Cirque of the Towers

[paulr]

Here's a challenge for you nature photographers: the cirque of the towers in wyoming's wind river range.

I just got back from ten days of alpine climbing there (not even all the way back ... i'm writing from the Quality Inn in Rock Springs Wyoming, where it's currently happy hour and i'm sipping a complementary scotch on the rocks out of a coors light cup). But back to the point ... the cirque is stunning, which is not unusual for mountain wonderlands, but it's stunning in a way that is completely lost on photographs of the place. I'd never been there before. pictures and descriptions from climbers made it sound appealing enough to devote a vacation to. but i had NO idea what to expect until i dropped in over the pass and saw the place.

the cirque is surrounded on all sides by monoliths worthy of lord of the rings ... which seems to be the problem, photographically. attempts to encompass even a small fraction of the surroundings requires such a wide lens that the peaks get pushed far back and made tiny. maybe someone with a gigantic camera could pull it off?

getting there with a big camera would be no joke. the hike in requires a couple of thousand feet of elevation gain and a couple of miles of boulder hopping. we found it pretty exhausting and precarious with a week of food and climbing gear (and our borrowed digital point-n-shoots) on our backs. i think you can come in by horse via another route, but i don't know about it.

has anyone here photographed there? if so i'd love to see the results.

[clay harmon]

The cirque has an embarrassment of riches, to be sure.

I have been there several times to do both climbing and photographing. I agree with you that the problem there is sensory overload, from both a climbing and photographing point of view. The only trick I found for both problems is to settle on one or two of the peaks in the area and concentrate on them to the exclusion of the other worthies all around. I don't think there is any possible way to completely convey the whole cirque in one image. Just plan on coming back! It is simply too varied and immense to do it all in one trip.

The last trip I took I did a bunch of routes on Pingora and took a bunch of pictures on Pingora, and just tried to enjoy the rest as very pleasant ambient noise.

Did you get the beta on the shortcut to avoid Jackass pass? That will save a lot of heartache if you know where it is.

[Eric James]

Congratulation! I've always wanted to make the trip to add the Pingora and Wolfshead classics to by stalled list of the 50s. If I made the trip today I would be hard-pressed to know what to pack - rope or Readyloads. Even if I managed both loads, I doubt that I would have the energy for both endevours. A forum member is currently selling a Mamiya 7II and the 43mm lens - that would good compromise. Or better yet: the 4X5 kit, shoes, harness and a chalk bag, and hope to run into someone needing a belay.

How's the bouldering?

Care to share the short-cut Clay?

[paulr]

We did avoid the main trail over Jackass pass, but found a fair amount of heartache anyhow by losing the trail in a couple of places!

The approach (and some of the more popular routes) are described pretty well here:
http://www.summitpost.org/area/range/151440/cirque-of-the-towers.html

Unless you have a rare gift for finding your way, the Kelsey guidebook is almost guaranteed to get you hopelessly lost, so the info on summitpost and mountainproject are probably the best bet.

Concerning the climbers' shortcut, my advice is to pay close attention while skirting around arrowhead lake. The trail disappears into several hundred yards of huge boulders, and if you lose the cairns and get tempted to go too high (as my partner and I did) you'll add hours and exhaustion to the trip. The best route traverses more or less straight across, 30 or 40 feet above the shoreline.

Also, the main trail is easy to lose before you get to that point, when you're above north lake. It's easy get suckered into boulders. You'll know you're doing it right if you see cairns fairly regularly, and if you're traversing slabs and not boulders.

[Mark Sampson]

A Cirkut camera for the cirque?

[sbacon]

Here's a challenge for you nature photographers: the cirque of the towers in wyoming's wind river range. ... has anyone here photographed there? if so i'd love to see the results.Jack Brauer (http://widerange.org/), Rick Dunn (http://www.rickdunn.net/) and I did a 6 day trip to Deep Lake and Cirque of the Towers in August 2006. We all had our 4x5s (and various digital cameras). Here are links to my trip report (http://baconphoto.com/travel/2006-cirque/index.shtml) and some images in my Wyoming Gallery (http://baconphoto.com/gallery/collection1.php?category=18).

Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I wasn't all that happy with the images I made. :rolleyes: So I'm planning trip back for next summer. :D

I completely agree with you about the splendor of the mountain scenery and the difficulties in getting there - a truly spectacular place.

[paulr]

We posted some pics from the trip:
http://paulraphaelson.com/cirque/

notice our kitchen/living room with the elk skull totem and stone chairs, built by some geniuses who came before us.

All photos taken with the crappiest possible digital point 'n shoots. We're looking for Bradford Washburn types to accompany us next time (Tetons, '08).

[Eric James]

!Hexes! - I suppose they're lighter than cams.

It all looks very enticing - thank you both for your links.

[paulr]

yes! lighter than cams. nice when you have to hump 8 days worth of food over something called 'jackass pass.'

and the granite up there is magical. takes whatever pro you throw at it.

[paulr]

Here are links to my trip report (http://baconphoto.com/travel/2006-cirque/index.shtml) and some images in my Wyoming Gallery (http://baconphoto.com/gallery/collection1.php?category=18).

Scott, great trip report, thanks. Sounds like you got suckered off trail in some of the same places we did. It also sounds like you had less trouble with the major objective hazard in the area: man-eating mosquitoes. Maybe august is better?

[sbacon]

It also sounds like you had less trouble with the major objective hazard in the area: man-eating mosquitoes. Maybe august is better?From what I heard, we got lucky with the lack of mosquitoes. Apparently, the week before we arrived there was a pretty hard freeze that zapped 'em. Of course, it did a number on the wildflowers too... :( And yes, I did get suckered into the high route on the climber's cut-off. :rolleyes:

[John Berry]

We posted some pics from the trip:
http://paulraphaelson.com/cirque/

notice our kitchen/living room with the elk skull totem and stone chairs, built by some geniuses who came before us.

All photos taken with the crappiest possible digital point 'n shoots. We're looking for Bradford Washburn types to accompany us next time (Tetons, '08). I'd do bradford if I could do it from a plane like he did. I think walking might take a year off the life of the battery of my pacemaker.

[Eric James]

People go into the Cirque of the Unclimbables (AKA "Cirque of the Unaffordables") by whirlybird and float plane - is this a possibility in the Cirque of the Towers (i.e. is it permitted)? Man, I'm sounding old by asking this but it would be great to spent two weeks to climb and photograph and I just can't see myself humping that load.

John, those batteries are easily replaced - I'd be glad to hook you up if you have some room in your pack:)

[paulr]

Helicopter! you'd better bring piles of hot pizza and cold beer to appease all the climbers for the Appocalypse Now-style interuption of their wilderness experience.

It's actually a designated wilderness area, actually, so I doubt you could do that unless someone was dying. They don't even allow mountain bikes.

I'd love to go the Cirque of the Unclimbables some day. Best name for a place ever. How audacious to go there to climb and unclimbable?

[clay harmon]

Paul.
It sounds like you found the shortcut. As you say, you MUST stay low in skirting the south side of arrowhead lake, or misery will ensue. But compared to the idiotic marked trail over Jackass pass, it is a godsend. Plus you go by all the primo camping spots moving downhill rather than facing another uphill slog after going over the pass on the regular trail.