MBNF

 

This past weekend, I went hiking in the mountains with my wife for the first time in 4 years. The last time we went to this beautiful hike in Modoc County in Northern California called Patterson Lake. That time we went with full packs and camped at the end of the hike, stayed one night and came back. This time we stayed out for 3 days and 2 nights in various campsites and brought our two dogs with us. We went to Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. All in all, it was an excellent trip and I would highly recommend everyone I know to visit these majestic and gorgeous mountains. It did remind me of the mountains in Northern California. As a plus, there is a lot of solitude to be found at this location, which I always appreciate, especially more so as the pandemic rages on. The weather was absolutely perfect when we went highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s and 30s.

The first place we went to is the Laramie mountains area, specifically at Curtis Gulch campground. This was without a doubt the best campground area that we stayed at. This is probably due to the fact that my wife and I love solitude, especially in natural settings and this provided plenty of that. We were the only people there when we got there. Only towards sunset did one more set of campers come, and even later at night a few more friends joined them, but they were quiet and respectful the whole time. A few hunters during the afternoon came by to use the pit toilet, but then went on their way. It is 10 dollars per night for a campsite and it’s first come, first served. There are two things I wish I would’ve known before coming. First, the road from the 91 Hwy. to the campground is 20 miles of dirt/gravel and I was a bit worried my tires wouldn’t make it, but they did; just be aware. Second, check your gps against the official directions, take Hwy.  91, NOT Hwy. 94 (this leads you into private property and you must turn around). Also, we saw the greatest variety of wildlife here; it was truly incredible. My wife and I would definitely love to stay here again. We stayed at 2 campgrounds and hiked in 3 different areas. I chose this first since it was at 6k ft. elevation, the next, Bottle Creek Campground was at 8k ft. elevation, and the last Sugarloaf was at 10k ft. elevation in order to avoid altitude sickness.

               The hike we did here was called Labonte Canyon and it is supposed to be very popular and renowned for wildlife. We didn’t see much wildlife on the hike itself; probably because with 2 dogs and all the splashing we were doing we made two much noise. This hike has at least 6 stream crossings, which range from barely dipping your foot into the water to knee deep fording. We did bring water shoes with us, but at the first stream crossing I lost my footing and fell in and decided to just plow through the water like a madman. This was a very easy hike. You actually go slightly downhill the whole time from 6600’ to 6400’. There are vibrant meadows and beautiful open areas with magnificent rock expanses that are perfect for photographs. This is definitely a must-see.

               The next day, Saturday, we went to Bottle Creek Campground, about 4 or 5 hours away since we had to go through Douglas to Casper and then back South towards Sierra Madre. This campground was also pretty nice and had a few pit toilets, but it was a lot busier than the last campsite – almost full and people were quite loud the whole time. The campgrounds had more space, but it felt a lot less private and our dogs kept getting stuck on obstructions while on their secured rope. We still like this place, but it was no Curtis Gulch. It also rained here and froze overnight, making the packing up process slower and more painful. I’m not sure we’d come back because the biggest attraction for hikers seems to be Green Mountain Falls and we did that. If there isn’t much more to explore, it wouldn’t be worth it to come back, but we did enjoy our time here; no complaints.

 

               The next hike, green mountain falls, was pretty good – only 1 minor complaint. The trailhead is actually 2 miles away from where you have to park. You have to walk two miles on a 4wd only road. I wish this road was less primitive so you could drive right up to the trailhead – the first two miles just added time and effort with nothing in return. We even met a man with a 4wd truck who said he turned back; the road was tearing his truck up. We also discovered about a mile and a half in that there were some downed trees in the middle of the road that would block any car anyways. Seems it’s been there a while, because there was  a well-carved out footpath around it. Anyways, onto the hike – it was stunning – it was so green and beautiful here. There were a lot more trees than in the previous area, probably due to the riparian environment. We had a wonderful time. There were plenty of places to get water (especially for the dogs). The hike was 3 miles one way (the end is 1 mile from the actual trailhead) and you go from about 8200’ to 8700’. The end is definitely worth it. Since we hadn’t done any real hiking in years, we were sore and tired after this one, but I would still rate it as easy. My words won’t do the cascades justice, so I will just post the pictures.

               The best is definitely saved for last here. In the frigid morning, we packed up and moved onto Sugarloaf campground, only one hour away. It was gorgeous but, at 10,000’ it was a lot colder and windier. We set up our tent and the dogs’ tent and prepared to hike. The Lakes trail to Medicine Bow peak was supposed to be a moderate hike, but it was a lot harder – especially with two unruly dogs. I love my dogs, but I must admit they aren’t the best trained and they constantly pull on their leashes, this is not safe, especially on top of a mountain. There were a few moments I was definitely worried I might tumble a looong ways down, but we managed to live to tell the tale. The hike was about 5 miles long, but it was definitely the most challenging. Over 2000’ ft elevation gain over 2.5 miles and most of it in the last half mile; it is a very steep trail. Also, there are moments when there isn’t a clear trail and you have to maneuver over shaky, loose rocks. It is a bit intimidating. Another thing, this place is a wind tunnel – I’ve never experienced so much wind on a hike before, though it was welcome to keep you cool, but you should definitely wear a base layer or jacket. The wind is powerful and surprising enough that it can momentarily destabilize you. But the risk is worth it. This is by far the most gorgeous area I have ever been to in my entire life. So many picturesque tarns and gigantic rocks – it is truly a sight to behold. I can’t do it justice, so once again I will post the pics to make my point for me.

               Once we got back to camp, we were so exhausted we ended up just breaking camp down and calling it quits and heading to our hotel on the 12 hour drive home a day early. After 17 miles thousands of feet higher than we are used to over 3 days we were done. It didn’t help that it was so windy at the campsite. We had planned to do the glacier lake, lost lakes trail the next day but we had our fill of the outdoors. We also got to see a majestic moose, elk, chipmunks, and tons of deer and pronghorn antelope. This was truly a reinvigorating experience and I’d highly recommend the Medicine Bow National Forest to everyone.  Part of why we love the outdoors is communing with nature and seeing its beauty and getting out of the rat race for a moment. We also learn more about ourselves, mainly how much further we have to go in our inner lives. I thought I’d become a lot more patient and loving over the last few years, but being in harsh, unforgiving conditions has a way of showing you what is truly going on inside you and you realize what you had been hiding from yourself. It’s refreshing and I think, an exceedingly good thing, to be humbled by the elements. The one ongoing refrain that subtends the arc of my entire life can be summed up in the phrase that is more beautifully expressed in Spanish rather than in English: “Vale la pena.”