wheeler peak

The birds started up very early at our campsite so we were up and at 'em by 5:30 Monday morning, getting ready for our Wheeler Peak attempt in the glow from the sunrise.  We dressed quickly, shoving long sleeved layers into our packs since this peak is notoriously windy, and H heated water for me for some instant coffee.  I had made breakfast (more PB&J roll-ups) the day before and we crammed them in our mouths as we headed out of the campground at 6:15 a.m.

Sunrise on Wheeler Peak

The very first bit of the hike retraced our route from Saturday - the Alpine Lakes trail - and we passed two hikers there.  As the trail split off to head up to the saddle, we saw lots of deer among the aspens and in the meadows.  

Cruising through the aspens

The first couple of miles were very easy hiking, with broad switchbacks crossing the meadows on the southeast slopes of Bald Mountain before getting on top of the ridge between Bald and Wheeler.  This is where we left the trees behind and the trail changed from nice dirt to gravel and scree.  For the most part, however, even that was decent walking when the baseball-sized rocks had been trampled enough to interlock.  The gravel bits were pretty shifty, though.

"That's where we're going?"

We were absolutely lucking out on the weather too.  It had been completely clear when we got up.  Now, a few clouds were gathering but nothing over the top of Wheeler Peak and the wind was just a gentle breeze.  We both had on chin straps on our hats just in case:  there are little rock shelters that hikers have constructed all along the trail and at the summit to offer respite from the winds.

View of Stella Lake from the saddle

From the last tree, it took us 1:15 to get to the summit - which I thought was amazing, given how far away it had looked.  As the pitch steepened, we met a guy who was on his way down already; he told us that there were two people ahead of us: one descending and one still on his way up.  We passed the guy going up shortly after that.  He was sitting on one of those rock shelters, trying to acclimate to the elevation.

Getting closer

For my part, I had been very nervous about the elevation, worried that I wouldn't be able to get to the top.  I was thrilled that the thin air didn't bother me at all.  I kept my head down while I was hiking (so I wouldn't get discouraged at how far I still had to go) and only looked ahead when I stopped for a few breaths' span of rest.  I was breathing hard but not any harder than I do on our usual Utah hikes; I didn't get a headache and wasn't at all light-headed.  Woohoo!

Picking my way up through the scree

Just below the summit, the other descending hiker went by us; and within five minutes of us reaching the summit, another couple (who I had kept an eye on the whole way up, sure they would catch me) got up there.  But for five whole minutes, we had the summit of Wheeler Peak - 13,063 feet above sea level and around 7,000 feet off the valley floor - all to ourselves.

Truly the highest I've ever been

Even at that elevation, there were tiny, hardy flowering plants clinging to the rock.  The views were impressive and endless in all directions, despite the air being a little bit hazy from the California wildfire smoke drifting in.

Summit pose

We had some snacks and found the summit log: a notebook in a mailbox in the rock wall of a windbreak.  The other couple started down just ahead of us but descended much faster than we were going; H could have kept up with them but I was taking my time so as not to step wrong.  Plus I had to keep stopping to look at the views since I hadn't looked around at all on the way up.

View of the Snake Range to the south

The guy who had been struggling with the elevation summited just as we started down.  After that, we must have seen 25-30 other hikers on their way up.  They were taking a bit of a risk with the weather, starting two hours after we did, since summertime thunderstorms tend to crop up in the afternoon.  We would be back at camp long before that would be an issue.

Summit log protected by a windbreak

Once at camp, we cheers-ed with beers before making a quick ice run to the park's Lehman Caves Visitors' Center (where we also confirmed that the cave tours were all sold out - poor planning on my part not to have made reservations in advance).  With the beer nice and cold, we hung out at the campground for the afternoon, bird-watching and reading.  There was a fair amount of turnover with the campsites but by 4:30 p.m., the sites were all full again.

I have to say that I was PSYCHED about this hike.  It was fantastic: a good distance, steep but not too steep and with gorgeous views.  Staying hydrated and having slept the night before at 10,000 feet probably helped with the elevation too. 

Hike stats:  8.95 miles; 3:42 hiking time/5:01 total time; 2.4 m.p.h. moving average; 2,910 feet of elevation gain; 13,063 feet above sea level maximum elevation (trailhead at 10,160').