Whiskey Peak, Wyoming (6-16-17)

Day 9 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Laramie Range & Beyond!

Though shown on the road map, Lamont didn’t even seem to be a town.  Sagebrush, a few cattle, and a highway intersection was about it.  After turning W off Hwy 287, SPHP found a place to park.  Lupe got out for a look around.  Off to the NW, she could see her next peakbagging objective, Whiskey Peak (9,225 ft.), the highest point in the Green Mountains.

Whiskey Peak from Lamont, Wyoming. Photo looks NW.

The view was encouraging.  Whiskey Peak looked like an easy climb for the Carolina Dog.  The big question was access.  If Lupe could get to Whiskey Peak, SPHP was certain she could climb it.  The only roads into the area that the G6 might be able to manage were NW of the town of Bairoil.  Even those roads might quickly deteriorate to high clearance or 4WD vehicles only.

Hwy 73 was paved all the way to Bairoil.  So far, so good.  Bairoil didn’t really seem to be much of a town either, but there was a lot more here than at Lamont.  Bairoil appeared to be more of an energy-related industrial center.  Metal buildings, industrial equipment, and vehicles were widely scattered along a network of dirt and gravel roads.  There didn’t seem to be a whole lot going on right now.  Maybe because energy prices were still relatively low in 2017?

A pronghorn antelope in the thriving industrial metropolis of Bairoil, Wyoming.

The street layout in Bairoil didn’t seem to match up very well with what was shown on the old topo map.  SPHP drove NW through town, staying mostly to the L at turns, and continued this same practice once Lupe was N of town.  A number of gravel roads headed out this direction, none marked in any way that meant anything to SPHP.

After bumping along for 2 or 3 miles, SPHP parked the G6 near an intersection on relatively flat, sparsely vegetated ground.  There hadn’t been any signs indicating private property or prohibiting public access on the way here.  Close enough!  Situation excellent!  This was about as far as SPHP had dared hope the G6 would be able to make it, anyway.  Lupe could start for Whiskey Peak from here.  (10:35 AM, 62°F)

Lupe a few miles NW of Bairoil about to start out for Whiskey Peak. Part of the Abel Creek drainage is seen in the foreground. Photo looks NE.

A strong breeze was blowing out of the W as Lupe set out.  She didn’t head straight for Whiskey Peak, which was now to the NE, but followed a road leading NW from the intersection.  This road, which was in such good condition the G6 might easily have followed it farther, appeared headed for a ridge a few miles away.  The ridge was mostly bare, but dotted with scattered pines or junipers.

A fairly strong W wind was blowing as Lupe began following this road. The road headed toward Whiskey Ridge, but Lupe didn’t follow it very far. Photo looks NW.

A fence ran parallel to the road, not too far off to the R (NE).  Lupe stuck with the road only until the fence ended.  Staying on the road would have taken Loop up to Whiskey Ridge, but a more direct route to Whiskey Peak appeared to be an option.  Up on more heavily forested slopes along a higher part of Whiskey Ridge straight N from here, another road could be seen.

Lupe followed the road she started out on only to this point where the fence turned. A different road, which was a much more direct route to Whiskey Peak, is seen at upper L going up the ridge. Lupe headed for it from here. Photo looks NNE.

Lupe abandoned the road she’d been following, and headed NE avoiding the fence.  She crossed the Abel Creek drainage, which was dry and fairly shallow here.  A faint, grassy road led out of the drainage to a better road that headed for Whiskey Ridge.  Loop followed it N across high prairie toward the forest, gradually gaining elevation all the way.

On the way N to Whiskey Ridge. The high ridge on the L is Stratton Rim. The small high point seen straight up from Lupe’s back is Stratton Rim North (8,740 ft.). The less uniform ridge on the R is part of Whiskey Ridge. Photo looks W.

The road Lupe was on led right to the road she’d seen from a distance high up in the forest on Whiskey Ridge.  As she got near the trees, the slope began to increase dramatically.  Soon Lupe was climbing steeply.  The road up was in bad shape.  For a long way, it was deeply eroded and full of loose rocks.  As a road, it was nothing but a disaster, though it still made a good trail.

By now, it was quite warm in the sun.  The steepness of the route caused SPHP to stop many times to rest.  Lupe was eager to escape the heat.  She curled up in the shade whenever SPHP stopped, and frequently accepted water.

By and by, Lupe finally reached the top of the ridgeline.  The remnant of the road she’d been following went right on over the saddle where she came up.  Oddly enough, what appeared to be a large electrical service box was close by.

