Here lies the headwaters of the Green River. The very same Green River that flows south into Utah and Canyonlands National Park. There it meets up with and dumps into the Colorado River. Then makes its way south through Utah and becomes what is Lake Powell. From there it continues on into Arizona, where it has formed Grand Canyon, and continues on to fill Lake Mead and then Lake Havasu. Finally making its way into Mexico and emptying into the Gulf of California. Quite a journey from this remote location in the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming!
We made the drive north on a Thursday night after work. Arriving in The Windies sometime after midnight. As soon as the pavement ran out and had turned to dirt, we found a spot to pull off and lay our sleeping bags down next to the car. The stars were absolutely fantastic! I always forget how amazing they are when you are able to get out into the wilderness and away from all the light pollution of heavily populated areas. The Milky Way was shining brightly as numerous shooting stars pierced the atmosphere. We awoke a mere few hours later surrounded by a dense fog created by the difference in temperature of the Green River and surrounding air.
It was time to make our way the balance of the way to the end of the road at Lower Green River Lake. We made it to the lake in time to catch the pre-dawn spectacle of the mist rising off the lake under the moonlight and stars. Quite a sight indeed!
After the show at the lake we secured a wonderful camp on the hill side overlooking the Green River. Complete with more accommodations than most campsites provide. There were handmade wooden benches and tables, all weathered from many years exposed to the elements.
Our three days here in the Wind River Wilderness were spent on a couple of long 10-13 mile day hikes. The first of which we hiked around Lower Green River Lake and on to Upper Green River Lake. On the way back, when nature was calling SuzAnn, I stood alone in the dense forest admiring the view through the trees to the lake beyond. When I suddenly started hearing this loud crashing and snorting close by hidden by all tress. I thought…Oh no!…what the heck is that!?! It better not be a bear!…Please don’t be a bear! I called out to SuzAnn to get her back nearby before whatever was making that snorting noise got too close and separated us. Finally I was able to capture a view of what was beyond in the trees. A large Bull Moose, with a large rack, was foraging on the forest greens. He was right in the path of where we needed to go…Well we better give him a wide berth and go way around! I am generally not too worried about moose, but they are very, very large creatures and probably don’t want to encroach on the space to closely.
The second days big hike was back around Lower Green River Lake and up what is known as Clear Creek Canyon. A fantastic wide canyon with a beautiful river flowing through it. Much of the surrounding terrain had been burned years ago and was mixed with charred remains and new growth. We hiked the canyon back about as far as I would have wanted to go, as the formal trail ended and bushwhacking would have been necessary to go any farther. Our destination was a location called Clear Creek Natural Bridge. This turned out to be where the river had carved a hole right through the mountain and rock, creating a natural bridge.
We spent the final evening exploring some old homesteader cabins nearby the lake and relaxed around the shore to take in a pretty sunset.
This trip barely scratched the surface of what can be found in the Wind River Wilderness. And has sparked my interest even more to adventure deeper into these great mountains on a multi-day backpacking trip…
