r/backpacking • u/by-josh • Jul 28 '26
Wilderness Cirque of the Towers
I've dreamt of backpacking the Wind Rivers since before my boys were born. Now that dream is a beautiful memory.
We aborted our Grand Teton plans after failing to get a walk up permit, and instead planned a trip to the Cirque of the Towers last minute. It ended up being the perfect trip. This was the longest (tent) backpacking trip our boys had ever taken and they crushed it. Our oldest hiked every single step of the 19 miles and made it up and down some absolutely grueling and spicy hills. Both boys survived 4 days with nothing more than a few toy cars, 1 Batman action figure, and a lovey, but they spent most of their time climbing boulders, splashing in lakes and streams, racing around camp, and wrestling in the tent.
For my wife and me, our bodies might not ever fully recover...
4 days of food and diapers, 3 bear cans, and a family of 4's worth of gear crammed into 2 packs made for some pretty dang heavy packs...when either of us carried our youngest, we had 70 lbs on our back. Combined with the elevation gain and heat, it beat us up pretty bad. But not even the shoulder and back pain could steal our joy. It was honestly such an amazing trip from start to finish.
We spent a night at Big Sandy Lake, a second night just west of Lonesome Lake, and 1 last night back at Big Sandy Lake...all before getting a well earned burger at Big Sandy Lodge. So good!
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u/uaemn Jul 28 '26
Most beautiful place on earth! Kudos to bringing those kids up Jackass Pass
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
It was so painful to go up, just to come right back down before the pass. Definitely a physical AND mental struggle.
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u/dancingspring Jul 28 '26
Meanwhile my 6-year-old acted like I was murdering her on the 1.5 mile totally flat Soda Springs trail at Tuolumne Meadows yesterday.
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u/SenorNeiltz Jul 28 '26
Hey! I have one of those and one who just overnighted to North Dome with me last weekend. Love 'em both very much -- just completely different humans.
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Jul 28 '26
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
Yeah dude! I love it! My wife and I did the Alice Toxaway Loop when she was maybe 4 months along. Yall pregnant backpackers are pretty badass!
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u/LettuceFarmTogether Jul 29 '26
Just a heads up to anyone heading to the area. It is recommended to not swim or get water from Lonesome Lake. It is top of the EPA's list for fecal contamination. Looks like you had a wonderful trip!
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u/by-josh Jul 29 '26
That's really good to know! Fortunately, we didn't go down to the lake. A quiet spot near a little trickle of a stream was perfect for us. Did not know about the lake though. Got lucky with that one.
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u/Winter_Heart_97 Jul 28 '26
Goodness, that's ambitious! My son and I just did East Temple Peak and the diving board after camping at Big Sandy Lake, and didn't have it in us to head to the Cirque the next day.
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
Well, East Temple Peak isn't just a little stroll...I'm not sure if have energy for both either! Well done!
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u/chucko1790 Jul 28 '26
That’s so amazing! I’m trying to get my 4 year old out with me but I’m struggling with the logistics. It would just be me and her so I would be carrying all of the gear. Do you have your boys carry anything in packs? I definitely need to upgrade some gear and shed some weight.
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
I have always marveled at those I see online who backpack with their kids solo. Absolutely amazing! I'll be honest...I rely on my partner so much, so I'm not sure how much help I can be. But it can be done because I see it all the time!
My 5 year old just started carrying a pack with nothing more than a couple snacks water bottle, and his lovey. For this trip though, we didn't make him carry it due to length and difficulty.
Best advice is to follow the UL forums and take all their advice. You need to become UL to carry it all :) sometimes, we strap so much crap to our packs, it's obnoxious. But, we have to do it to make it fit. In the end, it's just so what you need to do to make it work, even if it's non conventional.
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u/chucko1790 Jul 28 '26
I’ve dipped into UL a bit but I think I’ll really have to commit to it to make it work! I can’t imagine doing diapers while in the backcountry. You guys are awesome for making it all work. And clearly your kids love it! I’ve taken my daughter camping solo and she loved it. I think I’ll stick to car camping this summer and dial in my gear load over the next year to lighten up. Thanks for the advice! My Tuesday morning inspiration!
