Friday, July
23, 1999 - Mosquitos!
Anyone who has been in the great outdoors lately can tell you that
mosquitos and biting flies are definitely out, extremely thick in
some places and light in others. We recommend wearing long sleeve shirts
and pants instead of shorts while hiking, and liberal applications of insect
repellant. (Unless you're into the swollen-red polka dot look and want
people to think you real do know how to do the Macarena.) Some folks wear
a hat with mosquito netting as well. At least one more grizzly bear
is active in the Pinyon Ridge/Upper Green River area killing calves. No
reported confrontations with hikers, but the Forest Service again stresses
that outdoor recreationists be "bear aware" when camping and
with food handling. We've had some wildfires already and fire danger
is moderate-high in some places. Please be careful with campfires (even
in campground areas) and be sure fires are completely out before leaving
them. Regarding campground units, some are first-come/first-served,
others can be reserved ahead of time. Reserved units should have tags
showing the dates of the reservations. Campgrounds with hosts are Fremont
Lake, Elkhart, Green River Lakes, New Fork Lakes, Big Sandy and Trail's
End.
Snow is still hanging on in the higher elevations, but most
places are accessible now. Stock feed is very poor in the high
country above about 10,000 feet due to the late season. The Forest Service
recommends packing in cubes or pellet feed for your stock. Bulk hay or
straw is not permitted in the wilderness. The trail to Big Sandy Lake is
excellent. The Jackass Trail is clear except for one large snowfield by
Arrowhead Lake. Trees are cleared from trails from Elkhart to Island Lake
coming to Cook Lakes via Lester Pass and via Eklund Lake. Fremont Trail
to Fish Creek Park is muddy and the mosquitos are extremely bad. Hikers
thinking about taking the loop from Elkhart Park to Glimpse Lake are cautioned
that this trail is steep and not maintained. It is not passable to livestock,
and the Forest Service does not recommend this trail for hiking. Expect
portions of all trails to be wet and sloppy in places and wear adequate
footgear when hiking. Contact the local Forest Service office for current
conditions and advisories before venturing into the wilderness (307-367-4326).
4-wheeling? The local Sheriff's office reminds visitors that
on public roads 4-wheelers are considered motorized vehicles and must be
licensed, insured and driven by licensed drivers. Minors must wear helmets
when riding 4-wheelers on public roads even if they aren't driving. These
regulations do not apply off-road and on private land (That means kids
without driver's licenses can drive them when off public roads and they
don't have to wear helmets. Please use common sense and be safe.) National
Forest and BLM roads and land have travel plans that designate where and
when off-road vehicles can and can't be used. Be sure to check with these
offices and pick up a travel plan map to find out any restrictions in the
ares you plan to be recreating. No motorized or mechanized (ie. mountain
bikes) vehicles are allowed in designated wilderness areas.
Friday, July
16, 1999 - Rendezvous!
We spent the weekend enjoying all the fun Rendezvous Days
events, listening to the Plains Indian programs, eating great food, and
being with friends - which is exactly what Rendezvous is all about. If
you've never been to Rendezvous Days or seen the Pageant, you missed a
great weekend in Pinedale! Later we rented a boat from Lakeside
Lodge and spent an afternoon playing on Fremont Lake. Other folks sailboating,
waterskiing, and fishing looked like they were having as much fun as
we were! Boat rentals are very reasonably priced for 10 - 20 hp fishing
boats all the way to the roomy pontoon "Party Barge" (Boat rentals
also available at Half Moon Lake Resort for Half Moon Lake, just a short
drive past Fremont Lake.) Fremont Lake is just 10 minutes from Pinedale
and has 2 boat ramps, a day use sandy beach picnic area, and a Forest Service
campground nestled in the trees. It's a great spot for a quick picnic or
for all-day family recreation "fun in the sun".