Lupe reaches the top of Whiskey Ridge at this saddle. She’s standing on the faint remnant of the road she’d been following. This road went right on over the saddle past the unexpected electrical service box seen beyond Loop. Photo looks N.

Not realizing how much of a shortcut Lupe had taken, SPHP was puzzled to find no other roads around.  The topo map showed a road following closely along the top of Whiskey Ridge for nearly 2 miles from a pass NE of Stratton Rim North.  The plan had been for Lupe to follow this road all the way to Whiskey Peak.  However, it was nowhere in sight.

SPHP failed to realize Lupe had arrived at the 8,730 foot saddle at the E end of the 2 mile stretch where the road to the summit abandons the ridgeline.  Very close to where Looper was, it jogged N going downhill a short distance before turning SE to head for Whiskey Peak.  If Lupe had just stuck with the road she’d been on a bit farther, she would soon have come to it.

Instead, Loop and SPHP turned E, and began climbing a grassy slope which led to a forested high point.  It seemed like the most reasonable thing to do, since it was clear Whiskey Peak was still well to the E from here.  As Lupe went up the grassy slope, she started getting her first look at some impressive views.

As Lupe climbed the grassy slope, she got her first look at this wild looking territory N of Whiskey Ridge. Photo looks NNW.
Looper coming up the grassy slope. Whiskey Ridge leads toward Stratton Rim in the distance on the L. The road Lupe had just missed coming to that winds along Whiskey Ridge, is seen on the R. Lupe had arrived at the saddle below coming up through the trees on the L. Photo looks WSW.

Loop entered the forest above the grassy slope, and continued on up to the high point.  The high point itself wasn’t heavily forested.  Lupe could see a tower up on Whiskey Peak from here.

SPHP was surprised by how close Lupe was already.  She was over 9,000 feet, and the summit was only a mile away.  Getting there would be a cinch!  A long grassy slope went all the way to the top.

Lupe reaches the first high point over 9,000 feet. SPHP was surprised by how close she was to the top of Whiskey Peak already. The tower (L) was only a mile away.

A small ridge led E from the first high point Lupe had reached to another slightly higher one no more than 0.25 mile away.  (High Point 9041 on the topo map)  Loopster started for the next high point following this little ridge.

Lupe following the small ridge leading to High Point 9041. Whiskey Peak is dead ahead. Photo looks E.

Lupe never got to High Point 9041.  Instead, she spotted a small pond to the N at the bottom of a short slope.  The pond looked refreshing!  Naturally, the American Dingo had to go check it out.

Before she got to High Point 9041, Lupe spotted this small pond. Photo looks N.
Oh, yeah! Lupe doesn’t like to swim, but wading in the pond was fun and refreshing.
The ridge Lupe had been following is seen on the L. Photo looks W.

After wading around to cool off and drinking her fill, Lupe left the pond.  She traveled E through an open forest where yellow wildflowers grew in sunny glades.

Among the yellow wildflowers.

Beyond the forest, Lupe reached the long grassy slope that went the rest of the way up to the top of Whisky Peak.  As she approached, a small herd of 5 horses watched with concern.  These horses seemed to be wild, and living up on Whiskey Peak permanently.  They were curious, but gave Lupe and SPHP a wide berth.

This small herd of horses watched the Carolina Dog’s approach with a mix of concern and curiosity. They gave Lupe a wide berth, but never left the broad grassy slopes W of the summit. They seemed to be wild and living on Whiskey Peak on a permanent basis.

Lupe reached the summit of Whiskey Peak (9,225 ft.).  The highest point was near the S end of a long, spacious ridge.  Pink, orange, tan and white rocks and boulders were plentiful.  The biggest, most eye-catching view was off to the ESE toward Ferris Mountain (10,037 ft.).

Lupe at the summit of Whiskey Peak. Ferris Mountain (Center) was the most eye-catching view from here. Photo looks ESE.
Ferris Mountain from Whiskey Peak. Photo looks ESE with help from the telephoto lens.

Whiskey Peak featured plenty of impressive views in other directions, too.  Lupe and SPHP hung out around the summit quite a while taking it all in.

The W wind hadn’t been bad most of the way up, but was practically a gale on top of Whiskey Peak.  Loop took little breaks now and then between photo sessions.  She usually sought out the lee side of rocks, or sat next to SPHP for shelter.

Mighty breezy up here, SPHP!  Is this it?

Sure is, Loop.  Is this what?

The top of the mountain, silly.   Is this it?

Oh, yes, of course!  Yeah, this is the top, alright.  Look at those views!

Yes, yes, quite splendid.  And windy.  So it’s time to celebrate, right?

Oh, sure!  Congratulations, Looper, you’ve climbed another magnificent mountain!  All the way to the top.  Great job, Loop!

