We Do Stuff: Gannet Peak

Written by Isaac B.

Gannett peak trip

Day 1:

Friday July 28th the day had arrived. All four in our party have had Gannett peak on our short list for some time now and we were finally going to go and give it a shot. Through the previous several weeks we had been doing research and trying to get a handle on what we were actually going to be getting ourselves into. This proved to be a difficult task as people are very secretive of giving out information on the Winds. Our other concern was the condition of the infamous bergschrund. If it hasn’t opened up you can simply walk across it, if it has, it can require some rock and ice climbing to overcome. We were hopeful from the limited information that we had gathered that it would remain closed, but it sounded like the glacier was opening up fast, so our days were numbered. We all got off work early and loaded into the 4runner excited but nervous. Our findings varied anywhere from 40 to 60 miles round trip. Either mileage would be doable, just one more pleasant than the other. We arrived at the Pole Creek trailhead shortly after dark. Justin and Laura quickly set up their tent in a parking spot as Nicole and I set up the back of the 4runner for a few hours of sleep. We quickly drank a beer before heading to bed, happy that the mosquitoes didn’t seem to be too bad!

Day 2:

Saturday July 29th, we got up around 6am for our hike into Titcomb basin. Justin had been waiting to hike into the basin for years so the stoke was high. We started the day slow with Nicole needing to stop and adjust her 2 day old backpack a few times before she had the fit down. In short time in we came to Photographers Point and were treated with our first real views of the sea of granite that the Winds are composed of.

Our group at Photographers Point

Views of the Winds

We descended a bit and then, turn after turn we came across lake after lake, each one more scenic than the last. Hobbs, Seneca, Little Seneca, Island and then Titcomb lakes. It is a truly majestic location. We spent a bit of time looking for a tent spot, set up camp and got dinner going. Justin surprised me with a bottle of whiskey, great news since I had joked earlier about wanting a beer for camp. We enjoyed the evening only sipping on our whiskey as we knew we had a big day ahead in the morning. We all disappeared into our tents before the sun disappeared.

Justin and Isaac on the trail to Titcomb Basin

Nicole and Isaac cruising past one of the many lakes along the route

Llamas hanging out

Justin and Isaac scoping out a nice beach for after the climb

Island Lake with a view of Bonney Pass in the distance

Laura and Nicole walking past lower Titcomb Lake

Our camp in Titcomb Basin

Day 3:

Sunday July 30th, Summit Day! The day had finally come for us to test ourselves on the roof of Wyoming. Gannett peak is the highest peak in the state, holding the added challenge of glacier travel. We rolled out of our tents at 1:30am and got moving quickly. The first challenge of the day was Bonney pass, or so we thought. We began the stroll over to the pass and quickly realized that we were working against rocky swampy terrain to get to the climb. Maybe we should have scouted a bit the night before!

Trying to find the route up Bonney Pass in the dark

After some time we began our ascent. We had watched some other groups come down the night before and were hopeful that we would be able to stay on snow and have an easy cruise to the pass. Crampons

went on, snow climbing began. Then we hit rocks again. I was feeling like the weak link at this point.

My legs have been through a lot in my lifetime and I haven’t always been kind to them. The walking on dry boulders in the crampons was torquing my ankles and knees and they were not having it. I wanted

to call it, but in good fashion the rest of the climbing team ignored me, knowing that I would eventually

snap out of it. Back to snow after a few hundred feet of climbing I began to feel better. Then all of a sudden the terrain flattened out, and we came across several camps with climbers clamoring to get ready and begin their climbs. We had made it to Bonney pass! The first goal achieved.

First views of Gannett from Bonney Pass

Nicole descending from Bonney Pass on the route to Gannett

From the pass we descended onto the Dinwoody glacier. Once to the glacier the ropes came out as we knew the risk was low, but always present, for a crevasse fall. We made our way across and quickly came to rivers flowing down the center of the glacier. After such a good snow year the mountain had seen record heat the month before. It was sad to see the glacier in a dying state.

