Hike Wind River Range Wyoming

The Wind River Range in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, is the mountain range that inspired Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia clothing) to spend his life climbing mountains. Breathtaking in beauty, this remote and rugged mountain range is not nearly as well known as the Tetons, but is just as striking, and not as crowded.

Our guest today, Paula Talbott, trekked the Wind River Range with my affiliate Wildland Trekking. Wildland offers seven treks of varying difficulty, including some that are llama supported, meaning you only have to carry your day pack instead of a backpack and all the weight. Paula did Wildland’s most difficult adventure, the Boulder to Green River Lakes 7 day trek. Here is a list of Wildland Trekking’s Wind River Range treks. Note that they offer all of these treks as a custom hike, so you can choose whether to hike with just your own group, or hike to meet other like minded folks who love the wild.

Where is the Wind River Range located?

 The Wind River Range is a couple hour drive south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Most people fly in to the beautiful Jackson Hole airport.  Try to allow a couple of days to explore this great town, as well as some days hiking and playing in the Tetons just outside of town.  You can listen to the Teton podcast episode and see more photos here.

The Wind River Range runs about 100 miles in a NW-SE direction, including about 80 miles of the Continental Divide following the crest of the range.  The Wind River mountains include Wyoming’s highest peak, Gannett Peak at 13,804′ (4207 m).  The range includes two large national forests and three wilderness areas.  

The entire Wind River Range is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Part of the range falls within the Wind River Indian Reservations.

There are about 600 miles of hiking trails in the Wind River Range and many consider this are to have the most beautiful mountains in Wyoming. 

Our guest today, Paula Talbott, trekked the Wind River Range with my affiliate Wildland Trekking.  WIldland offers seven treks of varying difficulty, including some that are llama supported, meaning you only have to carry your day pack instead of a backpack and all the weight.  Paula did Wildland’s most difficult adventure, the Boulder to Green River Lakes 7 day trek.  Here is a list of Wildland Trekking’s Wind River Range treks.  Note that they offer all of these treks as a custom hike, so you can choose whether to hike with just your own group, or hike to meet other like minded folks who love the wild.

Wildland Trekking Wind River Treks:

Spring Creek – Green River      Backpack 4-5 days  Difficulty 4-5   33m/53km  (Level 5 if 4 days, level 4 if 5 days)

Indian Pass & the Divide      Backpack 5 days      Difficulty 5      Distance 39m/62km
Boulder to Green River Lakes Backpack 7 days      Difficulty 5      Distance 51m/82km
Big Sandy Llama Supported      4 days      Difficulty 3      Distance 30+m/48+km
Middle Fork Loop Llama Supported      5 days Difficulty 3      Distance 32m/51k
Titcomb Basin Llama Supported      5 days      Difficulty 4      Distance 31m/50km
Lakes, Cirques & Towers Llama Supported      7 days      Difficulty 3      Distance 40m/64 km

 Check out these tours on the Wildland Trekking website

Here’s a nice video on Wildland Trekking’s Wind River Range trek

When to Visit the Wind River Range

Because you will be dealing with altitude, and there can be snow any month of the year, you’re best best it to plan on visiting the Wind River Mountain Range during the summer, ideally July and August.  Some trails may still be fine in early September, but like in all mountains, it’s a good idea to be prepared for all seasons each and every day to be safe.  The weather in the Wind River Range can change quickly, and you may not see new weather patterns from the west until they hit the mountains.

Once you have hiked in a day or so from the Wind River Trailheads and are up in the mountains, you will be dealing with altitude as there are over 40 named peaks over 30,000′ (almost 4000 m).  Even though there are many trailheads to access the Wind River Mountain Range, some of them might be a 50 mile drive down a gravel road to get to, so make sure so do your homework before you set out.

Once you have gotten away from the day hikers, you will get away from the crowds, so you should use a knowledgable guide unless you have serious back country skills.

Popular Trailheads

These trailheads are on the western side of the range.  Pinedale is the local town.  Pinedale is about 75 miles from Jackson, Wyoming on Hwy 191.  There are several amenities in this small town, such as restaurants, lodging and gift stores.  The popular Freemont Lake is about three miles away as well.  Popular Trailheads Include:

• Big Sandy (elevation 9,080 ft)
• Boulder Lake (elevation 7,700 ft)
• Burnt Lake (elevation 8,000 ft)
• Elkhart Park (elevation 9,280 ft)
• Green River Lake (elevation 8,040 ft)
• Half Moon Lake (elevation 7,600 ft)
• Meadow Lake (elevation 8,040 ft)
• New Fork (elevation 7,890 ft)
• Scab Creek (elevation 7,870 ft)
• Spring Creek Park (elevation 8,480 ft)

Landscape of the Wind River Range

 There are over 150 glaciers in the Wind River Range, including 16 named glaciers.  The largest glacier is the Gannett Glacier which you’ll find in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Area on the north slope of Gannett Peak (the highest peak in the range).  Gannett Glacier is the Rocky Mountain’s largest glacier in the Lower 48.  In fact, seven of the ten largest glaciers of the Rockies are found in the Wind River Mountain Range.

