As with many before me, i have become infatuated with these mountains. They are harsh and rugged, yet welcoming and beautiful all at the same time. Travel is tough over talus, or easy and idylic through meadows of lush grass and flowers, invigorating through clear and cold mountain streams coming off the high peaks.
I am not the only one; generations have come here to find solitude or comraderie, wild adventure or simply beautiful views. Different than most of the greater Yellowstone complex, these rounded and craggy granite peaks hold some of the largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountain range in the US, yet they get a small fraction of the visitation that the tetons, neighbors to the north, recieve. Travel is generaly easy out here, unlike the in the tetons where all trails lead up, usually quite steeply. Here the name of the game is long, undulating distance.
To end the excellent runoff season of 2023 in the West, and because i havent been climbing much this year due to a varietly of life circumstances, Lindsay and i headed up to the start of the Green. Although we had been through the true headwaters, up and over the ridge where the green starts as a series of trickles coming off a receding glacier and some semi-permenant snow fields, for this trip we wanted to try to boat the river down, then out of the mountains. The goal was to packraft from whenever possible through past green river lakes, then out and around the northwestern part of the winds back towards Pinedale/Cora. Most people who have floated this section opted for the much easier method of walking up the river corridor then floating back out. Rather than default to the norm, lindsay and i instead opted to come in over the ridgeline, so we could follow a continous stream all the way from its headwaters and watch it grow from nothing to a trickle to a river. This would, of course, mean hauling boats up thousands of vertical feet into the alpine, but the alpine regions of the Winds are always worth the visit.
After a frantic last minute packing session, we set off for New Fork after work. I had not yet been to New Fork so i wasnt sure quite what to expect. We set up a bike shuttle (dropped a bike in the woods at the green river winter trailhead) and started walking from the New Fork narrows trailhead just before sunset. A mile and a half in saw us at the head of the upper New Fork Lake on a beautiful glacial beach away from the crowds at the narrows campsite.
The first real day of the long weekend had us crossing the New Fork River twice in a long, gradual ascent of the New Fork drainage. I had not heard much of this drainage but as a climber, it seems that anywhere you go in the Winds holds dramatic, sweeping granite walls and domes. New Fork was no different and seems like a great option to avoid the hoards of Cirque of the Towers and Deep Lake while also having a shorter and easier walk (and pavement nearly to the trailhead). The drainage itself was stunning, and, given the right time, seems like it could also support a good packrafting run almost back to the lake.
Sometime after lunch the trail really started to take off up into the headwaters and the alpine. Some concerning weather also started threatening which added to the concern about not having a place to set up the tent if the sky really opened up. Luckily we only got a few light showers and made it to Kenny lake, which we had all to ourselves, just in time to freshen up in the lake and watch the beautiful sunset.
Our second full day on the trail started with a quick descent into the upper New Fork river basin area before re-ascending to a pass that would take us into the upper Green River area. We happened to catch the wildflowers just as they were peaking, which also meant the mosquitos were peaking as well... At the pass we finally had visibility into the central core of the wind river range, a steep and unforgiving area of rock and ice. This part of the range was pretty quiet, even on a prime "Pie and Beer" day weekend, and we had not seen another group since mid afternooon the day before, so we took advantage of the solitude and went skinny dipping in Clark Lake.
The final descent down switch backs seemed to take a long time, but was more reminiscent of the PNW than of the central rockies, with tall trees covered in moss and large, broken peaks. When we finally hit the valley floor at three forks park, the river looked doable, but some internet scouting seemed to suggest the next mile and a half might have some intense whitewater, so we opted to walk rather than transition. Definitely was a good idea to walk, as there were several sections of class 4 water in a shallow gorge that was full of wood, where exit would be difficult. We ended up camping at a river bend right before the beaver park bridge in the shadow of Square Top.
The wilderness section of the green above green river lakes was absolutely stellar, the views were amazing and there were a few fun rapinds. Unfortunately the river was also choked with wood which meant we had to portage ~9 times in ~7 miles, slowing us down quite a bit. All but one of the portages were just a single log that was wedged. If i return, i would bring a small hand chainsaw and clean up some of them with a few fast cuts, which would really improve the character of the run. We paddled upper green river lake (and the river between) but opted to walk around lower as the paddling was slow and the lake was long.
After upper green river lake the water transitioned from glacial milk and a fairy blue-green color to beautifully clear. Coming out of lower green river lake the water was amongst the clearest i have floated on, with a hint of green. After a few swift miles the river broadened and deepened, to the point of almost being a lake. The water was wider and deeper than other "slow" rivers i have been on with 4x that flow which meant we were really crawling. Looking at the elevation profile, i thought something must have been up with the topo model because it was heavily stepped... in reality... this is the river profile. Almost completely flat for miles followed by very steep miles before returning to almost flat. We didnt get nearly as far as hoped. I was hoping to get within ~10 miles of the takeout (meaning 24 miles on the water) but with sunset only an hour and a half away we were barely 16 miles in and the water was seemingly flat. Readjusting, we agreed to stop at Moose Creek, because there should be a rapid section right after that which we would start with the following morning. Well... things dont go according to plan and in reality the rapid began about a half mile upstream of Moose Creek. At this point we were tired (and a bit cold, we didnt bring dry suits) from the long day on the water. Nonetheless we pressed on because of the lack of camping (marshy on one side, private and/or cow infested on the other). Sure enough, the crux of the whole run came soon after. I made it through the rapid but Lindsay flipped backwards in a lateral/hole. Looking back, i managed to grab her gear that came floating down to me, make my way to shore, and set up to rescue her. She was stuck on a rock close to shore, but with a sizable stream to navigate through that could easily sweep her further down. This is why we practice rescue techniques! I threw a rope, got set as a body anchor, and she was able to sweep herself across the flow to shore, fine if a bit shocked. A quick scout seemed to show a decent camp site another halfmile down the river with a minor rapid to navigate. After collecting ourselves a bit, we bee-lined to camp, happy to be off the water.
Our final river day started off beautifully. After resting, we were much more mentally ready for the remaining rapid section (a few miles of continuous CL2/2+). The fish were EVERYWHERE, jumping out of the water every 30 seconds or so. I really wish we would have brought a fly road, if for this section alone. Before long the river started backing up again into a long flat and winding section. With time slowly getting away from us, an up-river wind really picking up, and the prospect if needing to still float 8+ miles of river, unclear if it would be flat or swift, we pulled over and called it. I ran the remainder back to the bike, biked back to the car through off and on rain, and made it to the car JUST in time for the sky to really open up. All in all, it was a stellar trip with amazing views, but equally amazing amounts of frustration with portages and flat water. I can't wait to go back! It seems that, if you are willing to work for it, there is a lot of good packrafting to be had in the winds, and maybe next time i wont pass up the fly rod.
Some of the Sage Brush Ocean wildflowers (including a Paintbrush Rainbow)
