Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 7 of 7

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 6 (part 2)

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 6 (part 1)

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 5

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 4

We hiked all the way to a saddle on Milky Ridge, the one prior to Europe Peak Pass, in the dark. A confusing bit of terrain full of massive walls of granite, grassy ledge systems that ran cross-wise without rhyme or reason, and sudden, plummeting ravines. I employed every bit of focus and skill to get us through in a somewhat efficient fashion. The climb to the peak at sunrise was stunning and as Skurka says, the route is fantastic. It includes one class 3 scramble up a slab tucked neatly in a corner, and then a fun little cat walk. After Europe’s long descent across open tundra, we hiked up past the Golden Lakes to the lake before Douglass Pass. We ran into several groups of Dixon High Routers who were in various stages of dissatisfaction and grumpiness which set the tone for the afternoon. Lynn wasn’t stoked on the steep wall of scree that was Douglas Pass so we took our second and last detour from the route, and hiked the Dixon Camp Lake Alt. Unfortunately this alternate included a ~50ft class 3 crack under a precariously perched boulder, which we had to down climb. The Dixon Route goes up this feature as most people hike this route SoBo. It involved passing packs and took quite a bit of time. We weren’t thrilled but at the end of the day we made it to the spot we’d planned to camp at in Alpine Lakes Basin and all was well. Except for the ash rain and the sky apocalyptic with smoke.

Lynn Froetscher

Top Sports

Ivey Smith

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 5

22 Photos

Sign up to see the comments.

Sign up to view more activities from Ivey Smith

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 7 of 7

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 6 (part 2)

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 6 (part 1)

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 5

Skurka’s Wind River High Route Day 4

Want to see more?

The #1 app for runners and cyclists

Sign Up for Free. Track your progress and reach goals. Join 100 million active people on Strava.

See More from Ivey