Green River Lakes, Wyoming, United States
The final day of the trek started with an early wakeup and
departure to get show on the road. Everyone seemed eager to get things finished
up, the long mostly level 10-mile trek out on the valley floor to the trailhead
where van would be parked and waiting for us rather anticlimactic after the
exciting scenery and hard work over the last week.
There were still some ups and downs through the forest and a
few meadows for the first few miles through the steep-sided canyon, at some
points rising significantly above the still rushing Green River, at other
points rock hopping or fording tributary streams. The most significant ford was
quite shallow, and I deemed it unworthy of taking my boots off to walk through,
not caring much if my feet got wet.
We passed directly below iconic Square Top Mountain, the more
famous view of which is from the north down the valley. Normally you get closer
to Square Top as you approach from the trailhead, but for us the view of the
mountain gradually became more distant. This
is where I hiked with my brother Doug one day in 2018 on a trip to Wind Rivers.
I recall being disappointed then that the trail was so flat since I wanted to
get up into the mountains. It seemed then like an almost endless walk into the valley
for a better view of Square Top Mountain, a destination it felt like we’d never
get to.
Green River Lakes Trailhead is actually a very popular area,
especially on Saturday when we were there. After seeing very few people for
days, we suddenly encountered many backpackers, day hiking families, horseback
tour groups, and even kayakers on the river.
The walk out still felt almost endless, probably a natural desire for conclusion
more than the 10 miles of morning hiking being really that taxing. It was warm by
midday at the lower elevation (still over 7,000 feet), although not particularly
hot day. The backpacks were the lightest
they’d be of whole trip with all the shared food, fuel, and individual snacks
having been consumed, but mine nevertheless still felt weighty.
The last part of the trek involved walking the entire length
of both Upper and then Lower Green River Lakes.
The name of the river and lakes
is appropriate here in the river’s headwaters as they are fed by glaciers in
the Wind River Mountains and thus have the characteristic turquoise blue-green
color of glacially-fed bodies of water.
We finally make it to trailhead by about 12:45. Lunch was
waiting for us in the van - PB&J sandwiches, chips & salsa, coolish
drinks, and a chocolate cake to celebrate our successful finish to the trek. It’s
amazing how things can stay good in coolers in a van that must certainly get
hot during the day for six full days. I should mention that a shuttle service
transported the van from our starting trailhead to our end one sometime during the
week.
It was more than a two-hour ride back to the Jackson area
since the Green Lakes trailhead is so far removed from the paved highway on a
very long, very bumpy unpaved road. For me it was then a more than4 ½ hour
drive home. As I often find with treks I’ve
done like the Camino de Santiago, Annapurna Circuit, Pyrenees and Alpine Haute
Routes, I felt great sense of accomplishment but also kind of a letdown that
the thrill of the effort was over. Despite
exhaustion from the trek, I felt great mentally and physically after a week of
hard exercise, somewhat rationed food, limited caffeine, and no alcohol or
artificial sweeteners. Is it those
endorphins from the exercise kicking in?
So concludes what I consider to be my summer of social distancing
and outdoor activity in my tri-state region of Montana, Idaho, and
Wyoming. I’ll soon be heading out to the
West Coast but consider that to be my autumn road trip.
2025-05-22