Leslie Patten Books: Wild Places, Sacred Spaces

THIS IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES AND MEMORIES FROM MY YEARS LIVING IN NORTHWEST WYOMING.

IN 2012 I hiked to Dream Lake. Dream Lake is an access point to the central Continental Divide in the Wind Rivers. I planned a 7 day backpack loop with a side trip up to Europe Canyon. The Europe Canyon trail access wasn’t marked. Instead a cryptic sign said “trail abandoned” and there was no map indication of where to turn. But using some map navigating, this was the correct route to the lake.

Taking the abandoned trail, I arrived at Europe Lake, a beautiful gem that sits at the base of the crest of the Continental Divide. A fire on the east side made for a smokey view. Two backpackers from London were camped there. Experienced hikers, they’d cross-countried to the lake. They shared some stories with me of their travels. Because in England they received six weeks work vacation every summer, they had some great adventures. One story they relayed stood out of when they’d rescued inexperienced and unprepared hikers from severe altitude sickness in the Himalayas.

Two young men were hiking with a woman. All three were huddling in a rest cabin at over 15,000 feet. The woman had severe altitude sickness, yet the fellows were planning on continuing without her. This woman would die if she couldn’t get to a lower elevation immediately. These British backpackers changed their itinerary and assisted her down the mountain for medical care.

That night I returned towards the main trail and camped among the rocks near timberline. I awakened in the middle of the night to a strange loud animal sound which I couldn’t place. Come morning I checked the tracks on the trail and felt it must have been a single domestic sheep looking for the rest of its herd. Domestic sheep have since been removed from the Winds Wilderness areas.

On my final evening I camped with a group of retired Air Force. They’d hiked along the Divide from the south end, probably starting at Sweetwater Gap entrance. One fellow had joined the crew from Ohio and didn’t take the time to acclimate. He had terrible altitude sickness, throwing up and splitting headaches. I suppose it ruined his trip. By the time I camped with them, he’d pretty much acclimated. He’s not the first person I’ve encountered in the Winds that had altitude sickness. Taking time to acclimate can be essential.

But the real story here is when I made it to the take-out where my car was waiting. We all hiked down together. As the Air Force guys were meeting their ride and I too was packing up, a backpacker who was loaded up with heavy gear came down the trail followed by a Labrador Retriever. That poor dog looked half crippled limping slowly all the way to the vehicle.

I asked this hiker where he’d come from. Most backpackers only do a few days and their dogs do just fine as long as their feet are protected when necessary.

“I’ve been out a month. It’s been fantastic. I’ve hike the entire Winds,” he answered. I asked how old his dog was. “Eleven”, he said. And when I told him his dog looked in very poor shape, he just replied “He’s fine.”

I felt angry. Eleven years is old for a Lab and that dog was not fine. He was suffering. His feet and joints hurt, and his owner was being completely insensitive to his dog’s needs, thinking only of himself.

There’s a few lessons here. People tend to be worried about grizzly bears in Northwest Wyoming. But they’re not the worry. Mosquitos, insufficient preparation, overdoing it yourself or to your pets are more to the point. Be safe and enjoy out there.

Filed under: New ideas | Tagged: adventure, altitude-sickness, backpacking, Bears, hiking, hiking-with-dogs, nature, travel |