Rivers of water flowing down the Dinwoody Glacier in the early morning

Justin and Laura crossing the Dinwoody glacier with Gannett above them

Justin, Nicole and Isaac working across the last stretch of the Dinwoody glacier

We made short work across and then began to climb, quickly coming to a rock band. Being slightly sleep deprived we at first thought we had come to the location of the infamous bergschrund, which was not to be seen! We did some class three scrambling thinking we were nearing the scrambles of the summit ridge but still feeling like we were too far away still.

Discussing route options

Our gut feeling was correct, after a short scramble we came to another glacier, the Gooseneck glacier. It looked steep and had signs of a bergschrund being present at the base of the true summit ridge. We quickly made our way across and found a steep couloir that looked to be continuous to the ridge. Ascending we could see the open bergschrund to our right and new that we were likely moving over an opening in the ice at points. A sigh of relief, at least for me. We had made it onto the summit ridge. All that stood between us and the summit was a class three ridge scramble, our favorite type of travel.

Laura and Justin starting up the Gooseneck Glacier

Justin, Nicole and Isaac climbing the couloir above the bergschrund

Nicole and Isaac working their way out of the couloir

Rock scrambling on the way to the final ridge

Laura on the final ridge to the summit

Isaac and Nicole on the final summit push

Arriving at the summit we were greeted with views of the Grand Teton off in the distance, a mountain that Justin, Laura and I have climbed but Nicole still needs. After some food and pictures we headed down for an uneventful trip back to camp. Of course with the wonderful reascent of Bonney pass!

Summit!

Justin, Laura and Nicole headed back toward Bonney Pass

Laura and Justin crossing back across the rivers running down the Dinwoody glacier

Isaac and Nicole climbing back up Bonney Pass with Gannett in the background

Isaac and Nicole glissading on their way down Bonney Pass

Isaac's favorite boulder field coming down Bonney Pass

We got back to camp with the goal of making our way 5-ish miles back towards the car to camp for the night at Island lake. We quickly made some food, tore down camp and hiked out under stormy skies.

Relaxing back at camp before continuing on

Rehashing the climb back at camp

The mountain spared us any real weather this afternoon thankfully. We got to Island lake, set up camp, and again ate some food. At this point it was slowly sinking in, we had done it. We were finally letting down and in an exhausted state the statement “New or Used” came flowing out of Laura’s mouth! The question that had us all laughing. If you know you know but feel free to ask Laura if you are curious. Basking in the evening light I let myself enjoy the last of the whiskey that Justin had provided. Island lake is unique for an alpine lake in that it has a few sandy beaches. Justin and I went for an evening swim while being heckled by the ladies who would only wade in to knee depth themselves. Again we headed into tents before the sun disappeared as we wanted to get an early start the next day again.

Our dinner spot with a view

Justin and Isaac enjoying a refreshing swim

The ladies enjoying the water as well

Our camp for the evening

Day 4

Monday July 31st, Pack out and get home. We woke up early again with boots on the ground at 5am. We still had about 12 miles to backpack out and then an 8 hour drive back to home. In the morning, everyone started hiking out at their own pace spreading us out to reflect on the weekends events in our own minds. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise and great temps as we made our way to the parking lot. We got to the car, stripped out of our dirty clothes and began discussing food. Checking all four watches everyone logged roughly 42 miles for the weekend, not bad at all. It was decided to grab Mexican in Rock Springs. The drive back to Colorado was uneventful until we hit Denver where we were greeted with a downpour and hail. People were pulling under underpasses. We pressed on to make sure that Justin and Laura would be able to see their sweet Hazel that evening. All in all, an amazing trip, on a gorgeous mountain with some of our best friends. This was a trip for the record books that will be remembered for a long time. More than the mountains that we climb we do what we do for the experiences with the people we love.

Onward and upward!