Hoofer Mountaineering club takes on some of Wyoming’s highest peaks
By James Mutschler
Over the summer and fall of 2011, members of the Hoofers Mountaineering club traveled to the state of Wyoming to test themselves against the mighty Rocky Mountains. Attempts were made on peaks in the Tetons, the Wind River Rangeand Devils Tower. With fair weather and no major setbacks, the mountaineers found success in the hills, reaching several prominent summits and completing ascents of a number of classic routes.
In July, a group consisting of Gokul Gopal, Doug Hemken, and James Mutschler entered the Wind River Range with the intention of bagging the highest peak in Wyoming: 13, 809 foot Gannett Peak. Known as the hardest state highpoint in the lower continental United States, Gannett requires glacial travel over crevasses in the terrain and a significant amount of snow travel to climb the route known as the Gooseneck pinnacle. The expedition was successful and also allowed time for a quick climb of the 13,745 foot Fremont peak, the third highest in the state.
A few weeks after the trip to the Wind River Range, another group made an attempt on the Grand Teton. This was a rookie crew attempting its first ever multi-pitch alpine climb. The group targeted the classic Upper Exum route on the Grand Teton. Angela Limbach, James Mutschler and Kenneth Wenzel completed their ascent successfully, even with snow conditions causing for slow travel. The group arrived back at the car slightly past 3:00 a.m.
The last trip out to Devils Tower was a quick weekend affair by Gokul Gopal, Sara Mamman and Michel Sullivan. They climbed the well-known Durrance route, one of the 50 classic climbs in North America. While getting slightly delayed and having to rappel off in the dark, the attempt was successful, accomplished in one long weekend on the road.
For more information about the Hoofer Mountaineering club and their future trips, visit their website.
