After the craziness of the Great Divide Basin it was on to a section of trail rumored to be one of the best on the entire trail, and it did not disappoint. Shortly after South Pass City we entered a section of Wyoming known as the Winds – it actually was rarely windy there though. We had a long food carry of 172 miles with tough hiking but in this case, it was all worth it.
These mountains are picturesque, the craggy exposed rock type towering high and unevenly into the sky like the mountains I used to draw as a kid. In between the high peaks were tons of pristine lakes seemingly around every turn and over every pass. They’re the types of lakes my dad would love to fish as they’re filled with many types of tasty trout – for those that like fish! There is even a lake named Dad’s Lake and one named Bob’s Lake (after Julie’s dad no doubt).
We also had near perfect weather with cool nights and warm sunny days. Mosquitos got kind of tough but our bug armor has done well – nylon pants and shirts along with head nets. Our mileage dropped slightly and we had one low day of 24 due to some difficult route finding and some fatigue build up from the basin push with Softwalker. But overall the time in the Winds went wonderfully. Many often ask us about sections we recommend and the Winds of Wyoming are definitely one of them.