A trio of cold lakes sit at the base of the steep quartz-rich cliffs that form the east-facing escarpment of the Snowy Range, from the vantage of the summit of Medicine Bow Peak (12,018 ft; 3,663 m), Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming.
To capitalize on the last few days of August before the school year begins again, we met up with another family with whom we've shared a few backpacking adventures, and we paid a visit to the Snowy Range. I plotted a short, 12-mile loop that involved a small amount of off-trail route finding, and that strategy enabled us to camp with no other people within sight or sound. The monsoon has been relatively active this summer, and it rained persistently on the first night with frequent rumbling and flashing from a very dark sky. We were luckier on the second night when only a light rain fell and we were treated to an incredible combination of sunset and thunderstorm.
We summited Medicine Bow Peak on the third and last day, and the reward for hoisting our packs up and over the very top of the Range was this spectacular view south along the steep east-facing slope, which was paired with an expansive vista in the other direction that includes Elk Mountain to the Northwest. There were extended periods of heavy breathing, and I was asked a few times by the younger of the crew how much further it would be to the top. All things considered, when we reached the summit I think everyone in the group was pleased with their effort and to be up nearly touching the clouds. This is the third such trip in as many years on which my wife has come along, and I can say confidently that a younger self never expected such changes to take place. Especially not after our first trip shortly after we met, when I took her up Mount Snowden in Wales in poor weather and with even poorer gear...
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