Snowy Range, Wyoming
I wanted to plan a non Colorado weekend so I decided to see if Laura wanted to head north for the Snowy Range in Wyoming. I had never been there and it looked beautiful. It is an amazing place that offers all the things we enjoy - rock climbing, mountains, great views, lakes, etc.
We headed out of town and in short order, made it to our destination, only stopping one time for fried chicken at Safeway. We figured that if we got there early enough that we could still hike to the top of Medicine Bow Peak, the tallest of the range and catch a good sunset. Once parked, we packed a light pack with some beer, dinner and headed for the peak. It was an enjoyable hike with great views and the afternoon light over the lake and mountain range was unbeatable. Laughing and talking the entire way to the top, we were there before we knew it. We hung out, had a beer and then headed off to catch the sunsetting on the ridge we planned to descend on. The sunset turned out to be one of the best either of us has seen in years and seemed to last forever, changing the sky into an art pallet with a different painting every few minutes.
The next day we did a rock climbing route. Interestingly, nothing is listed for the range, so we picked a cool looking line and said lets go for it! On the second pitch, Laura had a huge boulder come off the mountain and she took a pretty good fall. Luckily, she swung away from the ledge and the boulder fell below. We decided that we would head to Vedavoo that night and so we packed up and made the drive down the mountain pass to the flat area that the infamous wide crack climbing area sits upon. We arrived to super hot weather and decided we'd rather drive back to the mountains than suffer a sweaty night at Vedavoo. After all, we were having so much fun in the mountains, how could we not head back?
Off we went, taking a wrong turn somewhere along the way, so I decided to take a dirt road to cut across to the correct highway. About half way down the dirt road, we got a flat tire. I jumped out thinking this should be quick and easy but the Trailblazer had different ideas. I battled with a stuck tire carrier for about 15 minutes before a young man and his girlfriend showed up and offered their help. The two of us under the trailblazer beating on the stuck hinge with rocks, after about 30 minutes and being covered with dirt and mud, it popped loose! We made the quick tire change and thanked the two for their help. They simply responded that it was not a problem and that "It's the Wyoming Way". It always feels good to meet folks who are willing to help a stranger for no other reason than that it is the right thing to do.
Back in the mountains again, I was so dirty that I knew I needed to shower. It was raining but i couldn't go all night like this, so we headed to a lake. I gathered the courage to jump in the cold water even though it was raining and probably in the high 30's outside. Clean, but shivering and cold, we headed for camp and had a relaxing evening under the stars before climbing and heading home the following morning.
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