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Wow Richard - I'd love to see some of your photos from the 70's in the Winds! Thanks for sharing about the Lester Pass sign - didn't even notice the altitude on the map.

Glad you liked the video David. The nice thing about a lot of routes in the Winds is you can shorten or lengthen them pretty easily, given the number of trail and route options available. So you can easily find a good route to do in the area at just the right pace and length.

Thanks TheSleepyDad!

Glad you liked the video thejohnsons2001!

Thanks for the video. Great to see some areas I’m planning on visiting over the next 2 years 👍

It's a MYOG lightweight framed pack that's 24oz: lighterpack.com/r/xu8jkm

Yes, the shuttle costs and their preset dates/times complicate logistics. Some folks I've talked to arrange their own shuttle with local friends, who are flexible on dates and times, which is the best way to shuttle if you can.

@@mlmoore11 thanks for the videos very good stuff!

Glad you enjoyed the report. I rough country, but worth the effort.

The opening shot is a pass. My wife says I don't shoot enough flowers and animals - go figure 🙂

weather changes so fast there. Went to sleep next to cathedral lake on a beautiful July night and woke up to snow.

You're right Michael - the most efficient routes can usually be found on Satellite maps by linking together areas of beige or khaki colored ground (grass), minimizing talus and rocks, and avoiding treeless green areas (willows).

Glad to have met you as well. The Northern Winds are unique - that area is on the short list for an August trip this year, likely a loop from Green River Lakes to Baker Lake. I hope you do well in your upcoming Ultra run in CO.

Yes, the MYOG tripod instructions are here: olympicul.com/tutorials/myog-trekking-pole-tripod-adapter/

@@mlmoore11 Thanks for this information!

Thanks Karen, glad you enjoyed the video and music.

Hey MountainHobble, you're right about route descriptions and maps - it's the first thing I look for in a video or description of a hiking route. As for grizzly's, they are indeed in the Northern Winds, but to my knowledge they are not widespread in that area. Much different from hiking in the Beartooths or The Bob wilderness in Montana. I carried spray and was moderately vigilant in the infrequent forested areas of this route, which seemed an appropriate level of risk management, but YMMV.

Glad you enjoyed the videos Todd!

Glad you enjoyed the videos SummitSeeker. I assume you're planning your trip for the Fall of 2024? For both my trips (South and North) it was about 50% off trail. The impetus for the North and South loops was to hike high route loops through parts of the Winds I had not seen before, with trips of a week or less in length for scheduling convenience and reduced pack weight. 12 days would be a nice length for a complete N to S high route one-way trip, with lots of time for layover days or side hikes, but that's a lot of food to carry first half of the trip. If you're new to the Winds, consider a Southern high route first and save the Northern trip for later. On a Southern high route you'll have more loop and connector trail options, lower altitudes, longer summer window, more sheltered camps, more escape options, and quicker access to the most scenic areas along the Divide. For a Northern trip, it's best in late August to early September IMHO, and it's more exposed to weather, higher in altitude, and has more difficult and/or less convenient escape routes if weather is bad.

@@mlmoore11 appreciate the feedback!

That was a "typo" - I meant to say Downs is the northernmost 13er in the Winds. Hard to avoid errors unless you're reading from a script :-) By the time I noticed it, the video had already been published.

Thanks Richard. You could likely do several segments of this route with very little prior off-trail experience if you just brushed up on basic navigation skills, and/or go with a friend who has navigation skills. The high route section between Middle Fork Lake and Hay Pass in particular is easy as far as off trail travel goes, with non-technical terrain, lots of variants and options, and multiple ways to "escape" back down to the CDT/Highline Trail if needed due to poor weather or other circumstances.

The route would need to be significantly modified to do with stock. There are multiple obligatory large fields of talus in some places, some with large rocks that require boulder hopping. Examples include Raid Peak Pass and Europe Canyon "HighPass" route. There are also a few spots of steep Class III rock scrambling on key passes between major drainages, including the ramp connecting Little Sandy Creek to Coon Lake and the pass between between Bonneville Lakes and Middle Fork Lake. However, the majority of this route could be visited with stock, by re-routing around the technical off-trail parts and by doing multiple out-and-back day rides up some of the alpine valleys rather than connecting them with off-trail passes.

It's a MYOG pack cover and rain jacket combo that I made last spring. It works really well as it's sized for my pack size and body size without a lot of extra fabric to catch the wind. It does need some modification on the front however, as the large front packs I've been using lately for camera gear just don't fit under it anymore.

Thanks Marco! You're right about Middle Fork Lake, IMHO it's one of the top three most scenic areas in the Winds. It would be a great place to spend more time to do some day hikes to the higher lakes and passes accessible from there.

This trip was in the last week of August, 2022. Late August is the usually preferred time for the Wind River High Route, especially the Northern stretch, to minimize residual snow from the previous winter but to avoid new snow and colder temperatures that often arrive in early September. For the Southern Winds, the high route has worked fine for me from mid July to mid September.

@@mlmoore11 I was in the Cirque the last week of August this year - I am planning a High Route next summer. Thanks for sharing

Hi Andy, did you camp at Halls Lake on August 4th - a big NOLS group was nearby that night. My trip was August 2 - 7th, so may have been earlier than yours. Never heard of the Jim Creek or Irish Canyon trailheads, but I just found them on the map - how's the access to them?

@@mlmoore11 Unfortunately not. That must have been the WRW2-1 group. I was in WRW2-2. The night of the 4th we were staying at Cook Lakes to get re-rationed after having arrived from Wall Lake on the 3rd . The next day was Timico. Jim Creek is easy but frustrating for the first few miles. It just has lots of bugs and some decent schwack until you get up near the lake. It starts right near a pretty well maintained Forest Service road and ATV trail though which is nice. It's way out there in the boondocks though, and there isn't really anywhere to keep a vehicle. Jim Creek lake is also terrible for camping because it is surrounded by rocks and steep hills. We stayed in the meadow below but if you follow the trail north there are wonderful spots to set up camp. About a quarter mile after the lake you break into the alpine and it is just beautiful. Easy hiking and lots of access to water. I highly recommend the spot because it is easy access so many hidden gems from there (like Dome Peak, Boulder Lake, etc...) if you can plan out the logistics to get there. As for Irish Canyon, I don't feel quite as positive about it. The Lowline trail is quite horribly maintained. A storm two years ago knocked down a lot of trees and there is deadfall everywhere. We had poor weather and did a lot of off trail hiking through marsh. The Lowline will take you by Boulter Lake eventually, which is a breath of fresh air because it has phenomenal camping and open field around it, which is rare in that small portion of the Winds. There are two drainages that will take you to the Forest Service road from boulter. There is a trail that goes around the east drainage, and it is by far the best route. The west drainage is completely off trail deadfall navigation. It isn't terrible but it's just a bit slow. I would personally just avoid Irish Canyon. It is far from optimal. Another thing I might add, is that if you are ever in the area around Geike and Raid Lake, check out Warbonnet Lake. You might even find our fire pit we used there. It is by far my favorite location we stayed at. High animal traffic, but there are plenty of trees to set up a bear-hang in. The nearby summit of Mitchel's Nipple is easy and has a lovely view, and the lake is unmatched for fishing, if you are into that.

@@aguelch Thanks for the tip on Warbonnet Lake. There are so many interesting looking lakes, meadows and small summits to explore in the Cross Lake area, which is also one of my favorite parts of the Winds.