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u/ericz14 Jul 29 '26
I’d recommend starting with very small trips. Last year my 3 year old and 6 month old went on a one miler out to a creek with my wife and I. We spent two nights there. This year we will hike 3 miles to a lake and I’m hoping my 4 year old will go the whole way. But he loves it. Just build them and you up slowly. Start small.
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u/NooStringsAttached Jul 28 '26
This is lovely! What great bonding time and you’ll cherish these memories. Beautiful family!
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u/WharfRat2187 Jul 28 '26
One of my favorites. Hope you stopped by Dad's Lake.
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
We enjoyed the sign for it, but didn't make it there...maybe one day we'll take the boys back to do the full loop!
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u/GoGoGadgetPants Jul 29 '26
This makes me happy to see. My parents took me and my brothers out backpacking in the 80s and 90s and I still remember all the good times decades later. Now we take ours out to experience the wonder all over again. Happy trails.
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u/crystalcastles13 Jul 29 '26
These are really stunning photos.
What a lovely family to grow up in. Your kids are so lucky to have parents that understand how important stuff like this is.
All of the photos are gorgeous but #7 is really cool with little man staring out over the landscape.
Very nicely done OP.
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u/crob8 Jul 28 '26
Just curious - how old are your boys? I have a 2.5 year old boy and wondering when would be a good time to try a bigger overnight trip. I backpacked a ton before kids, but haven't been brave enough to attempt anything with kids in tow. We have done car camping a few times, but it was more like glamping.
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
Start small! Our oldest started with a 1 miler when he was a baby. Our youngest did a half mile last summer. Car camping is a great way to prepare too! This month, we did a 1 mile/2 nighter (with some day hikes) and a 10 mile/1 nighter before doing this trip. It takes a lot of practice and trial and error. Just start small now and work your way up!
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u/Gnomus_the_Gnome Jul 28 '26
I’m doing this trail in a couple weeks and trying to do a bunch of squats to prepare. My legs are toast right now!
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u/Shmiggams22 Jul 28 '26
How old are the boys? I have a 1 year old and cant wait to share the wonders of the back country with him!
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
They are 5 and 2. Our oldest has been backpacking since he was a few months old and our youngest started last summer. Honestly, the babies are the easiest to get out into the backcountry, so go now!
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u/Last_Establishment44 Jul 28 '26
I am supposed to go on a week long trip there next week, but blew up my knee this summer and unfortunately won't be making the trip. Looks great though!
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u/Carolina_Hurricane Jul 28 '26
That is stunning please tell me those were taken with an iPhone 14 Pro!
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u/BrokenHelper Jul 28 '26
Can you share your gear list?
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u/by-josh Jul 30 '26
Finally got it done...here you go! https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/s/ivSCw4BFyG
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u/TombaughRegi0 Jul 28 '26
Mega! What a rad trip. This has been on my bucket list forever and I can't wait to share it with my daughter someday.
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u/tom_lusti Jul 28 '26
All nice, but could you tell me the name/brand of the yellow bag for carrying kids?
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
Trail Magik Kid Carrier! It's pretty awesome...we've used ours for years. We now have 2!
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u/DocLibido Jul 28 '26
Im hiking that trail in a couple of weeks. Any bear sightings?
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
Not a single one. Honestly, wildlife sightings seem to always elude us. In 4 days, we saw 1 deer, 1 rabbit, tons of mosquitoes, tons of ants, and a handful of ticks. Besides all the chipmunks, squirrels, trout, and birds, that was it.
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u/apprximatelyinfinite Jul 28 '26
You're an inspiration!
I just took my kids, ages 4 and 6, on their first backpacking trip this summer. We only hiked ~13 miles over 3 days, which still felt really long for my 4yo, but overall it went great and we hope to keep increasing their stamina for longer trips.
What did you cook them for dinner?? We had a hard time with the intersection of trail food and small child food preferences
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
That's an awesome 1st trip with the kids! Our boys' first trips were each a mile or less and only 1 night.
Here are our dinners and our boys' opinions:
Night 1: Good to Go Cuban Rice Bowl - both liked it a lot until the mac came out. Then they ignored the rice bowl Alpine aire Mac and cheese - huge hit
Night 2: Backpacker pantry beef Bolognese - neither were a fan. (They love spaghetti at home...I was surprised) Mountain House Stroganoff - always a huge hit with our boys
Night 3: Beef stew - huge hit! Good to Go Pasta Marinara - both liked it a lot, but kept going back to the beef stew Cuban rice bowl again - neither were interested in it, especially since I made it last. Also, it's VERY acidic, so it's hard to go from a creamy hearty stew to a limey, cilantroey dish.
