On the fourth day of the course we climbed to the top of Wind River Peak - the highest mountain in the southern Wind River Range of Wyoming. I was feeling more than a little apprehensive about this since it was supposed to be the most challenging day of the course yet and I was already feeling plenty challenged enough. To summit Wind River Peak we had to get in position and hike up to its base the day before. The base of the peak was very exposed, steep and windy - a camping position that was not very comfortable at all. We found some shelter for cooking and meetings nestled in the shrubby and wind-blown pines with a great view of the peak in the background. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and there was quite a storm that night; the wind howled and the tent flapped so much that we thought it would blow away.
We woke up to freezing rain in the pitch black at 4:30 am - an early start was required because the instructors were afraid of being on the top in the daily afternoon showers and storms. After packing everything up and eating some breakfast we were on our way of what was to be a very long day.
I knew that the summit was going to be hard but I didn't think it was going to be as difficult as it was. Climbing to the top of Wind River Peak was very challenging for most of us for a few specific reasons. 1) We had to hike with full packs as we had to make it up and over the pass and because of the danger of inclement weather. Normally when groups hike to the top of a peak they just use lighter day packs. 2) We were off trail. There was no path to the top and we navigated the best route as we went which was time-consuming and tricky as we had to back track a lot. 3) Almost the whole way up the route was entirely on huge boulders. It was hard to balance with a heavy pack crossing up, down and around really big rocks. 4) About two hours into the hike it started snowing which made traveling conditions cold, wet and slippery.
After five hours of steep uphill climbing with the last hour being on snow and ice, we made it to the top just long enough to sign the log book hidden in a Nalgene bottle in a crag before heading back down again. At that time the blizzard was in full swing, it was freezing, there was little or no visibility and the morale of the group was pretty low. I was wearing every layer I possibly had and just wanted to get down off that mountain. It took us even longer to get down since things were so slippery and because the instructors had to make sure the route ahead of us was safe.
Everyone was happy when we finally made it out of the snow and back down into the warmer rain. We made it into our campsite for the night around 5pm exhausted, soaking wet, cold and sore but we were all happy that we had made it. I am especially thankful to Sean who carried about 10 lbs of my weight for me for the day and for some of the bigger guys who helped us girls over a few of the more impossible boulders. Don't get me wrong, it was a cool and challenging experience, but one that I don't feel the itch to repeat anytime soon.
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