Thanks for shaking my paw and all, SPHP.  I do appreciate your sentiments, but I was hoping for a bit more actually.  This is sort of a special place, right?

Yes, I suppose it is special.  What were you hoping for?  Water, Taste of the Wild?  I brought plenty of both.

Umm, no.  Those are fine usually, but I was hoping for something a little more appropriate for the occasion.

Huh, like what?

You’re a bit slow as usual SPHP.  Where are we after all?

Whiskey Peak.

Exactly!

Ruh, roh!  Lupe gazed expectantly up at SPHP, her eyes shining merrily with a big smile on her face.  The wind ruffled her fur, but she was momentarily unperturbed.

For a moment, not knowing what to do, SPHP did and said nothing.  Gradually, the smile began to fade from Looper’s face.  As SPHP began to pet her, Loop’s ears drooped.  Gone was the look of a 4 year old on Christmas morning.  Tears glistened in her always trusting light brown eyes.

Sorry, Loop.

So, there’s nothing else in the pack for me, for us, then?

No, sorry Loop.

No Glenfiddich?  Not even a little Jack Daniels?

Not a drop.  Guess, I didn’t think.  I didn’t realize you might be expecting anything like that.

Lupe blinked back the tears.

Oh, it’s OK.  I suppose I should have known.  We’ve been to Elk Mountains and there haven’t been any elk.  Deer Mountain and there weren’t any deer.  Bear Mountain and there weren’t any bears.  I never will understand you humans.  I just thought that this time, after all the mountains we’ve been to, maybe this one was a really special place.  Maybe this time you really were planning a special celebration for me.  I got my hopes up.

Sorry to have disappointed you, dearest Dingo.  I’ll make it up to you somehow, before too long.  Whiskey Peak is a really special place.  Just like all the other mountains we’ve been on.  There are countless mountains in the world, and we will only ever see the world from a tiny fraction of them.  Seeing these fabulous views, even if for only a little while, and even if we never ever come back to see them again, makes this place special.  And what makes it really special is that we are both here to share it together, sweet Dingo of mine!

Lupe sighed, then smiled weakly.

I know you’re right, SPHP.  But promise me one thing.  If we ever do come back to Whiskey Peak, you won’t disappoint me again.  Deal?

Deal!  Shake?

Lupe lifted her freckled paw and let SPHP shake it.

OK, SPHP.  Let’s go see what else there is to see from here before I get blown off clear to the next county.

Looking S toward the little community of Bairoil. The views were terrific, but Loopster was not enjoying the gale out of the W.
Hiding out from the wind. Photo looks SE.
Much of Whiskey Peak’s summit ridge is in view here. Loop is on some of the very highest rocks. Lupe found no cairns, but Whiskey Peak did sport the fairly sizeable stone fort seen beyond her. Photo looks NNW.
View to the WNW.
Looper in the stone fortress. Photo looks WNW.
Looking NE toward Muddy Gap.

After taking a break and spending a while near Whiskey Peak’s true summit, Lupe went N along the summit ridge toward the tower close to the N end.  The ground near the tower was definitely lower than where she’d already been, but this area provided a different vantage point for another look around.

Nearing the tower at the N end of Whiskey Peak’s long summit ridge. Photo looks N.
Ferris Mountain from the N end of the summit ridge. Photo looks ESE.
Lupe found the Rapid survey benchmark on a rock N of the tower.
View to the NNW.
Looking W from near the tower.
Looking S along Whiskey Peak’s summit ridge. The stone fort near the true summit is in view on the L.
Another look at the interesting dome-like hills to the NNW.
Looking NW.

Lupe still had a long way to go, so she couldn’t stay up on Whiskey Peak too long.  The wind being what it was, she was glad of that.  From the tower, she started down the huge grassy slope to the W.  The wild horses saw her coming again, and circled back around the S side of the slope up towards the true summit to stay out of the Carolina Dog’s way.

The wild horses circled away from Lupe back up toward the true summit.

On the way down, Loop stuck to the road that came up the center of the grassy area for a considerable distance.

Lupe stuck to the road coming down the center of the grassy area for a while, but eventually headed back to the pond she’d passed in the forest on the way up. Photo looks E.
Purple wildflowers on Whiskey Peak.

Lupe eventually left the road to go back to the pond she’d gone wading in on the way up.  From the pond she went NW through the forest, hoping to avoid having to climb the high point W of the pond again by staying N of it.

This turned out to be the worst possible route back to the saddle where she’d first reached Whiskey Ridge.  Either staying on the road from the tower, or climbing from the pond back up to the high point would have been better.  The forest NW of the pond was full of deadfall timber, plus a steep drainage that was a bother to cross.

