PRINT: Rock Climb Mountaineer's Route, Wind River Range

Mountaineer's Route

5.8, Sport, Alpine, 80 ft (24 m),

Avg: 2.5 from 8 votes
FA: ? unknown, but before 1984
Wyoming > Wind River Range > Far Northern Winds > Trail Lake Pinnacle

Access Issue: Petroglyphs and Private Land Details

Torrey Valley is known for ancient petroglyphs found on sandstone blocks, usually facing one of the lakes. It goes without saying, don't climb on or directly next to the petroglyphs, and don't harm them in any way.

The approach road (County Road 411/Trail Lake Road) runs through private land on an easement from the Whiskey Basin wildlife reserve to the public campground at the head of Ring Lake. It is illegal to leave the road without permission from the landowners in this area except for the boat ramp at Torrey Lake provided on a goodwill basis. The east side of the valley has a lot of private land, too. There is not much worth climbing in the private part anyway.

Location

On the northeast corner of pinnacle. Scramble up from the road through talus and sage brush to the base of the pinnacle, then walk around to the north side and look for bolts.

See photo.

Description

The route starts with a low bolt to reach a slab. Follow the slab to its top, then follow the arete to the summit. The route is obvious and the cruxes are well-protected.

This line was originally climbed free on gear (original name unknown), then retrobolted in 2001, at which time it was temporarily named "Like Father, Like Son." The name in current use is "Mountaineer's Route," as published in the mini-guidebook for this area and as discussed below. There has been talk of removing the bolts, but that seems unlikely at present.

Protection

This route has 4 bolts to a 2 bolt summit anchor with chains. A few small cams could mitigate runouts on easy terrain if desired.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Route from the northeast

Upper section of the route, lot of lichen

Leading the crux (just above the 3rd bolt)

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Trevor Bowman
Flagstaff, AZ

Thanks Eli for posting this up, it's about time it was on the internet. I remember this was a decent route up a great little desert tower transplanted to Wyoming, complete with nearby prickly pear and petroglyphs for authentic desert ambiance. I'm sure it has cleaned up a good bit in the 15 years since its establishment. I've actually bumped into a few folks over the years who have climbed it, which I always am stoked to hear. Glad the bolts seem in good condition still.

A few comments on this... I know in the summit register, which sounds like it's still intact, the route is named Like Father, Like Son. I actually named it the Mountaineer's Route in the mini-guidebook for the area I made way back. I apparently totally forgot I had named it otherwise, as I subsequently used that name (Like Father...) on a route in the eastern Big Horns. I guess I thought it was a clever name for some reason? Not that it really matters, I don't particularly care what it is called these days. Also, I did do this with my dad, but I was on the sharp end, drilling the bolts from stances. Jul 24, 2017

Davin Bagdonas

Nice climb, but that was first freed back in the summer of '98 and potentially as early as mid-80s. I lived in the valley for many years at Trail Lake Ranch and climbed a lot of routes there that were passed on to me by older climbers including Jamie Walton who had been on the summit of that tower in '83 or '84. Please do no assume things are FAs just because they're not online. A lot of Wyoming rock was climbed before the internet existed.

We all appreciate the desire to climb and in Torrey Valley especially as it is so unique, but please research before posting! Jan 10, 2018

Davin Bagdonas

After digging up my original climbing journal from the 90s, when living at Trail Lake Ranch, the FA info is as follows:
John Walker and Barry Rosenbaum had climbed this route back in circa 1984, potentially earlier and did not claim an FA, rather a known route at the time. Jamie Walton and myself climbed it in late July of 1998. Jun 27, 2018

aiden the cam slinging slasher
Yosemite NP (Tuolumne)

5.8

Two star climbing in a three star location. Great intro to the winds. The approach was a little more hefty than I expected. Nov 11, 2019

Robert S
Driftwood, TX

According to the register I found up top, the first known ascent was in 1971 by Joe Larsen. I do not know if that was by this route or another. See the register picture I've uploaded. Nov 28, 2022

Eli Boardman
Boulder, CO

5.8

Hi Robert S, thanks for sharing the original register page. However, Joe Larsen's first ascent was via an aid route on the west face, see "Larsen Aid Route." It's unknown who was the first to climb this particular route. Nov 29, 2022