Wildlife in the Wind River Range

 Especially at the lower elevations, you may see elk, moose, both grizzly and black bears (listen to the Adventure Travel Show podcast episode on Hiking Safety in Bear Country), deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and more rarely, wolverines, mountain lions and wolves.  Look up to see soaring eagles and in the waters for several species of trout.

Be sure to bring bear spray and keep it accessible.

Mosquitoes in the Wind River Range

Be sure to bring a mosquito head net!  Alas, these critters also love the Wind River Range!

While certainly not worth NOT experiencing the Wind River mountains, mosquitos can indeed be a pest.  How bad they’ll be during your hike will depend on:

The Temperature:  the cooler it is, the less of a pest they’ll be

The Time of the Day:  dusk and dawn equals more active mosquitos

The Humidity:  the more humid, the more mosquitos

How Much Rain:  a wet year means more breading grounds for mosquitos

The Wind:  More wind (especially over 15 mph) means less mosquitos

The Landscape:  mosquitos will be bad in the forest but not so bad away from the trees and still waters

The Time of Year:  summer is breeding season for mosquitos

Be sure to bring DEET and a mosquito head net.  And be sure to wash off the DEET before you enter any lakes!

Camping In and Near the Wind River Range

 Backpacking and Back Country Camping

 Dispersed camping is allowed provided you make camp at least 200′ from water and 100′ from any trail or road.  Practice Leave No Trace.  Campfires are permitted unless the Rangers have an alert out not to (check for restrictions before you head out).  You will need to bring your own Bear Canisters.

Campgrounds

In Pinedale, there is the Pinedale Campground.  South of Pinedale, you’ll find the highland Trail RV Park and the Wind River View RV Campground.  North of Pinedale is Daniel Junction RV Park.

Food Storage Requirements

Keep both you and wildlife safe by following current food storage requirements.  You can see what th e current requirements are here.  Here is the Food Storage Order.

Pets in the Wind River Range

Yes you can bring your dog in the national forests, but be sure to keep Fido leashed.  You do not want an unpleasant encounter with a bear or skunk for that matter.  Also, you’ll be able to see when he does his business so you can pick up the waste (PLEASE!!!).

Travel Insurance

Don’t forget to buy travel insurance in case something unforeseen happens, whether your tour gets cancelled, or a loved one gets sick and you need to return home early. Or you get hurt in the back country and need an airlift out. I recommend my affiliate World Nomads because they understand adventure. Many insurance companies don’t cover adventure. Regardless, ALWAYS READ the policy during the grace period to make sure you understand your coverage and have bought the appropriate policy for your trip! Click the logo above for a quick quote, and at no additional cost to you, you’ll be helping to support the program.

Hike The Wind River Range In Wyoming

Backpack Or Llama Supported Multi-Day Trek

We’re heading to Wyoming to the majestic Wind River Range. I first learned about the Wind River Range from another podcast where one of the sponsors is Patagonia Clothing. The Founder, Yvon Chouinard talked about how it was the Wind River Range that first made him understand the power of going to the mountains. He pretty much decided that all he wanted to do was to climb mountains. Of course, he ended up having to support himself and he founded the Patagonia Company. Its mission is to try to save the planet and it does so via clothing. They’re not a sponsor of the program. I have no affiliation with them. I just thought it was an interesting story. It’s how I first heard about the Wind River Range.

Let’s find out what makes it so special. I’m delighted to meet Paula, a super cool lady that has done all sorts of adventures. She finds herself getting more and more into the back country. She’s got a great story and I can’t wait to share it with you. Also if you’re not into backpacking, still read because this adventure is available with a llama track, where the llamas are carrying your packs. It’s for everybody that’s willing to train, because it is a difficult and a very challenging hike. We’ll put this one at a five. It’s a definite five if you are backpacking and due to the height, probably a four even with the llamas. Without further ado, let’s get started with the interview with Paula.

—

Can you start by introducing yourself and perhaps telling us your age?

My name is Paula Tabet and I will be turning 50 in August 2019.