Nevertheless, Loop made it back to the grassy slope leading down to the saddle where she’d first reached Whiskey Ridge.  The shortest route back to the G6 would have been to leave the saddle going S right back down the steep rocky road she’d come up earlier in the day.  However, by now, SPHP had seen the road following Whiskey Ridge farther WSW, and understood where Lupe was on the topo map.

Instead of going straight back to the G6, following the road along the ridge would eventually get Lupe to where she could peakbag Stratton Rim North (8,740 ft.) today, too.  This was a long detour, but Loop still had time enough to do it.  It seemed like a fun idea, and she wasn’t likely to ever have another chance like this one.

So from the saddle, Lupe followed the ridge road.

Following the road winding WSW along Whiskey Ridge. Lupe’s next peakbagging goal, Stratton Rim North, is the little high point at Center. Photo looks SW.
Orange wildflowers growing near the road on Whiskey Ridge.

After 2 miles on the winding road traversing Whiskey Ridge, Lupe reached Low Pass.  Several roads intersected here.  Stratton Rim North was still another 0.75 mile away.  Only an ATV trail went the remaining distance to it, but that was plenty good for Loop.

After following the road along Whiskey Ridge for 2 miles, Lupe arrives at Low Pass.
Several roads intersected near Low Pass. The one seen here heads down into a valley to the N. Loop wasn’t going this way.
Only this ATV route continued the remaining 0.75 mile to Stratton Rim North from Low Pass, but it was a great trail for Lupe to follow. Photo looks W.
Almost there! Approaching Stratton Rim North. Photo looks SW.

The ATV trail didn’t go quite all the way to the top of Stratton Rim North, passing N of the high point only a short distance below it.  The wind was howling here, even worse than it had been up on Whiskey Peak.  Lupe wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but she did manage to climb to the top of Stratton Rim North (8,740 ft.).

SPHP was glad she did.  The views were really terrific!

Loop arrives at the summit of Stratton Rim North. Whiskey Peak (L), where she’d just come from, and more distant Ferris Mountain (R) are in view. Photo looks E.
Ferris Mountain from Stratton Rim North. Lupe wasn’t enjoying the wind at all. It was much gustier here than it had been earlier in the day. Periods of relative calm existed between sudden blasts. Photo looks E with help from the telephoto lens.
The rest of Stratton Rim from Stratton Rim North. Photo looks SW.
High Point 8729 is the small bare hill L of Center ringed by a few trees near the top. A long snow bank is seen below the E lip of Stratton Rim’s long N ridge. Photo looks NW.
Looking N.
Ferris Mountain (R) with help from the telephoto lens. Photo looks ESE.
Whiskey Peak (R of Center) with help from the telephoto lens. Photo looks ENE.

Lupe’s journey to Whiskey Peak and Stratton Rim North had been a success!  However, the American Dingo was anxious to escape the powerful blasts of the gusty W wind.  SPHP briefly considered the possibility of going straight on down Stratton Rim North’s E slope, but decided it was too steep to be worth the trouble.  May as well take the ATV trail back to Low Pass.

Before she got all the way back to Low Pass, though, Loopster did take a shortcut.  She left the ATV trail descending E down a minor ridgeline into a valley.  She intercepted a road going S down the valley from Low Pass.  The road gradually curved SE.

Lupe was still high enough to have panoramic views to the S and E, but far enough down so Stratton Rim sheltered her from the wind.  The evening trek back to the G6 was easy, beautiful, and fun.  Lupe saw a larger herd of wild horses, and several pronghorn antelope on the way.

Happy times out of the wind on the way back to the G6. Ferris Mountain (L) is in the distance. Photo looks ESE.
View to the S on the way back from Stratton Rim North.
Red wildflowers.
On the way back, Lupe passed this sign. It understated the distance to Whiskey Peak (at least following the road) by a good mile. Photo looks NW.
Lupe passed by this larger herd of wild horses, too.
Pronghorn antelope

It was still light out when Lupe got back to the G6 (7:42 PM, 65°F).  After having her evening Alpo, she wanted out again.  She wandered around sniffing for a bit, then found a place to curl up.  This far from Stratton Rim, the W wind swept over her, though not nearly so strongly as up on the ridge.

And there Lupe stayed, listening and watching, as clouds swept past overhead and light of day faded away.  Whiskey Peak disappeared from view as the world turned black.  And if SPHP had had any Glenfiddich or Jack Daniels, Lupe surely would have gotten a shot or two before bed, but alas, the poor doggie had none!

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