For those of you who are anxious to get up into the Wind River mountains,
there's still 2-3' of snow along the Continental Divide, more in
the northern part. Expect to encounter snow if you're determined to get
to Titcomb Basin through to the Island Lake areas. There's still some snow
in Cirque of the Towers, but hikers are making it across Jackass Pass now.
Green River Lakes is snow-free to Trail Creek Park on the Highline Trail.
Again, the Forest Service reminds hikers to be "bear aware"
in the wilderness. Black bears are prevelant everywhere and grizzly bears
live here too. The chances of encountering a griz are rare, but all wilderness
users should camp bear-safe and store food properly. Trail crews haven't
made it through all the trails yet, so hikers may have to climb over
some down trees and windfall. Trails are still muddy in places,
and hikers may have to ford some streams and springs flowing high
from spring runoff, so be sure to wear adequate footgear. Contact the local
Forest Service office for current conditions and advisories before venturing
into the wilderness (307-367-4326). Be sure to bring clothes to layer
for outside activities, and be aware that afternoon thundershowers
can come on you quickly in the mountains. Insect repellant, sunscreen and
a hat with a brim are recommended.
Thursday,
July 8, 1999 - Wilderness Access
Hikers eager to get up into the Wind River Mountains are discovering
there is still snow up high preventing them from reaching some destinations.
Weather cooperating, the Forest Service predicts it will be another 10
days to 2 weeks before all the trails open up completely. It's still
early in the year for the high country.
Where can you get to now? You can hike to Photographer's Point
from Elkhart Park, but expect to run into snow past there. The road to
Big Sandy has been open for about 4 weeks now and the trail is snow-free
up to Jackass Pass. The north side of the Pass still has some snow.
Up by Green River Lakes, the Highline Trail is free of snow up to 3 Forks
Park. Expect snow on the Highline Trail south of there. Some hiking groups
that have planned extended trips into the Winds for now are either postponing
their trips a couple of weeks or changing their plans to day hikes due
to high country snow and cold conditions. The road is open over Union
Pass to Dubois.
The Forest Service asked us to remind hikers to be "bear aware"
in the wilderness, although there have not yet been any reported sightings
of either black or grizzly bears. Trail crews haven't made it through
all the trails yet, so hikers may have to climb over some down trees
and windfall. Also, trails are still muddy in places, so be sure to wear
adequate footgear. Contact the local Forest Service office for current
conditions and advisories before venturing into the wilderness.
Streams are running high due to spring melt-off, so be careful
if camping or hiking near mountain streams. We're getting into our summer
weather pattern of clear mornings then building up to afternoon thunderstorms
and showers. Be sure to bring clothes to layer for outside activities.
Insect repellant, sunscreen and a hat with a brim are recommended.
Tuesday, June 15,
1999 - Stories from The Sublette County Journal
Pinedale Online is pleased to now be offering stories from The Sublette
County Journal newspaper! The Journal, published weekly starting in
July, has a unique mix of news & feature stories on local history,
personalities and events. We'll be offering selected stories that tell
about the unique people and way of life here in Sublette County and western
Wyoming. Read about real cowboys, cattle drives, ranchers and ranchlife,
local entrepreneurs, the "wildcats" of the oil & gas industry,
local pioneers and personalities, and much, much more. We're proud of our
heritage and local history and know we live a special way of life here
not found anywhere else. So watch the upper left hand corner of our front
page for new stories from The Sublette County Journal!
The road to Elkhart is open! (But there's still snow around)
The aspens leaves have that beautiful new yellow-green color. The Indian
Paintbrush and cactus are in bloom on the Mesa. Arrowleaf Balsamroot is
in bloom at lower elevations. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets... Lower
roads into most campgrounds and trailheads are open to about 9,000'.
Streams are running high due to spring melt-off, so be careful if
camping or hiking near mountain streams. We're getting into our summer
weather pattern of clear mornings then building up to afternoon thunderstorms
and showers. Be sure to bring clothes to layer for outside activities.
Check in with local Forest Service offices for the latest updates before
heading into the backcountry.
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