DAMN! Well done.

 

Amazing. Very sick. Thanks for the awesome write-up. So which is worse, the normal hike or the NF hike?

 

You boys need to look into getting a helicopter for that shit.

 

good stuff.

 

NFBLC is shorter but harder. Not much of a trail, and one much steeper pass with a shitty bushwack at the end. I would say slightly worse. Backpacks only worked for the first half.

SFBLC is longer but the trail is much more obvious and route finding is easy. It's twice the length, has two mtn passes that are both smaller, and takes about the same amount of time.

Both are beautiful and painful.

6 descents completed as of now. 5 people down haagen dazen from the top, with three clean runs. Lot's of man-eating holes.

 

damn. way to go boys, that shit is sick!

 

Fantastic job boys...

Great write up. You guys earned that one big time.

I have never seen this drainage on a map, but is there any idea's for another entrance? I honestly can't fathom that type of a hike with all that gear.

 

so sik, that is awesome guys, way to fire it up!!

 

Way to go.

Awsome write up and photos. Totally jealous. It's right here in my backyard and haven't gotten it done yet. Have flown over it twice low enough to get a really good look. You guys rock, especially knocking off the North Fork.
In response to Craw: we have looked at using horses to come in from the Pinedale/Big Sandy side (west side of the Winds) a couple of times now, but have had trouble hooking up with an outfitter willing to commit to it. I'm like you, not sure I can do that type of hike-in anymore. Did 8-miles uphill for the Elwha out in Olympic Nat. Park last summer, on a nice trail, and it was brutal. I know Aaron Pruzan and Brady Johnston well, and their stories of dealing with the horse packer on the east side don't inspire any confidence at all. The horse pack and walk in from the west would be long, probably two days minimum, and it sounds like maybe not a lot of additional paddling to be gotten. Still working on it though, just to avoid carrying a loaded boat all that way.........

 

whats the scoop on the Little Wind River and its two major forks in the next drainage south? Seeing as how both drainages north and south are solid offerings, would it not be logical to assume that it would also be? or is the number one rule about the little wind that you do not talk about the little wind

 

yeti persuming you have never been in the winds. its a different palce for sure, hugee to say the least. if it hasnt been run it could be because lack of good trail access/ impassible mountains.

 

That's where a helicopter ride comes in handy. Not sure why people don't take advantage of it more for trips like this.

S

 

were are you going to get a cheap helicopter ride around the reservation? not happening in wyoming

 

Helicopters a no-go

Biggest problem with the heli's in there is it's either Bridger Wilderness, Fitzpatrick Wilderness, or the Wind River Indian Res. No choppers in the wilderness, and the Shoshones won't even let the horses carry kayaks up the trail, let alone let choppers land back in the sacred grounds.

 

Got me.. There seems to always be a way for remote trips. Now as for cheap... I would personally pay a good $150-200 to do some epic river and not have to hike my 90lb boat 10 miles.

Scott

Get 4-5 people and that's $1000 for 1 flight.

PS. You can't fly a chopper across the wilderness?

 

Goddamn I miss the Winds... I might as well be a freakin greenie now. Nice run RiverWrangler & bros.

Honjarte

 

yeti - a lot of that stuff has been explored by pruzan and crew but i think there's still a few jems left.

Ga - heli is not really an option as the drainage is either on Res land or wilderness. Not to say some cowboy of a pilot isn't willing to risk it but if they got caught they'd likely lose their pilots license. I my opinion the hike in, while difficult, is the cost of admission into such an awesome place and if you're not willing to suffer you probablydon't deserve to be in there.

 

yeti - a lot of that stuff has been explored by pruzan and crew but i think there's still a few jems left.

Ga - heli is not really an option as the drainage is either on Res land or wilderness. Not to say some cowboy of a pilot isn't willing to risk it but if they got caught they'd likely lose their pilots license. I my opinion the hike in, while difficult, is the cost of admission into such an awesome place and if you're not willing to suffer you probablydon't deserve to be in there.

Cash money.... right on the nose

 

Generally, you can fly over forest service land, but you are not allowed to land your heli. I suppose if you wanted to get all "A-Team", you could jump out with all your swag. But regardless, I'd say that totally disrespects the reservation and their laws and beliefs.

But even then, most Heli's operate at around $800/hr. When you factor in higher elevations with multiple people, boats, and gear, you are looking at multiple heli laps.

I agree with Force- Take some bruises and earn your turns. You'll be a better person for it.

F

 

Horses, from the West side

The horse packers we talked to in Pinedale a few years ago said they "might" be able to carry kayaks on pack horses all the way up the Titcomb Lakes trail from the end of the Fremont Lake road. That would be the meeting point with the outfitter. The one guy who gave us the most info said we'd probably have to hoof it ourselves over Bonney Pass between Gannett Peak and Mt. Warren. About 1 1/2 miles of serious uphill, then all mostly downhill to the upper N. Fork, around 3 1/2 to 4 miles. Lots of rocks, not much chance to drag boats. Price was $350 per pack horse, no riding.
It's not a bad way to go. We've done the upper South Fork Shoshone that way twice, leading horses carrying two kayaks all the way in to the put-in, around 15 miles in. The outfitter lived in Dubois, WY. I carried my paddle and led a horse, that was it. Well worth the dinero to save the back. That was $200 a horse, and we paid for two extra horses to carry our soft gear.

 

Yeti - I believe the Little Wind has been run by some Jackson paddlers. The reports actually sound really good (bedrock gorges & waterfalls), but the run is on reservation property and they don't allow paddling.

 

Leif, doublet, thanks for the info. I figured Pruzan + Co had at least looked at it, if anyone had. ive driven around the winds on all sides but have never actually been up into em, i'd like to, they seem like a truly magical place!