I was sure the Wind River High Route was just for crazy people until I tried a piece of it

Evan Barnes · 2026-03-15T10:40:11.524441+00:00

For years I saw photos and trip reports and thought, 'No way, that's just for hardcore climbers.' But last August, a friend convinced me to do a 4-day section starting from Big Sandy Trailhead. We followed Skurka's notes for the Cirque of the Towers alternate. I was blown away. Sure, there was some real route-finding and a scary boulder field, but the views from Texas Pass were like nothing I've ever seen. The sense of being way up there, completely away from any marked trail, was totally new for me. It wasn't a walk in the park, but it was way more doable than I built up in my head. Now I get why people are so into these off-trail routes. Has anyone else done a section and found it less intimidating than expected?

the_claire6mo ago

Totally get that. I used to think you needed to be a full-on mountaineer for that stuff. Then I did a weekend in the southern Sierra cross-country and it just CLICKED. The freedom of picking your own line over a pass is a totally different feeling than just following a trail.

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the_cora5mo ago

Texas Pass is the real deal, that view down into the Cirque is just insane. I had the same "this is for climbers only" fear before trying a bit of the Sierra High Route last year. The mental block is way bigger than the actual scrambling most of the time. Once you trust your map and your feet, it opens up a whole new world.

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piper5586mo ago

Wait, isn't the Big Sandy start for the main route, not the Cirque alternate? That alternate usually starts from Bruce's Bridge. The route finding over there is no joke though, glad it worked out for you.

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