50@50 – Wind River, WY
When one thinks of time lines, we tend to think in terms of an all encompassing history book. Looking back, we omnisciently view the concurrency of events in Britain, China, France and Peru. We forget that until the last century, our ability to know what was going on 1000 or 10,000 miles away was, at best, considerably delayed or often non-existent. While the pages of time turned the nineteenth to the twentieth century, not every part of this country marched into its progression at the same rate.
What began as a two day side trip to my Yellowstone and Grand Teton vacation turned into an unexpected cultural adventure, with more cultural history and hiking than I could explore in a month! Encompassing the Wind River Reservation of Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, most of the rest of the land is public and includes the Wind River Mountains with 53 peaks over 13,000 feet and seven glaciers. Across its southern sector, nearly all the trails west, including the Mormon Trail, the California and Oregon Trails and even the Pony Express crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass. The region’s population is just 4.1 people and 2.1 pronghorns per square mile! I had never heard of this place; perhaps Wyoming is trying to keep it a secret.
On the reservation, I visited one of the tribal cultural centers. More impressive than the physical artifacts, is the fact that the Eastern Shoshone were able to negotiate a treaty to determine the location of their reservation, one of the nations largest.
At the Wind River Heritage Center in Riverton, we met a spry 96 year old named Jake Korell, who is the oldest mountain man and western trapper in the world. His collection of mounted animals, traps, as well as historical fur trade and Native American items are featured in the Center.
We hiked two trails. The first, at Togwotee Pass, was Angle Mountain – it doesn’t look so high, and the two mile trek is not difficult. However, the pass is at 9658 ft, so I had to stop a lot to catch my breath. The views of the Tetons to the west and the Wind River range to the south is breathtaking. The second, shorter and easier, is a geological mystery.
Just south of Lander, we walked through Sinks Canyon State Park. The Popo Agie stream dives underground and emerges about two hours later as a larger river about a quarter half mile north.
At Lander Sporting Goods, I commented that cultural heritage and opportunity for outdoor exploration are underrated in the Wind River Area; everybody flocks to the National Parks. The employee commented, they’d like to keep it that way.