Wyoming 13ers Quest

[Eli Boardman]

Thanks for the kind words everyone--I have a feeling the mental motivation will be one of the biggest challenges to keep backpacking 35+ miles each weekend, so it will help to keep tabs on things here.

Have you skied corbets?

Sadly I'm not nearly good enough of a skier, and in fact I've never even skied in Jackson.

I'll be doing this exact same thing with a friend of mine this summer. My climbing partner for this will be working on completing the Centennials, WY 13ers and MT 12ers all this summer.

I can assure you there have been more than 2 people complete the WY 13ers.

Best of luck out there!

Good luck to you all too! Out of curiosity, do you know who else has finished all 36 thirteeners for sure? I suspect lots of people have climbed most of the ones around Titcomb/Dinwoody, but I wonder how many have been sufficiently interested to do all of the more obscure and/or less visually prominent peaks like Spearhead, Henderson, Koven, Black Tooth, 13180, 13062, etc.
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And to those of you also planning trips into the Winds this summer, let me know if you want any specific beta or pictures, I might be able to help you out. And let me know when you're going if you want, and I'll look for you on the trail!

[greenonion]

This is going to be a blast for you! And so beautiful! Be safe and bring on Floyd!

[Eli Boardman]

Got eight more peaks yesterday, making up for my slow start I guess.

On Friday, I backpacked in 22.5 miles (solo) on the Glacier Trail to upper Gannett Creek. This put me in great position to climb the notorious Mount Koven, a serrated fin of granite on the Divide at the head of the enormous Gannett Glacier. I climbed a non-crevassed arm of the glacier in the twilight, then climbed a short couloir to the summit ridge, which went at 5.easy. This was one of the most rewarding summits ever!

After downclimbing, I used another arm of the glacier to access Bastion before returning to camp. I packed up and hiked north with my full backpack towards the Divide, climbing up and over U.N. Point 13180, sidehilling moderate snow to gain Flagstone and Pedestal, and side-tripping to the beautifully snowy Klondike Peak. The next section was one of my least favorites last year too--a bunch of talus, endless little ridges, and enough snow postholing to keep my feet soaked. Eventually I made it to U.N. Point 13062 and followed some (thankfully dry) talus to Downs Mountain, reaching the summit of my 8th thirteener of the day around 6 p.m.

I had planned such a long day because the weather forecasts unanimously agreed it would be cloudless sunrise to sunset, and they were right so far. Only a few non-menacing clouds hung to the west. I descended to the east to Goat Flat, when suddenly not even a half hour later, a massive ominous storm appeared out of nowhere over the Divide. I raced it as best as I could, but I ended up still jumping through talus above 12k on a desolate plateau when it hit with lightning all around, driving sleet, and a ripping gust-front. Eventually I reached the safety of treeline around dark, and the trailhead just after midnight, making for a 20+ hour, roughly 27.5-mile day.

It was an exhausting day, and the surprise storm gave it a final kick, but overall it was a great success to get 7 easy peaks plus the rather fearsome Koven, and the views weren't too shabby.

Koven (right) and Gannett (left) in predawn light on the glacier approach

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Gannett Peak and Gannett Glacier from Koven summit

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Bastion (summit just right of center) from U.N. Point 13180

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[Eli Boardman]

Flagstone (left) and Pedestal (right) from U.N. Point 13180

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Klondike Peak above the Sourdough Glacier

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Downs Mountain from U.N. Point 13062

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[Bale]

Strong work Eli and beautiful pics! I’ve only done the top two on the list (the Grand several times), hoping to climb number three (Fremont) with my wife this year. Wishing you continued success on your worthy adventure.

[climbingcue]

Awesome pictures, thank you for sharing your adventures.

Bill

[Matt Lemke]

Badass Eli! I sent you an email... you're really killing it

[Teresa Gergen]

Good luck, Eli, and also Matt and your friend. Please be safe and don't get hurt!

[Brian C]

This is rad!

[bmcqueen]

Great pictures of peaks I've mostly never seen before Eli. Keep up the great work and stay safe.

[Eli Boardman]

Thanks everyone! I'm glad that people are enjoying following along!

Good luck, Eli, and also Matt and your friend. Please be safe and don't get hurt!

I'm honored to have you chime in, as a lot of your climbs were my inspiration for this. It's been fun chasing your signature around various summit registers.

[Eli Boardman]

After last week's epic, I wanted something a bit mellower. On the backpack in from Elkhart Park, I enjoyed improved conditions (though there were still snow drifts on the trail as low as Barbara Lake), and I saw a distant bear once I turned left onto the Highline Trail. Sadly, the mosquitoes have started to show up in earnest.

From camp above Upper Jean Lake, I climbed the "class 4" northwest ridge of Henderson Peak, watching sunrise from the summit under troubled skies. I definitely agree with Kelsey's "classic" designation of this route. This peak has the original summit register going back to the 2nd ascent (in 1943), and I was the 35th party to reach the summit by my count. It was awesome to see the signatures of past generations, guidebook authors, and notable current climbers all in one place, and I was honored to add my own.

I quickly traversed to American Legion Peak (also called Butchel), which was a fun summit to get on the 4th of July. I had been watching the gathering clouds since before dawn, and when I was descending off the summit at 8 a.m., I saw huge bolts of lightning striking the New Fork Plateau 5 miles to the northwest. Luckily, I was in contact with my parents via satellite text, and they informed me that the radar showed the storm moving quickly away from me. By the time I had dropped and traversed towards my next objective, the skies were cloudless.

I climbed the southwest couloir on Bow Mountain, reaching the summit just before 10 a.m. under surprisingly clear skies. I descended rapidly and raced out to the trailhead, averaging 2.7 mph for the final 10 miles of trail (with +1300, -2500 elevation change), not bad considering I was carrying overnight gear including a tent. This allowed me to drive back to Dubois in time to watch fireworks with my family--happy 4th of July!

Sunrise and troubled weather seen from the summit of Henderson (American Legion prominent on left side)

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Henderson seen while climbing American Legion--ascent via the obvious ridge dividing sun/shadow

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Peak Lake basin and the edge of Stroud Glacier--the official headwaters of the Green River (and thus the Colorado River), seen from the summit of Bow

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