How did you first get into adventure travel? Was this something new to you or have you always been adventuresome?

It is new, the travel aspect of it. I did not get into it until a few years ago. I’ve done the traditional family vacations with the kids somewhere in the Caribbean or to Mexico. We hired a woman who traveled on her own without her husband regularly throughout the world. It inspired me to step outside of my comfort zone and do something different on my own. I’d always been active but had never thought about doing that as part of travel. The first trip that I took, it was with a group, but I was the only person there that I knew, and it was to Slovenia. In my circle of friends and family, they thought I’d lost my mind that I was traveling on my own and I would go out of the country to do it. That was where it started and I love it. It’s wonderful and I’ve turned others onto doing it as well.

I know, because I was like you. I just thought you go, you take a vacation like you’ve always been taught to do a vacation. I even was hiking and backpacking and it still never crossed my mind to travel that way. I thought you did that in the States. We forget that the whole world’s full of these amazing landscapes.

While I enjoy traveling within North America too, I do like stepping outside of that area too because you have the cultural aspect of it. Meet new and interesting people who live differently than we do in the United States. I also think that it puts things into perspective. In the United States, we do live differently. We do tend to have more in a lot of instances and when you see how happy people can live and be content with a lot less than what we have, it changes you.

I know we’re talking about the Wind River Range, but I’ve got one question I’ve got to ask first. Out of all the countries in the world for you to go out in this great adventure, this first excitement, why Slovenia?

I had no preconceived notions as to where I wanted to go. Like with any research that you begin doing in an area that you’re unfamiliar with, and I’m a big researcher, you narrow down things. I’m not comfortable at this point in time with backpacking, so I want to make sure that I’m staying in hotels. I’m only going do day hikes. Let me take a look at pictures and it needs to be with a company that’s reputable. The more research I did, it kept narrowing down the field and I ended up between three different countries and at this point in time, I don’t remember what they were. Slovenia looked so incredibly beautiful that I went for it. I remember after the trip thinking that I had nowhere else to go but down because it exceeded my expectations. The people were beautifully nice, welcoming and everything was so clean. It was an outstanding area to visit.

My girlfriend got back from Slovenia too, so I’m anxious to hear about her trip. She’s a hiker as well. I may have to get you back on the show and tell us about that. We’re talking about the Wind River Range. Give us a brief overview of what it is and what drew you to say, “I’m going to go there.”

It is what I feel like a land in and of itself. You drive through Wyoming and the landscape looks the same in different areas. You would never know that this area existed and it reminds you of being out in Europe in the Alps with the rocky granite formations. I knew that I wanted to go somewhere in the United States. A couple of years ago when I was thinking about doing some more exploration in the United States because I got fixated on going outside of the States, there was a company called Wildland Trekking. When I reached out to them, I had a list of about ten different trips that I wanted to possibly take with them and every single one of them was booked. I said, “This must be a popular company. I’m going to get a little ahead of the ball game and be a little earlier in the year in reaching out to them.” I liked the idea of somewhere out west.

When I was doing research, there were seven different trips. This one looked so unique. You start on the outside and you travel in. You end up in an area and if I’m not mistaken, we saw two other people over the course of five out of the seven days. It’s about a day you get into the actual area and then a day to come out. That first and last day is a little more populated from people who are just doing their day hikes. Years ago, I had someone tell me that I needed to go visit the Italian Dolomites, which I have yet to do. This looked like that, and so I went for it and invited both my kids to join me. They’re in their twenties and we all had an amazing time. It was quite beautiful.

We haven’t described where the Wind River Range is. The Wind River Range is part of the Rocky Mountains. Paula, we know what’s in the Rockies but where exactly is the Wind River Range?

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The Wind River is located in Wyoming. I would have to look at the map to figure out exactly where it is in relation to Jackson Hole, which is where we all met as a group the night before the backpacking trip started. We travelled years ago two to three hours from the Jackson Hole area. When we traveled in, we met in Jackson Hole and explored that whole area. As a group, we set out from there and I don’t remember exactly, but I know that we traveled about two to three hours before we got into the area. It can be stated about other areas as well that from the outside, you don’t know what you’re going to see, what you’re getting into until you start backpacking and hiking in. I definitely recommend it.

Wildland offers both a backpacking option and llama-supported option. Which way did you go?

Backpacking.

You did the backpack. You did the hardcore, good for you. That is nice to know that people have an option that they could have the llama carry most of their gear and then they just carry a day pack.

