peak |
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| Behind me was the massive Warren Peak. |
I also wanted to camp as close to the base of the actual peak as I possibly could. That being said, having a 45 lb. weight on my back while scrambling up a 1000' gain and crossing a 2 mile boulder field was another crap episode I had to put up. It wasn't as bad as Day 1. It was inconvenient...but not bad, really put my quad muscles to the test though. Finally, amid the north of the Dinwoody Glacier below and the gently rounded summit ridge of Gannett Peak above, I was able to find a flat area next to one of the high tarns to set my tent and dump my pack.
Forty minutes later, after hiding behind a rock wind break while enjoying the carb-filled dinner, my intention was now firmly in place to make the summit bid on the next day. Being honest with myself about my physical readiness: blisters, fatigued muscles, and inflamed joints were no longer my issues; I felt great. By moving up to the top of the boulder fields, I gave myself a shorter (easier?) climb on summit day, eliminating not just 1,000 vertical feet but also an awkward boulder-hopping in the dark. Water, snacks, ice axe, crampons, rope, headlight, GoPro on my helmet,... I double-checked the backpack over and over again before "resting".
Day 5 - The Glorious Summit Endeavor.
3.5 miles round trip from base camp; 2,750 feet gain.
I managed to get up at 4:00 am (that later on proved to be wise), and pulled myself together to nail this mighty mountain. The meandering steep slope was a nasty mix of scree and precariously balanced boulders. I followed the creek, which was made by the melting glacier from Gannett. Listening to the sound of flowing water, eyeballing the shiny rocks beneath every footstep, slowly but surely, I arrived to the first glacier earlier than expected.
A 45-degree sheath of icy gravel welcomed me unexpectedly. First time traveling on glacier, it was a smart choice for me to stay here and wait until dawn arrived so I could see where I was going. Crampons were ready; ice-axe was secured. Thirty more minutes until the dawn rised.
The wind was pounding at me as I was beginning to feel the chill sinking in my bones. Time went by slowly. I finally saw the different colors of the glacial snow. It was firm for the most part. Marching toward the low point of the glacier took me over countless rivulets of swiftly running glacial melt and spots where the glacier was hard ice rather than snow. Switchbacks on this 70-feet snow wall was done with care. At what looked like the glacier's flat, a short break was necessary to re-hydrate myself.
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| The alpine glow shined my path while I was traveling toward Gooseneck Pinnacle. |
Approaching the famous Gooseneck Pinnacle was strenuously interesting; stomping and carving the crampon teeth with every step in hope that I'd never have to self-arrest from shooting down this awful glacial field.
Things continued to go smoothly as I worked my way up towards the crux of the route - the base of Gooseneck Couloir. There was a snow patch at the bergschrund had mostly melted away. A 15 foot gap of empty space to the black hole below shamelessly presented itself between me and the 30 foot vertical wall that lead to the couloir. Luck has been a companion throughout the journey. Once across, the snow heading up the 50-degree couloir was very soft and provided solid footing. Just like that, I was at the top of the Gooseneck, feeling very good about my chance of summiting Gannett.
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| Looking down this steep SouthEast Couloir |
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| Finishing up the remain glacial snow onto the top ridge to the Peak. |
Except for the whipping and lashing wind, the weather was cooperating. Puffy cumulus clouds were racing from west to east and seemed to be growing thicker, but they didn’t have that certain look that associated with thunderstorms or precipitation. The weather stayed on my side as I flirted with several class-4 rock scrambles on the highly exposed summit ridge.
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| Climbing up a class-5. |
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During my last hour of ascent, I occasionally walked on top of the snow fields where there was a narrow but visible jagged crack in the snow, like a wobbly charcoal line a young child might have drawn on a sheet of newsprint, perpendicular to my path upward. Boulder hopping and class-3'ish scrambling is noticeably more tiring above 13,000’ than it is at lower elevations.
At last I reached what had to be the highest point along the rounded top of the peak: top of Wyoming. 12:30pm, I was 13,809 feet above the sea level. Tired and relieved, I signed the first summit register book, unwillingly stuffed a Cliff bar down my throat, and set off for the return trip after the extraordinary twenty-minute grand view on top of Gannett. How fearsome this prominent peak had to offer to earn its outstanding reputation.
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| Prior to signing the summit book, for awhile, I thought I was dreaming. Must be the altitude affect. |
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| First time being 13,809 feet above the sea level, EVER. |
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| The view from Gannett summit. |
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| Gannett Peak. |
The mission wasn't finished. Only half way done, the game of cautious decent had just began; going back down was mandatory. I caught a glimpse of a mild avalanche on the other side of Gannett while down-climbing the steep Gooseneck Pinnacle. Utilizing the rope that I carried with, I rappelled down Gannett's famous bergschrund and traversed passed the crux into the forever long glacier.
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| Gooseneck Pinnacle |
Although
the ferocious winds had ushered me down, extreme care was still
necessary. A great deal of positive self talk and dreaming of an
imaginary celebratory meal of a giant burger, accompanied by a
glass of champagne waiting for me upon my return, got me through four
hours of slogging across the soft, semi-melted glacial snowfields and
boulders. Finally, my wrecked body returned to the little nylon dome
that I called home.Day 6, 7, & 8 - Back to Civilization.
Not much to say here; an extremely long 3-day hike back to the trailhead with a very exhausted body was all I could recall at this point.
(See above for Day 1, 2, and 3 pleasantries.)
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| The morning when I had to leave the "basecamp". |
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A smile that hides the satisfaction of conquering Gannet Peak. |
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| Good bye Gannett. |
It was definitely a long but satisfying journey, and once again, I had been blessed with the cooperative weather. Water was essential, and so were the Ibuprofen and those trekking poles. Words could not describe how much I looked forward to eating real food, taking a hot shower for the first time after a week, complaining about the hell hike to an actual person while bragging about the spectacular views in Wyoming.
