Jason and jenn

Josh Hattan and I went into the Winds for a day and a half and climbed Railroad Tracks (III 5.8) on Haystack. It was my first technical climb in the Winds since moving here and it was a blast. It still amazes me that I can work for a half day, hike into the mountains that I love, sleep under the stars, climb a great 1000′ route the next morning, then hike out and be home before dark.

The granite slabs and cascading stream between Clear Lake and Deep Lake is one of my favorite spots in the range. We started our hike around 3pm and found a spot to camp around 6pm. We took a short hike up to the base of the climb, scoped out a harder route to the left for another visit, then had dinner and crawled into our bivy sacks. The night sky was bright with stars and amazing after a hazy day of smoke brought up from California fires.

Up at first light and after a good breakfast, coffee, and gear sorting, we hit the first pitch by 7:30. It was a long 5.4 and we ended up simulclimbing on Josh’s 180 foot rope. I took the next pitch at 5.8 and it was good, though grassy and not sustained in difficulty. We swung leads up a pair of 5.6s where I made a nice belay on a small ledge now 600′ up the wall. Josh took the next (and crux) lead, a great 5.8 pitch on clean rock with continuously good climbing. I took off up the next pitch at 5.4 and difficulties decreased from there. Soon we were up-roped and scrambling the final slabs and ledges to the top.

We hung out on top for a while, a rare treat in the Winds to be on a summit before noon and enjoying a warm day with only a slight breeze. We climbed down the Grassy Goat route, a nice ledge system that slants across the face of Haystack. This was not a boring descent, but a class 4 route with some fun and challenging down climbing.

We were back at our packs a short 6 hours after leaving camp and just 3 more hours from the trail head. We took our time, talked to a few people, and were back in Pinedale in time for dinner. We’ll definitely return to Haystack. Easy approach, beautiful setting, classic routes, and less crowds than the Cirque of Towers. Simply amazing!

Probably not, but we’ve had quite the cold snap lately. Snowed in the mountains over the last week or two. Quite significant for this time of year.  Also have had a few mornings of frost already, marking a very short season for growing stuff in Pinedale this year.

We spent the weekend in Yellowstone, enjoying crisp temperatures, smaller crowds than typical, and just talking, making plans, and enjoying a relaxed weekend together with no strings. It was quite nice. We’re huge fans of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, long past deliniating a place by it’s geographic and political boundaries.

Some of our planning includes figuring out logistics for a big hike in our future. We want to hike from South Pass City, WY to Gardiner, MT. Through the Wind Rivers, the Gros Ventre, Absarokas, and the more remote reaches of Yellostone. We’re thinking we’ll spend about 5 weeks on the trail, but we don’t have it all planned out just yet.

It’s all part of our plan to keep living life as an adventure, not settling for the superstition of security, the myth of the American Dream, or the blandness of a “safe” life.  Our friends Steve and Jill just passed through on part of a long road trip. They sold their house in Lexington and are out and about taking it all in.  Not directionless, and not without purpose.

Similarly, our plans, our wanderlust, our desire to escape the rat race, the status quo, and the idea of keeping up with the joneses is not without purpose or direction. In fact, I would say we are still living very purposeful and deliberate lives. We’ll see where it leads, but if and when it leads away from Pinedale, we’ll leave without fear, knowing what we’ve gained from living here, and that we’ll return to explore the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the most diverse and wonderful spot we’ve found in all our travels.