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Please click here for - Part Two
Green River Lakes
There was a knock on our camper door early the next morning. It was Ted. Mrs. Ted was not better and they had decided to head into Pinedale and get a motel room with the hope she could get better with a comfortable room and full bathroom and shower. It’s bad enough to be sick, but so much worse to be sick far from home, and out in the backcountry. We felt so bad for them and we were very concerned about Mrs. Ted’s health.
We followed them – as a backup - into Pinedale. They were able to get a decent room and would work on Mrs. Ted’s recovery. The Lady and I decided to return to – one of our favorite places – Green River Lakes, north of Pinedale, and keep in touch with the Teds with our InReach device. We all hoped Mrs. Ted would recover quickly and they would join us out at Green River Lakes in a day or two.
We arrived at the lakes, the end of the road, and a major trailhead for the Bridger Wilderness, by the midafternoon. Let me just say, the weather trend with rain showed no sign of changing.
Mid-June is early in the summer season here, but we were still shocked, and so very pleased, how quiet it was out here. The campground has 38 campsites. With us, only three sites were taken. The large trailhead for the Bridger Wilderness had only two vehicles parked. It was almost like having this incredible vast area all to ourselves. It was amazing. And to further brighten our moods, a real surprise, the skies were clearing as we finished setting up our simple camp.
That evening we walked after dinner, crossed the bridge over the Green River at its outlet from Lower Green River Lake, and headed up the trail alongside the lake. We were far, far, far too optimistic about the weather. We were not paying attention. It sneaked up on us, at least that’s what we’ll claim, and we got soaked.
And this was just the beginning. It rained all night. It poured rain. It did not let up in the morning. We stayed inside the camper. It began to tamper off after noon. We sat outside in our chairs around one-thirty and enjoyed lunch outside. We even got a little direct sunshine.
What to do? We had been sedentary far too long. I suggested we get on our hiking gear and packs and hike out to the end of the lower lake and return. It was a little after two when we left, lots and lots of time to knock off an easy seven miles or so. Who cared if it started raining again? We were prepared for that and hiking in storms, obviously, was nothing new for us. Off we went.
I should also add, we are very familiar with this area, the trails, and terrain. God, it was good to be moving.
The large meadow area at the upper end of Lower Green River Lake – where Clear Creek joins the Green River and it flows into the lower lake – was completely flooded.
We had told the Teds we consider this area one of the most beautiful places on earth. In no way do I think we are exaggerating that claim.
Even with the rain that wanted to hit us again.
Making great time, we added a side trip up Clear Creek.
We encountered more wetlands. It was time to turn around and head back toward camp. I reminded the Lady there was a second, higher, little used trail, that paralleled the main trail. We could take it back to the trailhead and campground. The higher ground offered superior views back up the Green River Canyon and of the iconic Squaretop Mountain. That is Upper Green River Lake beyond the flooded meadow.
The weather appeared to be clearing down the canyon.
We could take the time to enjoy the wildflowers.
A coyote barked and sang at us as we passed below this aspen grove. I believe it kept pace with us for a half mile or so.
The skies had cleared dramatically by the time we reached the bridge over the Green River.
After dinner, evening chores, and such, we celebrated the favorable turn in the weather with a walk to take in the evening light and the breathtaking scenery that surrounded us.
We also watched a pair of killdeer in the sage and identified another wildflower – Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
But we stayed focused on the main event – the light.
The lake was still as we walked at first light the next morning and enjoyed our mugs of Peet’s Coffee. This makes a pretty darn nice place for a morning coffee walk, especially, as I mentioned, we almost had it all to ourselves.
We wandered up to the old Green River Lake Lodge, now available as a
rental through the USFS. This rents for $100 a night with a maximum occupancy
of 12 people along with its breathtaking setting.
At breakfast we checked our InReach for a message from the Teds. The news was not good, Ted told us. Mrs. Ted was not any better. In fact, Ted was concerned she was even worse. They would stay in the motel in Pinedale. We felt for them. This is not what you want a vacation to turn into.