I don’t know if it’s the case now, this was years ago, but at that point it was the most difficult trip that Wildland Trekking offered based on the length of the trip. A lot of their trips are three to five days and this one was the seven as well as the elevation changes. It’s the fact that if I’m not mistaken, you had to be able to carry a pack around the 45-pound range.

It’s heavy.

It was worth it because their food is phenomenal too. Part of the weight comes from the food that you’re carrying and they do a good job with that.

Tell us some of the things that you saw or what struck you most. When you look back, what are your fondest memories of the landscape?

I enjoy rocks. I always have. Those granite peaks and you’re out in the middle of nowhere, which is what it feels like, and there’s nothing else around except for you and this beautiful landscape that feels untouched. The terrain over the course of that week changed. We hiked through water. Granted, it’s low water, but still it’s up to your knees with beautiful green areas and then the rock formations beyond that. To hike above tree line, all of the camps were so beautiful. Sitting out, waiting for dinner to be cooked and sitting out in the middle of all of this silence, it felt entirely magical. It was the first time that either of my children had backpacked as well. For me as a parent and even as a person to share that experience with someone that you know, as well as then to share it with your children and have them fall in love with the whole experience as much as you do, it’s wonderful. It’s wonderful to experience it on your own as well as to be able to share that with someone else.

Have you done any backpacking before this or was this your first entree into backpacking?

I had only done one trip with a group trip and that was in Canada, the Banff Highline and that was beautiful too. It was my second experience. You could even say that this is a negative, but no one’s a fan of mosquitoes. The area during certain times of the year, the Wind River Range does have mosquitoes. If you look at the gear list, it says that you need to wear a mosquito net on your head, which we did.

Those head nets work pretty well. The Wind River is on the continental divide. Can you tell us what that is and did you get to walk in any of it?

We did get to walk on a bit of the continental divide. From my recollection, that was the only time that we saw two other people during the whole five out of the seven days that we were out there. Prior to that trip, I always thought about hiking the Appalachian Trail. The more time that I’ve gone out west, and especially with this particular trip, you develop a love of the open spaces and being able to see where you’re going versus where you’ve been. You don’t get that same sense when you’re in the woods. We saw these two backpackers and we did not get the opportunity to talk to them. They looked like they had gone off-trail because the continental divide trail isn’t as well marked as some other areas might be.

Even in our experience, while we were on trail or walking along ridges, I wouldn’t say that we were always so confident, us as part of the participants, not the guides. It’s like, where are we going? The same thing happened to these two other individuals. Seeing them out there and seeing that area, I have come back from that knowing that I will not hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, I am researching for when I’m no longer working, can I afford to leave work for months at a time, hiking the continental divide.

That was very intriguing to me, although I’ve been doing sections of the Appalachian Trail over the years. I get what you’re talking about because on the AT, you’re mostly in the canopy.

You get your nice overlooks throughout the trip and on one of the trips that I’ve taken, I met a couple ladies who had hiked the Appalachian Trail and loved it, but it is a different beauty and it is a different field to it as a well. It’s very enclosed versus those wide-open spaces, which I would say with the Wind River Range, it felt so open, so beautiful and so untouched.

It looked like you got up as high as 11,000 feet elevation gain, which is pretty high up.

It was the highest elevation I had gotten to at that point. Having the heavy pack on is well, it definitely felt like an accomplishment.

How long did you train before this, Paula? You shouldn’t just go stick that much weight on your back.

I’m a Type-A personality, so anything you ask me to do, I go overboard. At this point in time, because I do love backpacking, I don’t stop training. Regular part of my activities every week includes getting out there hiking, backpacking or rucking, which is simply putting on a heavy pack. Even walking the roads around where I live, we have a lot of hills. I’m limited being on the East Coast in training for the altitude that you’re going to experience in this area as well as other areas on the West Coast. I train harder from a pack weight perspective and a distance perspective, because I can’t get that altitude and also trying to add in as much elevation gain and loss as I can because you do have to train. It’s tough on your joints coming down with a weighted pack. I do that and I bike a lot, which builds a lot of leg strength and I also run and do yoga to keep everything limber.

I’m training right now for some hikes I’m doing. Like you, I live in the Coast of North Carolina. It’s perfectly flat. My steps are the hospital, which they think I’m ridiculous, but I go up and down the steps as much as I can. I walk around my neighborhood with a weighted pack.

You do the exact thing I do.

I do exactly the same thing, because I have to overcompensate with the weight because I don’t have any elevation outside of the hospital steps.

It’s tough. I’m training for the John Muir Trail. I leave at the beginning of August and that will be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I’m trying to get out there as much as possible. People do look at you oddly and we’ve had people we know say, “If she wants to walk the roads with a weighted pack, let me know and I’ll have her stop by the grocery store for me.”

