Wind River Range, 1982

Editor's Note: In 1982, four of us decided to drive to Alaska and explore the mountains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  For two years, I had been intensely studying the mountains of Alaska, accumulating necessary gear and supplies, honing climbing skills, and planning this trip.  Mike Scott had been complicit in this effort, but his father had become ill just before our departure.  He hoped to meet us in Fairbanks in two or three weeks.   The team consisted of Tom Sharp, Greg Smith, Doug Taylor, and me.  Greg volunteered his family's Volkswagen camper van for the trip.  We would drive from Tennessee to Fairbanks, with an initial stop in Denver to pick up some gear from my friend Jack Grace.  Altogether, we expected to be gone about two months.     Our plans fell apart almost immediately, and it would be another full year before I reached the Arctic.  We did, however, manage a memorable backpacking/climbing trip in the Wind ...

Saturday, July 10, 1982;  Wewoka-Cromwell Exit, I-40, Oklahoma Tom's journal : The Subaru made it about 80 miles yesterday before it died in a paroxysm of effort on a mild slope.  We spent the night in some very soft grass about 10 feet off the side of the interstate. Greg had the hood up attempting to work on the car by matchlight.  Matchlight!    Two cars stopped and offered assistance.   The first car contained one young guy.  He discovered we needed more than a jump and left.  The next car contained an elderly couple.  He was sympathetic and would have done all he could.  She started out the same way, but then noticed our shadowy bulks lying in the grass.  She immediately became nervous and started poking her husband urgently, conveying the unspoken message that they were in the midst of obviously dangerous drug fiends and should vacate the scene before we killed and ate them. Things are very bleak at this point.  We may ge...

Friday, July 16, 1982; Denver, Colorado Tom's journal: We got to Denver Monday afternoon, July 12.  Jack and Sarah were their usual hospitable selves.   We took a short climb Wednesday morning in Eldorado Canyon.  Joe, Greg and I went up the first pitch of a 5.6 climb and rappelled down.  Good time.  Steve Scott took us out there, and then flew back to Tullahoma to see his dad.   Greg and I went to the Denver World Theatre Festival Wednesday night and saw "The Mayor of Zalamea" performed by the British National Theatre Troupe.  It was about the 16th century Spanish concept of honor which, like pride, is a very strange bird. Afterwards, we met Doug and Joe at Josephina's, and then went to Soapy Smith's, both nice places.  Denver has a lot of offer. We've decided to take a 20-day hiking trip into the Wind River Range in the Bridger National Forest and Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming.  Twenty days.   Whew.   We began getting our ge...

Editor's note:   Since this entire adventure began as a mountaineering expedition in the Arctic, we had an unusually large amount of gear. When our Alaska dreams fell apart, I had been attracted to the Wind River Range because of the potential to do some mountaineering.  We had two tents, one weighing 11 pounds, the other 7. We had ice axes, crampons, a rock climbing hammer, a rack of protection including deadmen, ice screws, pitons, hexes, slings, snow pickets, and 150 feet of 11mm climbing rope.  We had a sizable medical kit, and a sewing repair kit.  Clothes suitable for sun, rain, snow, and temperatures as low as 10 F.  Two stoves and liters of Coleman fuel.  Several rolls of toilet paper.  Daypacks.  And food for three to four weeks.  (Or so we thought.)  Our packs weighed about 80 pounds.    -- Joe Hagan Sunday, July 18, 1982 Joe's journal: We spent last night at the trailhead near Torrey Creek.  Alt: 7480 feet. ...

Monday, July 19, 1982 Joe's journal: We went to bed shortly after dark last night.  We slept well.  The overnight low temperature at Lake Louise was 54 degrees. Today was a tough day.  The hike just to the western end of Lake Louise was very strenuous with our huge packs on.  On several occasions we were almost rock climbing.  On one occasion, we set up a belay for Greg and Doug.      The hike up the creek toward Hidden Lake was tough also.  Tom and Greg and I made it about half the distance between the two lakes and stopped for lunch and to wait for Doug.  After a couple hours, I walked back down toward Lake Louise to find Doug.  He apparently had twisted his ankle and was unable to travel.  I left him there for the night and returned to Tom and Greg.  We set up camp on the south side of the creek on a fairly steep slope.  We're at 8700 feet.  Our campsite is small and lumpy but the wind does not bother us here....