September 3-6, 2021

By Tim Briese

9-3: Pack to Shadow Lake, 11.7 miles, 1800’ elevation gain, 6:00 time

9-4: Hike to Texas Pass, 5.5 miles, 1200’ elevation gain, 4:40 time

9-5: Pack to Dad’s Lake, 6.7 miles, 400’ elevation gain, 4:30 time

9-6: Pack out, 5.9 miles, 300’ elevation gain, 3:00 time

Total: 29.8 miles, 3700’ elevation gain

My son-in-law Rod was going on a backpack in the Wind Rivers in Wyoming with his friend Luke and I was invited along. Luke lives in Pinedale, WY and he and Rod shared many hunting and outdoor adventures in the Wind Rivers when Rod worked in the oil and gas industry in western Wyoming years ago. I wasn’t sure if I was up for the rigors of a multiple day backpack with people much younger and faster than I but the lure of exploring a beautiful new place made it irresistible to me. Adding to the allure was the destination of the scenic Shadow Lake area. Luke and Rod’s friend Travis, a guide who has been all over the Wind Rivers, recommended this area as his favorite place in the range. Accompanying the three of us on the backpack would be Luke’s teenage daughter Tyrney and his girlfriend Maddie. Although the Wyoming contingent of our group were not regular backpackers, I learned that they worked out regularly in gyms, and Rod had recently completed a 50 mile trail run, so I hoped this would not turn into a footrace, with the old fellow (me, that is) trailing in the dust.

Rod and I made the seven hour drive to Pinedale on the Thursday before the Labor Day weekend and met the rest of our hiking party for dinner that evening. The next day we waited until Maddie got off work at noon and then made the hour and a half drive to the popular Big Sandy Trailhead where we would begin our backpack. Many hikers and backpackers come here to access the Cirque of the Towers, Shadow Lake, and other places, and there were scores of vehicles parked here today.

rod, luke, tyrney, and maddie

At 2 pm the five of us took off and headed up the trail. The pace was brisk, which pushed me a bit, but doable. The route was relatively gentle, and became quite scenic with big meadows and expansive views after we left the initial woods. The sky was somewhat hazy from western wildfires today but not too bad. Luke and Rod were each packing firearms because this was potentially grizzly bear country. I figured I could help defend against a bear with my trekking poles.  In one of my delusional moments, that is.

on the trail across a big meadow

After six miles we reached Dad’s Lake, and discussed camping here or pushing on to Shadow Lake, which was at least another four miles away per the guidebooks. I thought there was no way we would pack all the way to Shadow Lake with our 2 pm start but the enthusiastic group wanted to push on and so we did.

dad's lake

I noted that this land has a lot of beautiful lakes, and bigger ones, than the mountains in Colorado. We saw a small black bear ahead above the trail at one point.

the bear is in the center of the photo

It became more and more scenic in the golden late day sun.

We were all getting very tired as sunset neared, and especially Luke, so Rod and I pushed on the last half mile to the lake to scout for campsites before dark. It turned out to be eleven and a half miles to the lake from the trailhead instead of the ten miles that we thought it was. There were lots of other campers in the informal sites everywhere in the woods around the lake, as this is a very popular stopping point for backpackers doing a loop around to the Cirque of the Towers. We managed to find a suitable spot to camp in the faint light and set up in the dark, thoroughly exhausted.

It was a very chilly 23 degrees the next morning and Rod and I managed to scrounge up a little firewood to warm ourselves before the rest of our party got up.

After a while we scouted for a better campsite and Rod found a prime site we had seen the night before right on the shore of the lake that was occupied but was now being vacated, so we claimed it and moved over there. This site was incredible, with great tent spots and a spectacular view across Shadow Lake to jagged peaks towering on the other side, a prized, five-star spot that was the best in the whole area.

campsites don't get much nicer than this one

After lunch Rod and I hiked the trail up the valley past some scenic lakes toward Texas Pass. We got off route a bit in the woods and found a young female backpacker from California off route too but the three of us found our way and soon parted company when we reached Billy Lake. The hike up the valley was spectacular. We hiked past three beautiful lakes, Billy, Barren, and Texas, with dramatic peaks above and yellow-green foliage in the valley below.

billy lake

When we reached Texas Lake at the head of the valley we looked up at Texas Pass (elev. 11,447'), some 600 feet up a steep rocky slope, and discussed whether we wanted to hike up there.

rod with texas pass behind him to the right

With a "this might well be my only chance" mindset I proposed we do it and Rod agreed.

the slope up to the pass

We found a steep and rough trail and climbed up to the pass in about 35 minutes, where we enjoyed a nice view down into the Cirque on the other side. Several backpackers doing the loop were going up and down the trail.

me looking down toward the cirque of the towers from texas pass

view of barren lake and texas lake from texas pass

When we returned to camp we found the others fishing and relaxing. The sky was now deep blue and all the smoke had cleared away. The evening was spectacularly gorgeous. I wandered around taking photos while Rod and Luke visited at camp and the girls were off fishing.

evening at shadow lake

Later we stood around a cheery fire, and I retired to bed early.

On Sunday morning it was 29 degrees and Rod and I got a fire going again. I strolled to the edge of the lake to get some reflection photos on this beautiful morning.

We needed to be back at the trailhead by midday on Monday or so, so we decided to pack part of the way back today instead of busting all the way the next morning. We leisurely packed up camp this morning, and I went on a beautiful stroll through the autumn vegetation around the other side of the lake.

a view while crossing the outlet stream from shadow lake

We were reluctant to leave this spectacular place.

rod and i on the trail after we left shadow lake

We took a different trail part of the way back, partially on the CDT, and arrived at Dad’s Lake around 4 pm and found a beautiful spot to camp on the south shore overlooking the lake. We were feeling a little grubby after hiking in the warm sun today so we all took a chilly but refreshing dip in the lake. We had a nice leisurely dinner and visit around another campfire that evening.

view of dad's lake from camp

hanging out at camp

luke and rod

a late day view of camp

After Rod and Luke hung our bear bags in a tree as they had done every night, we all retired toward our tents. I sat on a rock by my tent gazing at the beautiful lake and mountains for a while at dusk. What a beautiful land we were visiting, and how wonderful it was to be here, immersed in the glory of creation!

The next morning it was a chilly 29 degrees again, and Rod and I rose at first light to pack up and get on the trail, which we did about 7 am, while the others slept in. We had to hike out and drive back to Colorado today. It was too cold for breakfast here so we waited for that later in the sunlight.

a nice reflection on mirror lake as we hiked past

We clipped down the trail and got back to the trailhead about 10 am. Incredibly, there were about 200 vehicles parked within a mile or so of this popular trailhead now on this Labor Day weekend. We had seen numerous hikers, mostly backpackers, this weekend but not nearly as many as the parking lot would indicate, because there are multiple destinations accessible from this trailhead.

this is a popular place for sure

We had a celebratory Coke and soon hit the road, and arrived home that evening. This was an incredible adventure. It was definitely grueling and the camping had its hardships, but I’m certainly glad I went to see this beautiful land.