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My neighbors are now used to it. I scared them a little bit in the beginning because they thought I was homeless or something. Some girl came to me and said, “Do you mind if I hike with you? You’re inspiring.” Now she joins me.

That’s nice. I wish I had that company, because sometimes it can get rather boring.

Listen to podcasts. That’s what I do.

I have started to do the same thing.

We got a little bit off-track of the Wind River. You are in Wyoming’s highest peak area in that Wind River Range. Nineteen out of Wyoming’s highest peaks are in that range, so you’ve got to see some incredible mountains.

We did. You’re hiking all through them and with them towering all over you. With some trips that you might take, you’re setting in and you see the peaks off into the distance and you’re working your way towards that. With the Wind River Range, it’s an entirely different feel because the entire time you are surrounded by this. That’s why I say it feels like a land in and of itself because you felt enclosed by this majesty, if you will. There is one peak, and I don’t remember the name of it, that is listed in the Wildland Trekking itinerary as a possible summit. At this point in time, few years ago, no one had been able to successfully summit it because it is rather dangerous. It’s a group decision as to whether you’re going to do it and you are on a ridge with scree. It didn’t feel necessary to us to do that. It was quite fine to hike through the area and to see it all around you and it’s a phenomenal feel.

Looking at the photos, it looks almost like it has like a knife-edge ridge. Is that what you’re talking about there?

Yes, I am. You look at that and you think about is it worth it? I personally have never had the desire to summit peaks for the sake of summitting them. For me, it’s about the journey and what you’re going to see along the trail. It is a wonderful feeling to stand at the top of a peak, to look down and feel on top of the world, if you will. They can’t be the dangerous aspect of it, for me. I don’t mind some ridge walking or holding on to ropes and chains, but when the land that you’re walking on is unstable, which it was this particular ridge, it’s not worth it.

I have made the same call as you. I’ve called a hike several times. The conditions aren’t where I’m comfortable and I’d rather turn around. I read about somebody who was on one of these knife edge summits and he could see, but whatever he was doing, he was within 30 feet of wherever it was he wanted to go. He’s like, “Nope, it’s not worth it,” so he called the hike. Sometimes you just got to use your common sense and say, “This is it.” There’s ice up there on top of the screen. One slip, you’re dead. It’s not worth it.

I know that there are other people who would feel differently. People who summit Everest in crazy conditions, more power to them for having that sense of adventure that exceeds your normal gut reaction to your body saying, “No, I’ve got fear. I want to stop.” That’s not how I was built.

That’s probably one reason people are dying so much on Everest right now. It’s because they’re not turning around when they should. Let’s get back to the happy place at the Wing River. What time of year did you go?

We went in July.

It looks like mid-July to mid-September is what they recommend and that you could even get snow year-round.

I personally love it, which we did experience during this trip as well. You are traveling through an area that has some snow still on it because it offers such beautiful contrast and different elements if you will. You start out and you’re hiking through beautiful green and you’ve got your trees and so forth, and then the warm weather too in some instances. You get into this area that the higher you go, there’s still that snow. The contrast between that and the granite peaks, it was truly beautiful. I enjoy when we’re able to experience that as well as the warm weather too.

Tell us about your group. Was it just you and your two children or were there others in your group?

There were others in the group as well. There were two women who had traveled together and they’re friends. There was a gentleman who was a solo traveler and then a young woman who was also a solo traveler. There were seven of us, and then we also had two guides. There was a roll of the dice as to what group you’re going to end up with. We all jelled and had a great time. There was one point during the trip where we had a little bit of downtime and we were taking our poles and pretending like we’re having like a javelin throwing contest.

We’re hanging out in the middle of this nowhere enjoying each other’s company and doing stretches and some yoga and some headstands. I enjoyed each person getting to know them. Of course, we all went to dinner at the end of it as well, all cleaned up at that point. That was interesting too. You get used to seeing each other so dirty out there and then you get cleaned up when you’re back in the real world. It was a good group and the guides were great too. They were phenomenal. It felt very safe with them and that they were making smart decisions for us.

Was most of the group have the same fitness level or do the guides have a front and the back because people are going at different paces and are you hiking all day? Give us an idea of what that’s like.

