Wyoming 13ers Quest

[Eli Boardman]

Sunrise from the east summit of Twin Peaks (I climbed the west summit, lit with golden light, a few minutes earlier); the two impressive peaks behind and to the left are Henderson and American Legion

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The Mammoth Glacier and Twin Peaks as seen from the summit of Split Mountain

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Looking back to the morning's peaks above Scott Lake: left to right, they are Twin Peaks (above Mammoth Glacier), Split Mountain, G4 (a 12er above Baby Glacier), Mount Whitecap, Ladd Peak (high 12er); I didn't climb the 12ers on this trip

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[Eli Boardman]

Desolation Peak (center), Mount Solitude (soft-ranked 12er on the left), and Bastion Peak (high 13er I climbed earlier on the right) above one of the upper Lost Pipe Lakes

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Summit view from Desolation Peak: I have climbed all 7 of the 13ers visible in this picture this summer

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The Green River's characteristic color comes mainly from the glacial silt in Scott Lake

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[dpage]

Keep up the good work Eli. I'm enjoying all the photos.

[rijaca]

Well done Eli! Thanks for posting the photos!!!

[Stratosfearsome]

Very cool, Eli. I'm really enjoying living vicariously through your summer peak odyssey. Great photos, too! I need to explore Wyoming more, for sure.

[greenonion]

What a summer. That range is something else!

[desertdog]

Just fantastic pictures Eli! Thank you!!!

Question for you...I am heading to Gannett next month. Do you think it would be possible to add Koven to that trip, say climb Gannett one day and Koven the next? Any insights would be welcome! Good luck. Richard

[rijaca]

Eli could provide a much better answer. What approach are you using to climb Gannett? Gannett from Titcomb Basin is a pretty long day as is (unless you're Eli).

[Eli Boardman]

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone!

Just fantastic pictures Eli! Thank you!!!

Question for you...I am heading to Gannett next month. Do you think it would be possible to add Koven to that trip, say climb Gannett one day and Koven the next? Any insights would be welcome! Good luck. Richard

As rijaca said, which approach? For Koven, you'll probably want to be camped in the Dinwoody region somewhere. Also, I assume you're climbing the standard Gooseneck or some variation thereof on Gannett. This means that you'll be on a different aspect of the mountain than the one facing Koven (unless you're climbing the north face of Gannett, in which case Koven will be the easiest part of your climb). So, you'll need to figure out how to get from the Dinwoody moraine to the Gannett Glacier, either via a long high traverse if doing it in a single day, or by hiking down and around the West Sentinel.

That said, it's definitely doable in 1 or 2 climbing-days for both peaks. I'd recommend something like the following:
Approach via Glacier Trail;
Climb Gannett from one of the high camps or Floyd Wilson Meadows, and either move camp to Gannett Creek or remain in Floyd Wilson Meadows;
Climb Koven via Gannett Glacier and east face/south ridge;
Backpack out

Let me know if you have any other questions, enjoy your trip, and let us know how it goes! (And bring a pencil if you climb Koven--it has a register but no pencil, and I had to cut my name into the paper with a knife.)

[desertdog]

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone!

Just fantastic pictures Eli! Thank you!!!

Question for you...I am heading to Gannett next month. Do you think it would be possible to add Koven to that trip, say climb Gannett one day and Koven the next? Any insights would be welcome! Good luck. Richard

As rijaca said, which approach? For Koven, you'll probably want to be camped in the Dinwoody region somewhere. Also, I assume you're climbing the standard Gooseneck or some variation thereof on Gannett. This means that you'll be on a different aspect of the mountain than the one facing Koven (unless you're climbing the north face of Gannett, in which case Koven will be the easiest part of your climb). So, you'll need to figure out how to get from the Dinwoody moraine to the Gannett Glacier, either via a long high traverse if doing it in a single day, or by hiking down and around the West Sentinel.

That said, it's definitely doable in 1 or 2 climbing-days for both peaks. I'd recommend something like the following:
Approach via Glacier Trail;
Climb Gannett from one of the high camps or Floyd Wilson Meadows, and either move camp to Gannett Creek or remain in Floyd Wilson Meadows;
Climb Koven via Gannett Glacier and east face/south ridge;
Backpack out

Let me know if you have any other questions, enjoy your trip, and let us know how it goes! (And bring a pencil if you climb Koven--it has a register but no pencil, and I had to cut my name into the paper with a knife.)

We are approaching from the west. Titcomb Basin. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I’m just starting to think about adding some additional mountains to the Gannett trip. Your pics and post got me motivated. Koven looked pretty cool. Once I do a little more research I may come back at you with a question or two. R

[rijaca]

We are approaching from the west. Titcomb Basin. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I’m just starting to think about adding some additional mountains to the Gannett trip. Your pics and post got me motivated. Koven looked pretty cool. Once I do a little more research I may come back at you with a question or two. R

Fremont (3rd highest in Wyo) is easily accessible from Titcomb Basin/Island Lake area. As are all the peaks in the Titcomb Basin area; Helen, Sacagawea, Jackson, Warren, Woodrow Wilson to name a few. Kelsey's guidebook for the Wind River Mountains is a good reference, although the route descriptions are brief.

[Eli Boardman]

We are approaching from the west. Titcomb Basin. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I’m just starting to think about adding some additional mountains to the Gannett trip. Your pics and post got me motivated. Koven looked pretty cool. Once I do a little more research I may come back at you with a question or two. R

From that side, Fremont is great for an easy scramble to another massive peak, with beautiful views. Helen's east ridge is lots of fun and comparable to Gannett in lots of ways (easy glacier snow climbing, aesthetic summit ridge, a bit tougher scrambling). The steep snow routes are rapidly either melting out or turning to ice, so keep that in mind (i.e. Woodrow Wilson is pretty much out of condition by this time of year).

Kelsey's guidebook for the Wind River Mountains is a good reference, although the route descriptions are brief.

Brief is being generous! His Spearhead route description amounts to "A short climb from the col." The Bonneys are fun, too. Their Bastion description (class 2 by easiest route, not mentioned in their book) says "usually a 10 hr climb for experienced climbers only," and they have a theory that Fremont climbed Woodrow Wilson in 1842 instead of his namesake mountain.