July 21, 2022
- Start: Edge of Gannett Peak’s terminal moraine
- End: Near the junction of the Glacier and Ink Wells trails
- Distance: ~ 6 miles
I was hard to believe I slept 14 hours straight last night. It’s been at least a decade since I’ve slept anywhere close to that. But then again, I was making up for two days of lost sleep and the massive climb up Gannett Peak yesterday, so I guess my body needed it.
Our group was meeting for breakfast as 7:30 am, and everyone else seemed to have a big appetite that needed tending. Meanwhile, even after a full night’s rest Emily, Pranshant, and I were just too spent to cook anything elaborate. Breakfast for our small team was going to be some simple oatmeal and coffee. And for once, we wouldn’t have leftovers to worry about.
After breakfast and clean up were done, the entire NOLS group got together for a team building exercise and to discuss the details our climb of Gannett. There were compliments for the aspects that went well, and discussions of what we’d do differently. And it felt as if we now had unspeakable camaraderie of a team who’d done really something hard together and come out the other end.
There was still that one student in the group who got on my nerves immensely, but that person was the outlier. I genuinely enjoyed getting to know everyone else better, and I looked forward to spending the remaining few days of this trip hiking with them in the Winds.
Our original itinerary had a “weather day” built into it, just to give us the option of going up Gannett Peak on day 4 or day 5 of the trip. But with our successful summit yesterday, we were left with an entire extra day to enjoy the rest of our 27-mile hike up the Glacier Trail.
SHAKING THINGS UP
Today’s hike would be a fairly relaxed one as we made our way back to the horse camp in the Dinwoody Basin. Tomorrow we’d retrieve the rations we previously cached there, and drop some of our mountaineering gear for the horses to pack out.
In additional to paying the local Wind River Reservation to hike in across their tribal lands, NOLS also paid the folks at the horse camp to pack out some of our gear too. There were plenty of local stakeholders were getting to share in the wealth, and I was pleasantly surprised to see my tuition for this expedition being spread to generously to people with long-term ties to the Winds.
Our plan for tomorrow morning was to off-load our ropes, crampons, helmets, climbing harnesses, and ice axes so the horses could pack out the gear we no longer needed. We just had to get through one final day of carrying all this mountaineering gear and then our loads would be lightened by several pounds!
We didn’t rush break camp until mid morning. And after yesterday’s intense day, it felt wonderful to be moving on a more leisurely pace. When we were finally ready to step back on trail, our instructors let us mix it up too. We could stay in our original teams, or choose to hike with completely new people to our next camp.
I’d enjoyed my time talking with Bea on our descent down Gannett Peak yesterday, so she, Prashant and I formed a small team. Then we were joined by one of the instructors to make our way back to the junction of the Glacier and Ink Wells trails.
BACK IN THE BASIN
Our hike back toward the horse camp followed the wide turquoise expanse of Dinwoody Creek as it cut through the tall peaks. We were retracing our same steps in reverse from two days earlier, but somehow it seemed completely new. Even our water crossing over Klondike Creek seemed easier somehow. Maybe the difference was the fact that everyone was acclimated to the high elevation now. Or perhaps it was the fact that Gannett Peak was behind us and our focus was on the immediate surroundings instead of what lie ahead.
For much of the hike, Prashant and Evan hiked in the lead, while Bea and I stayed about 50 yards back. This allowed us to have our own conversation without overlapping with the guys chatting in front of us. As a result, I really enjoyed getting to know Bea a little bit better.
I already knew she was fluent in Portuguese, because she and Carlos had been having brief conversations in Portuguese for the duration of our trip. But I was curious about how they’d learned the language. Most bilingual people I know speak Spanish, Korean, or Chinese. It was a bit unusual for me to be eavesdropping on Portuguese.
Bea’s family was originally from Brazil, she told me. They often spoke the language at home with their parents while growing up. But they also had the practical immersion aspect, because their parents sent them for extended summer visits in Brazil during their childhood.
As interested as I was in her life, Bea was just as eager to ask about my Army days. She wanted to know what it was like to be a woman serving in the military and had dozens of questions about my experiences. Our conversation was so enjoyable that the time just flew by, and before I knew it, we were coming upon the junction between the Glacier Trial and Ink Wells Trail once again.
We hiked virtually the same distance today as yesterday, but in a tiny fraction of the time. It’s amazing what a difference the terrain can make. Our climb up Gannett Peak threw 5,800 feet of vertical ascent and descent at us, while today’s trek was relatively flat!
We stopped to make our camp about a half mile from the horse camp, and I was disappointed to find the mosquitos were back. Of course they were. There was no wind in this basin, and we were near water. But at least the bugs weren’t as bad as they’d been that first night near Echo Lake.
On the more positive side, our campsite had views of Gannett Peak way off in the distance. The late afternoon sun hitting the top of the peak and I was in awe that we’d climbed up there just one day prior!
After tending to our camp chores, setting up the tent, and getting water, it was time to focus on dinner. Tonight we were cooking up a real treat – backcountry pizzas! And for the first time this trip, I wasn’t complaining about cooking real food.