A lot of times they do that, having the two guides and also it depends on the size of the groups. I believe usually you’re going to get a one guide per five people. In this instance, we did have seven participants, usually you’re going to have your sweeper in the back and then your guide in the front. Also, the pack weight, the guides tend to have a heavier pack than the participants. We were more in the 45-pound range. The rest are more along the 70-pound range. They would take turns carrying the heaviest pack. In our instance, it wasn’t necessary, which is unusual. Everyone does have a different fitness level. Also, you have your strong days and your weak days and then the longer the trip goes, it builds strength of course, but also that increases the difficulty rating of a trip. It’s one thing to get up during the day and to hike to the top of a mountain or to go twelve miles or ten miles. To get up every day and do that, you get tired towards the end of that week or can get tired. In this particular instance, we were around the same fitness level. We did stay together as a group the entire time. There wasn’t much of a distance between any of us and the guides would take turns leading and carrying that heavy pack.

About how many hours per day would you say you hiked on average?

For the most part was all day. Let’s say seven to eight hours because we usually did get in an early start because I remember getting up in the morning and sometimes that sun hasn’t quite hit and you feel a little cold in the morning waiting for the sun to hit you. We always got to camp before it got dark and it was the one thing that I enjoyed about this trip. First of all, I don’t like layover days. It’s a personal preference. Some people love that, to be able to explore an area. I like moving from place to place and seeing something different each evening, with this trip we had that. We were moving from camp to camp and we would get there in plenty of time to where you had some downtime, set up your tent, explore that particular area writing a journal while the guides were cooking the food. You were tired, but I felt like it was a good balance between the activity and the downtime.

It sounds like this is probably a five out of five of difficulty rating.

It is.

That’s what it sounds like, plus that’s pretty heavy weight too. The good thing with the weight too is it is going to go down because you’re going to be eating that food.

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That is so true. Some of the trips that I’ve been on, they’re flying in or they’re bringing in food to you. In one of the trips, they did it every three days or so forth. I don’t want to carry an apple. Yes, over the course of the week on this particular trip, your pack weight did go down. You were stronger too, which felt like a good combination towards the end.

Is it your tent or do they provide the tent or do you have options there?

You do have options which I find phenomenal about Wildland Trekking. They will provide any gear that you need. That can be from your backpack, to your tent, to your sleeping bag, your poles, as well as of course providing all of the food which they make themselves. This isn’t packaged food that they’re purchasing from some other provider. For me personally, I’m going to bring my own pack cause that’s what I’m used to as well as some of my own gear. Some of the other participants brought some gear and then used some of theirs as well. It’s top of the line gear too.

Let’s talk about wildlife. Did you see much?

No, and I will say that that was a disappointing aspect to me. From what I understand, it’s a very harsh area for animals to survive. I know that there were some in our group that would have felt it would’ve been cool to see a grizzly bear and then others who were cool that we didn’t see a grizzly bear. I don’t think the grizzly bears have moved into that area. I don’t remember seeing anything beyond marmots or something that I don’t remember exactly, but I do know that there wasn’t any wildlife.

How much of the time would you say you’re above tree line and versus being in the trees? Did you sleep in the tree line? Tell us about what you’re seeing landscape-wise outside the granite peaks and where you’re hanging out at night.

Once you get into the Wind River Range itself, it took about a day to get in. The first night, you’re still sleeping in a green area and the same thing at the end. In that first in that seventh day, you’re on the low-lying areas and more inclined to see other people. Once you get into the Wind River Range, you are in a rocky area. In terms of the terrain, you do need to like rocks and I love rocks and being surrounded by that. Most of the camps that was the case. There was some area that was rocky. We always manage though to find areas that was very comfortable to put your tent down.

Towards the end, there was this one camp site. I did love it. There was water flowing through the area, and the area that you could camp and was quite large. Sometimes you would get to certain campsites and you need to put your tents closer to one another. In this particular area, it was huge. There were green mountains everywhere and water running through, something that you should have seen in a lower lying area, but we were quite high and then you could hear the water fall too, the water running through there. It was quite beautiful. That was probably my favorite campsite.

Are these established camp sites or they’re just the ones they traditionally go to? Is this managed somehow or you just go where you find some place flat?

I don’t know the formal answer to that other than it felt like we could go wherever we wanted to, someplace that was flat. I’ve been on trips where they’ve boxed out certain sites or there’s a ranger who’s going to come through and dictate where you can put your tent. They don’t want the vegetation to be damaged in any way. On this particular trip, a lot of the time that we’re in a rocky area, so there isn’t any vegetation that you can harm. We put our tent where we wanted to.

When you say a rocky area, are we walking on a trail or rubble? What is the trail like?