We still had hope they would be able to join us out here. This was a great place to spend several days at. We did caution them about the last 20 miles of the road into here. It is wide dirt and a gentle grade as it ascends along the Green River. But it is chalked full of potholes, washboard, and prone to stretches of mud. But, in the big picture, manageable; take your time. On our drive in we were forced off the road on a muddy section by a car coming at us from the opposite direction. It was an older Buick sedan. A single male was in the car. He figured the only way he was getting through the mud was with a big dose of momentum. The road was crowned on this stretch and water lined the low ditches on both sides. We were already in the mud, committed, but easily making forward progress. As soon as we saw him in the distance, we knew what he would do and he did not disappoint us. He was hard into the accelerator as he approached the mud. There was no way he was going to slow down. As soon as I started moving to the side and off the crown to get out of his way, our truck slid right, down, and into the water. With my foot gentle with the accelerator, we easily continued forward and the speeding, fishtailing Buick flew by. I wish I could have gotten a photo of his white knuckles and fixed forward stare. Yeeha!
I also need to mention the five 18-wheeler cattle trucks that were coming out empty (on the earlier paved section of road), as we were coming in, because cows will come up later in this story. The road in from Pinedale is a state route and paved until it reaches the National Forest boundary. The boundary is fenced, the road has a cattle guard. The state route ends and it becomes the dirt Forest Service road I talk about above. Inside the fence is a large turn around and parking area. Big enough for 18 wheelers dropping off thousands of black angus cattle to begin the summer grazing season. Thousands of cattle that were, initially, all bunched up inside the USFS boundary and all over the road. It was evident a lot more than the five trucks we saw were dropping off cows. We worried about the Buick after we witnessed the driver’s skill set.
As the photos show of the day’s beginnings, we had high hopes, and were fairly certain, this would be a day with gorgeous weather. It was time for a long hike – after we spent time, taking advantage of the delightfully warm sun, drying and airing things out at camp.
An outfitter group was out, training a couple of new horses.
My little thoroughbred was definitely ready to go.
Wildflowers continued to catch our eyes. Sticky Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum)
In the past we did a long day hike up the gorge of the Green River. We knew, because of the high water everywhere, there was no chance of making that distance today, but we’d hike as far as we could before our turnaround time. We carried our wading sandals and they were put to good use.
The area pictured above is the overflow from Clear Creek before the trail reached the large new bridge across Clear Creek.
A big change from the old bridge, here in 2019
We kept the wading sandals on as the next section of trail was water covered.
There is another large bridge that crosses the Green River between Lower and Upper Green River Lakes. Here’s a view downriver from on the bridge. The water is deep and fast.
We reached Upper Green River Lake and continued up the canyon.
We had reached the elevation favored by the Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia Caerulea)
We reached our turn around time. We were along the Green River above Upper Green River Lake, a wide wet area, a perfect spot to sit and watch for moose. We did not spot any moose but this was a great place for a break. Here’s a view downriver and upriver.
There were whitecaps on Lower Green River Lake when we got back to camp. A strong wind was blowing down canyon.
On a long evening walk, we again took in the evening light. We also walked down to the old homestead just downriver from the lake.
We decided we’d leave this wonderful place the following morning. We were concerned about the Teds and how Mrs. Ted was doing. Also, many of the long hikes we were considering were not wise to do because of dangerous river and stream crossings. This was our last night at Lower Green River Lake.
We always get an early start on the drive out from this area. Early morning is a great time for seeing wildlife along the Green River. Today was no exception with moose, mule deer, and elk.
We starting running into cows as the dirt section was around two thirds over. The cows were moving upcountry and beginning to scatter. Ahead, on a long straight section of road, we saw two trucks with stock trailers parked alongside the road. The one on the left pointed at us and the one on the right was pointed in the opposite direction, as they should be on a road. They were side by side though, with barely enough room for our small, narrow truck to squeeze between them. The trucks also blocked the view ahead. We slowly drove between the trucks. In front of the truck on the right was a scene right out of the old west, but not quite. A cowboy on horseback had roped the hindlegs of a cow. The cow was down on the road, the rope was looped around the saddle horn. The cowboy and horse had backed up, holding tension on the rope with the cow stretched out on its back. Two cowboys were on their knees in the road at the cow’s head. Our windows were down. The Lady asked, “Can we drive by?”
“Yup, come on by,” one of the cowboys on the ground answered.
I was concerned. I stopped the truck and asked, “Do you have a medical issue with the cow?”
The cowboy on the left on the ground turned and answered with a question, “Do you happen to have a generator with you?”
“A generator?” I repeated. “No, we don’t.”
“We have an electric branding iron but I can’t get this damn generator to start. We can’t brand this cow.” He moved aside enough so we could see the small generator. It looked like he had the carburetor apart. A scene right out of the old west, but not quite.
What was up with the Teds and where did we wander off to next?
On adventure continues. Please click here for - Part Four.
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