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Gannett Peak - Wyoming - USA Day 2: Headed for Titcomb Basin |
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Day 2: Headed for Titcomb Basin. We got up at 7am, had breakfast and set out at 8:20am. From our campsite it was a short, steep downhill hike to Barbara Lake, then some flattish terrain to Hobbs Lake. The guide books describe the trail at a nice gradual climb. That is not true ~ you go up and down some steep 100 to 300 ft elevation changes. It was a pain with a heavy pack. The outlet of Seneca Lake was flowing with force, but there were enough
stepping stones for us to get across it. After a steep trek uphill
we got to Seneca Lake, which really is breathtaking. When we got to
the Little Seneca Lake there was a portion of the trail that was under
water so we had to make a steep scramble detour to get around it. With all
the snow melting from the previous week's snowfall the rivers and lakes
were all really full.
As we got over the ridge going down towards Island Lake we stopped to take
in the spectacular scenery. Only after we had gone to the top of
Gannett and back down to this spot again did we realize that you could see Bonney Pass
and the tip of Gannet Peak for the first time from this point. If
you go up the eastern side of the path, off the path (away from the
signboard showing the way to the Highline Trail and Lost Lake Trail) you
can see both landmarks. Several
Internet trail reports say that you can only see Gannett from the
top of Bonney Pass, but this is not true, if you know what you are looking
for. You can also see it when you reach the sandy
shores of Island Lake. Look over to the north and you can see the tip of
Gannett peeping out.
More trudging along with heavy packs, up and down hills and across snowy
banks that completely covered the trail. When we came over and down
the snowy pass towards Pothole Lake we lost the trail completely.
There were several rocks packed across the river inlet but we could not cross
there as many of the rocks were totally under water. We then headed
further up the river and finally found the trail again, and a better place
to cross. Even with less water in the river it would be better to go
higher up the river to cross as this is where the trail is. From
there we pushed on over a lot of snow to the Titcomb Basin. We were not quite sure how to
get around the lower Titcomb Lake, but we eventually just kept to the
eastern bank and found the trail again. There was a guide with his two clients camped around the middle of the Titcomb Basin, on the grassy area above the lower lake. We asked him if the lake he was camped on was the "upper titcomb lake", to which he said yes. Well, he was wrong, as we found out the next morning. There was still another lake higher than the one we camped by. This did not matter much to us as we were not planning to go to the summit from there Our plan was to camp on top of Bonney Pass and summit from there. The guys we spoke to, however, were planning on going to the top from where they were camped, which would have been a VERY long hike. We found them the next morning as they were coming down from Bonney Pass, saying that they had pulled out due to blisters on feet. Lesson learned: "Sometimes the well paid guide does not know all the answers." We got to our grassy camp in the Titcomb Basin at 7pm. It was
surprisingly warm and the sky was crispy clear. There were many good
camping areas around the lakes to choose from. Some hot dinner in us
and we got to bed as it started getting dark around us. |
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