We were walking on trails throughout the whole time, but it’s rocky. When I say rock, everywhere you walk off-trail, you’re in a rocky area. A vast big rock is what I picture in my mind. Other times, I didn’t find the trail difficult. I’ve been hiking in Poland or rock hopping. In that instance, you’re walking from rock to rock and you can’t look around because you’re so concerned as to where you’re going to be placing your feet. That was not the case with this. I don’t know if I’ve answered the question right.

I was just wondering, with some of the white mountains, when you get up towards the peaks, you’re just like a Billy goat. You’re stepping from mainly small rock to small rocks. You have to watch your feet or you’re going to twist an ankle.

It wasn’t like that. We could look around. I don’t mind what you described. We did that in Poland for a week and you didn’t get to see much of anything because you are so concerned about your footing.

You can only see when you stop to look. Let’s talk about water too, another heavy thing. They’ve apparently got 1,300 named lakes and another 2,000 unnamed. Are you constantly able to get water to treat or was that only down in the valleys? Tell us about the water situation.

The water situation, we were fine. There were a lot of water sources and the guides did a good job of letting us know how long we were going to go without a water source so that we had an idea of how much water we needed to set out with. I appreciate that because you’re exactly right. That is a heavy weight in your pack. Being able to figure out from your own personal preference how much water you normally drink, whether you can set out with one leader or whether you need two, it’s nice in terms of keeping that pack weight down. There were lots of water sources.

I’m going to plug my companion podcast, Adventure Travel Show, where I did an episode on the various water treatment system so you can get an idea of what would work best for you. It’s pretty helpful because water weighs eight pounds a gallon or one kilogram per liter, so it’s heavy. You only want to carry what you need and not much more. Is there anything that you wished you’d known before you went on this trip that you could give advice to people that are considering it?

Because of my experience prior to that, I only had one backpacking trip in Canada. Because I live on the East Coast like we’ve discussed, I feel like people a lot of times underestimate the impact of being at a higher elevation. Our elevation does make things more difficult. I do think you need to train even harder than you normally would if you’re in an area that is more familiar to something that you’re doing or living on a regular basis if you live in the East Coast, you’re training for something on the East Coast and vice versa. I did suffer from mild altitude sickness in the beginning and so I feel like learning about hydration at higher elevations and the fact that you do need to consume more water at those higher elevations than you would at lower elevations, I wished that I’d learned that prior to leaving because it might have helped me somewhat during that trip. Even with being properly hydrated, you can’t always determine whether you’re going to feel ill or not. It might’ve been helpful to me.

I personally start feeling the elevation around 8,000 feet, which is probably pretty low. The highest I’ve personally ever been was 12,500 or so. I could feel I had a mild headache and mild nausea. You know what it is, but it was nothing serious. It wasn’t anything I had to turn back on, but you’re aware of it.

I am the same way as you. I usually feel it around 8,000 feet as well.

Is there anything else that I should have asked you that I didn’t ask you about the Wind River Range that you’d like to tell us?

I feel like with our questions, we’ve did discuss the area well and I loved it. Regardless of the fact that during the time that we went, there were mosquitoes and I did have to wear my mosquito net, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Out of all the travels now that you’re doing adventure travel, is that your main way of travelling when you travel now, for the most part?

It is.

Know your limits. Sometimes you just got to use your common sense and say, 'Okay, this is it.' Click To Tweet

Is it adventurous?

Yes.

How does the Wind River Range compare to some of your other travels as far as, “This is super fantastic?” How does it rank would you say?

It ranks up at the top. It is one of my favorite areas I’ve ever been to because of the way it felt. A lot of times, for people who don’t do adventure travel, who’ve never backpacked and they just do those day hikes, which is fine too, you’re still exploring. You can’t explain to someone what it feels like to be in the middle of this vast area and these towering peaks around you and how minuscule you feel and insignificant. It is such a phenomenal feeling and you can’t see it through the pictures. You have to experience that. For me, the Wind River Range is probably my top three. I loved it. It’s tough. Regardless of that, regardless of any mosquitoes, I would go back in a heartbeat and I tell people all the time about this area because it was so spectacular and I didn’t have to travel outside of the United States in order to see it.

I want to go back to something you just said. When something’s tough for me, I find that when I’ve pushed myself to do something maybe a bit harder or longer or something, it rocks my boat, it makes me feel good about me. Could you talk a little bit about how these kinds of adventures make you feel?

You’re exactly right. When you work so hard to push yourself in ways that you don’t normally push yourself, it could go want it two ways in someone. They could say, “This is so tough. I just can’t do it.” You can do it. For me, even in the midst of something so difficult, you climb to the top of something and you looked down and it’s the highest elevation you’ve ever been to. It’s the heaviest pack you’ve ever carried but look at what you’re seeing. It is such a phenomenal feeling. Our bodies are amazing and if you have the right mindset, which is totally key in long-distance trekking, and I would consider this long distance. Strapping on a pack and you’re heading out for a week.

