July 24, 2022
- Start: Bomber Basin
- End: Trail Lake Trailhead
- Distance: ~ 2 miles hiking (+ 80-mile drive back to Lander, WY)
After our final night sleeping in the Wind River Range, it was finally time to head back to town. The plan this morning was to get up early and then head out from camp to the trailhead one-by-one.
We were only two miles from the end of this trek, and it was almost impossible to get lost. But this solo time hiking out of the wilderness was an opportunity. A chance to reflect on this 8-day journey. And to pay our final respects to the land we’ve been upon.
Everyone in the group was up by 5 am, and the first student set off down the trail around 6 am. I was the second in the group to depart, allowing a solid 5-minute buffer between myself and that other person so we’d have the time to truly feel as if we were hiking on our own.
It was already bright when I began my trek east, but I Mother Nature still treated me to some early morning orange-pink reflections off the clouds as the sun rose higher into the sky.
The terrain was gentler now, with tall grass growing along the well-worn path. As I worked my way toward the trailhead in the cool morning air, my route crossed flat rock slabs and the sun began to cast a warm glow on the soft peaks to my north.
About 40 minutes later, I reached a bridge over a chasm of rushing water. A waterfall rushed downward to my left, while the bridge cast its shadow on the steep hillside above the abyss dropping 20+ feet below me. Water raged down this gauntlet as I crossed over it before dropped off to my right side. It was like nature’s most extreme waterslide, and I was in awe as the powerful water surged 30-40 feet down the immediate drop.
A handful of day hikers were now heading uphill toward me, and I briefly stopped to talk to them at a trail junction. They were heading toward Lake Louise – an alpine lake that sat about 1.5 miles to our west, halfway between Bomber Basin and Whiskey Mountain.
I wished them luck, and then continued on my journey as the trail switchbacked down the hill’s side. I could see the parking area up ahead long before I reached it, and was now closing in on the end of this journey. This process of leaving the wilderness solo felt like a rebirth of sorts at I neared the frontcountry again. And I was grateful for this quiet time by myself instead of ending my journey with raucous or celebratory group arrival.
The Winds had been a beautiful adventure. Climbing Gannet Peak had been even better. I was grateful for a few solitary moments to reflect on the journey.
BACK TO LANDER
The last member of our group arrived at the trailhead around 8:30 am, but our driver wasn’t due to arrive for another half hour. When the driver showed up, she came with breakfast in two and all of us cheered. Muffins, fruits, eggs, cereal, and milk, coffee. It was a veritable feast.
After stacking our bags in the trailer, we piled into the 15-passenger van and set off down the bumpy dirt road toward Lander once again. It would be a solid 80-mile drive, to get us back to the NOLS headquarters. And then we had to clean and turn in all the gear we’d been given.
Back in town, Evan and I were pulled aside and given Covid tests by the staff. He’d been sick during part of our hike and I’d had that weird, unexplainable cardiac episode two days ago. So the NOLS leadership wanted to make sure we didn’t have anything contagious that either of us might pass on the local community.
Luckily, we both passed with flying colors. Our Covid tests were negative. Evan simply had a cold, and the pandemic wasn’t to blame for my heart episode either. That ultimate diagnosis would have to wait until I got back home and met with my primary care doctor.
Once everything was accounted for, and we’d all showered, Judd invited the crew over to his home for a barbecue so we could say our final goodbyes while enjoying his wife’s phenomenal cooking. All told it, was quite the send off.
Looking back on everything we’d experienced during this Wind River hiking and climbing expedition, I’m glad I’d gone with the NOLS crew. It was far different that my solo hiking adventures. And it was certainly a contrast to a comfy, guided climb. But all my (internal) grousing about those differences, it really was a wonderful experience that I will look back on fondly.
