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The Wind River Range Day 4~Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Steam drifted out from under the kitchen tarps as breakfast hissed and boiled on the camp stoves. The tarps provided a warm, friendly refuge as we settled in to watch the snow. We calculated about 4" had fallen and it was still coming down. Our trail was shrouded in a heavy cloud cover and hidden under snow. No question we would take an unplanned layover day. Trails: Layover Day 3rd Night Campsite: Deep Creek Lakes Saturday, August 30, 2003 Temperature, 7:00 am 30° Once again I woke at 6:30 am.
A gray light filtered in through the vestibule window. The light was so gloomy
and the air so cold, I just wanted to sink down in my warm, fluffy sleeping bag
for another hour's rest but this was not to be. Nature was calling and I
hurried to put on my wool socks, hat, gloves and fleece jacket. As I
reached for the rain fly zipper I realized that something was wrong, I couldn't
see out of the window. SNOW!! "Snow" I whispered as I shook John. He woke
with a start. Grabbing every piece of warm clothing he could find, he was
out first shaking snow off the tent and clearing drifts away from the base.
Wow, 3" on the ground and still coming down hard. The rain that had disturbed
our sleep at midnight had turned to snow sometime in the wee hours of the
morning. We crawled back in the tent to wait for the rest of the camp to stir.
By 7:40 am the sound of voices and the "whish-whish" of shaking tents filled the air. Everyone was up and tending to the immediacy of the weather. We left our warm cocoons to join our friends in the snow about the time I noticed that my stomach was queasy and my head pounding. No doctor necessary to diagnosis a case of altitude sickness. Oh bother, this is just plain unpleasant. I have never experienced problems with altitude, why now? Steam drifted out from under the kitchen tarps as breakfast hissed and boiled on the camp stoves. The tarps provided a warm, friendly refuge and we settled in to watch the snow. We calculated about 4" had fallen and it was still coming down hard. Our trail was shrouded in a heavy cloud cover and hidden under snow. No question we would take an unplanned layover day. Excitement filled the air as we discussed the late August snow fall. The reality of the long and confining day had not yet sunk in. John cheerfully prepared our
breakfast of hot coffee and grits. I choked
down the nourishment in hopes that my now very upset stomach
might reap the calming benefits of a good meal. While I managed to keep
the food down, I could barely get
through my attempts at being social before the need to lie down overcame me. I stumbled back to the tent and said a little prayer that I would not
have to scramble for my boots and quickly exit to be sick. My sleeping bag
seemed to engulf me as I slid down far enough to hide my face and muffle all sounds.
Lying as still as
humanly possible, I felt awful!! "Dear Diary...Boy can I plan a trip! Rain, snow and rain again, all day long. It is damp, cold, boring and I am suffering from altitude sickness. During breakfast Barbara said that based on the Canadian wildfires and the last minute trip changes the trip was doomed from the beginning. She said she had almost cancelled out."
A snowy view from the cook tarp
I drifted in and out of a light sleep. Every so often John walked from the kitchen to the tent to check on me but I was only vaguely conscious of his presence. Finally he gingerly climbed into the tent and laid down for his own morning nap. His throat was still sore and he hoped to shake the on-coming cold. By noon I was feeling better! Miraculously the queasy stomach was gone and the headache diminishing. We got up and headed back to the protection of the kitchen tarps. The snow storm faded to flurries and we calculated about 6" total accumulation. Will, John F. and Duane were still under the tarp, Barbara had gone off to explore. John F. told us he had shorted himself 2 meals to force him to do some serious fishing. We hoped he was kidding. Lunch couldn't happen fast enough, I was starving. Chef John prepared a hearty potato chowder (dehydrated McKenzie Chowder from Enertia Foods) and a pan of 3-Cheese biscuits (Bisquick mix) for us while Duane, Will and John Finger fixed their own snacks. We talked and laughed over lunch and at some point John asked me what day it was. I answered "Friday, Saturday, Sunday...how should I know." Will suggested that maybe it was someone's birthday at which point my mind went crazy!! Today was August 30th, John's 50TH birthday, how could I possibly forget? Happy Birthday honey! Great girlfriend I am...no way to recover from this gracefully! Can I use altitude sickness as an excuse?? At 1:46 pm the temperature had warmed to 48° and the flurries had turned into rain. By 2:00 pm we had been experiencing 24 hours of precipitation. The Glacier Group, who had also taken a layover day, stopped by to see how we were fairing. Remember the "outdoors being the great equalizer" statement? Not only had one of the Glacier guys set up his tent in a low area but his tent leaked and all of his gear, including his down sleeping bag, had become quite wet. The GG had also neglected to bring tarps so they were standing under a pine tree trying to stay relatively dry while keeping a fire going for warmth and to dry out the wet bag and clothes. Hard rain continued to come in waves. About the time the rain slacked off and one set of clouds rolled out of the lake area, another set rolled in and the rain picked up again. Duane's weather radio said sun and 80's in the town of Lander (foot of the mountains) tomorrow. We hoped we were lucky enough to see the sun too. It snowed again sometime between 3-5 pm but John and I didn't know it because we slept through it. Our bodies must have needed the sleep as we really slept most of the day away. At home I often welcome rain
as an excuse to do my chores inside the house but rain on a backpack makes doing
even the survival duties quite challenging. Spirits seem to sink with the onset
of bad weather and the simple tasks become drudgery. The return of the sun
is always glorious and spirits rise to greet the occasion. As was the case
in the late afternoon on this day when the rain finally ended and the sun came
out. John F., Will, Duane, Barbara, John and I crawled out from where ever
we had been keeping dry and stood in the middle of our campsite, faces to the
sky, soaking up the sun. We smiled and laughed and immediately began peeling off
extra layers of clothes in the warmth. It is not hard to understand why so many ancient
civilizations worshiped the sun. The day ended with dinner, social time discussing the day's events and bedtime. Today was another another page of survival in my growing book of outdoor experiences. John and I fell asleep again to the sound of Duane humming in his tent.
John getting water for dinner
Day 5-Finally Above Treeline (Under Construction) Wind Rivers Photo Gallery
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John talking to Duane (in tent)