It’s amazing what our bodies are capable of doing, but our minds play such a huge role in that. Having that right mindset, you can do it and what you’re going to see is totally worth it. I don’t consider myself having an addictive personality, but I’m addicted. I’m addicted to backpacking trips, which is so interesting because when I set out and you had asked me why Slovenia, when I first set out, my rules where I did not want to sleep in a tent and I did not want a back backpack. I wanted a light day pack. Over the course of the year seeing different areas, I’ve graduated into backpacking and that’s the only way I want to go now. I don’t know how to have regular vacations anymore. These are my vacations and I love it. I wish I could do it all the time. I wish I didn’t have to work, but I work to pay for these.

Also too with backpacking, sometimes if you want to see something, that’s the only way you can see it.

I’ve explained that to other people too. If there is anyone out there and you look at that level five and you think it’s too for you or you say, “I couldn’t possibly put 45 pounds on my pack.” You can. I meet people on a regular basis and I’m one of those people who started out not being able to do too much and you train properly. You can do it. The rewards are phenomenal. To be in these areas that you can’t drive to and you can’t just hike for a few hours and see, it’s a great feeling. It’s that adventure travel.

It’s the pinnacle of it. Like Paula says, “You can do anything. You just got to train for it.” You’ve got to do what they tell you to do. You’ve got to train. You just can’t show up with and put 45 pounds on your back or you’re going to bust your knees and your hips and everything else. With time and practice, you can do it.

Also don’t just show up like you’re stating. When you do group travel, something others need to keep in mind is that your fitness level and your ability to do things is also impactful to the others in the group as well, so definitely train.

You don’t want to be the one that can’t do it, that everybody’s got to wait for all the time. Not only to be at the end of the pack, but you’ve got to be able to do the adventure that you signed up for. Paula, I sure appreciate you coming on the show. This has been interesting. I have another place to add to my list. Thanks so much for coming on.

Thank you so much for inviting me. I appreciate it.

I don’t know about you, but one of the problems I have with this program is that my list keeps getting longer and longer. I had heard vaguely about the Wind River Range but after talking to Paula, I was like, “I’ve got to get out there and see this for myself.” It sounds amazing and I liked the idea that literally for days they saw nobody. I would not do anything like that without a guide because I don’t have those back-country skills. I would feel very comfortable with the guides going to see this truly beautiful and remote area. It just sounds amazing. Everybody that signs up for my monthly newsletter, they’ll get the travel planner automatically. Pop me an email or just go to the website. My email is Kit@ActiveTravelAdventures.com and I’ll be happy to add you to the list for the futures and send you out the planners.

If you haven’t done so already, please hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss any future episodes. Coming up next, I’ve got a super fun adventure. We’re going to Baja, Mexico and we’ll also be there in time for the Day of the Dead celebration. Don’t misunderstand, this is not a morose celebration and macabre day. This is not Halloween, nothing like that at all. It’s truly a joyful celebration and it’s a national holiday in Mexico. It’s a super fun adventure. We’ll be glamping on the beach, swimming with sea lions and so much more. It’s a fun episode, so I can’t wait to share that with you. On the Adventure Travel Show podcast, my companion podcast, we’re going to learn some more safety tips. One of the things I want to emphasize is adventure travel is great. I encourage everybody to go out there and do it, but you want to make sure you do it safe. On the Adventure Travel Show podcast, I teach you some of the tips and techniques that you need to know so you’re safe when you’re out in the wild. I hope we get a lot out of those episodes. Please hit the subscribe button to both of them so you don’t miss any future episodes.

Important Links:

• Banff National Park ATA podcast episode
• How To Train for Your Adventure Travels ATA podcast episode
• Teton National Park ATA podcast episode
• What to do if you get lost in the woods ATSP podcast episode
• Hiking Safety in Bear Country ATSP podcast episode
• How to Get Cheap Flights ATSP podcast episode
• Hiker’s Guide on How to Choose a Portable Water Treatment System ATSP podcast episode
• Reach out to Paula on Instagram or Facebook
• Wildland Trekking
• Patagonia
• Wildland Trekking
• Episode – previous episode of Adventure Travel Show
• Kit@ActiveTravelAdventures.com
• Adventure Travel Show

• Here’s How »

• activetraveladventures.com
• Active Travel Adventures Facebook Page
• Active Travel Adventures Facebook Group
• Active Travel Adventures Twitter
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