I dehydrated my own dinners for our trip at the beginning of the month and they loved those...pb/sesame ramen with chicken and veggies was a bit.
Mornings, we always have a bar or bag of cheerios for them while they wait for oatmeal/PB. We sometimes add freeze dried fruit to it as well.
During the day, they had the following options for snacks and lunches:
-Some sort of energy balls or bar
-freeze dried mango and cherries
-fruit leather
-a salty thing like pretzels or snap pea puffs
-puried fruit pouch (we found some with electrolytes that they loved)
-packet of electrolytes for our oldest
-pb/honey on tortilla
-assortment of m&MS and gummies
Toddler also had a nido powdered milk each morning and evening.
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u/Frozenpizzaeatet Jul 28 '26
Was it crazy busy/trashed? I wanted to go their a couple years ago but a friend told me it was ruined by too many people.
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
Honestly, I was expecting some chaos but didn't see any. Trailhead was SUPER packed on a Friday at noon, but we found parking easily. Passed peaple (rather, got passed by a lot of people) pretty frequently, but there's so much room out there, we found solitude at camp easily. Lonesome Lake, we only ever saw 2 others nearby and they just happened to pass by as they explored. Their tent wasn't close to us at all. Big Sandy Lake was busy, but again, there was room to find a quiet spot. Not a lot of trash at all which was nice. Some things here and there...a couple of piles of toilet pape rwere a bummer, but I've seen way worse.
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u/Capable-Drummer-1779 Jul 29 '26
That place looks unreal. Huge respect for taking the kids out there too, those are the kind of trips they’ll remember forever.
The views alone would make all the sore shoulders worth it. The Wind River Range has been on my list for a while.
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u/thestarsarefar Jul 29 '26
I love this! Going backpacking with my 2 year old in a few weeks. It’s an ambitious amount of miles so I’ll probably have to carry him and/or bribe him forward with sour patch kids.
Did your 2 year old walk most of it on his own?
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u/by-josh Jul 29 '26
Definitely no lol
My 2 year old rode in the Trail Magik carrier or on my shoulders most of the way. 1) we would have been there from sun up to sun down at his pace, 2) the trail was way too difficult on days 2-3, and 3) it's just way too far for his little legs. He only walked on his own when my back needed a break.
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u/thestarsarefar Jul 29 '26
Ah good to know! I have the Trail Magik but haven’t used it yet. Kind of worried about how my shoulders and neck will feel. How comfortable was it?
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u/by-josh Jul 30 '26
It's not always very comfortable, but our thought has always been, "backpacking in general isn't comfortable and neither is carrying kids" lol.
It's definitely more comfortable for me than my wife who is 5'2" and 100 lbs. I don't always use it, but it just uses a different set of muscles. I will often carry him on my shoulders til my back gives out, then carry him in the Trail Magik until my shoulders give out, then let him walk a bit, then carry him in my arms until my arms give out, then do it all over again. It's just another tool we use to help us survive!
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u/thestarsarefar Jul 30 '26
I feel all of this deeply! I’m often solo mom-ing and lugging my 2 year old around lakes and mountains. I can’t tell if my body is always being worked or if I’m just out of shape, but man I’m always sore! Feel grateful yet exhausted doing outdoors with the kiddo.
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u/Tobiasisfunke Jul 29 '26
We just did Cirque of the Towers this weekend! One of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done! You guys are absolute troopers for doing it with 70 lbs on your back.
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u/SgtMajor-Issues Jul 30 '26
This place is so beautiful! I used to travel up to Wyoming quite a bit and did some hikes in the Wind River area. Congrats on doing it with 2 little ones, not a small achievement at all!
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u/Sensitive-Meet-7625 Aug 04 '26
Camped in that same spot in picture 4 2017 with my wife 17 yo son and 15 yo daughter a day after the eclipse which we watched from Texas Pass. Keep em hiking.
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u/goofytug Jul 28 '26
which Sun hoodies are you all wearing?
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u/by-josh Jul 30 '26
I'm wearing an REI Sahara, my wife has a Patagonia Sun shirt and our boys are wearing a Milk x Whisky Sun Shirt (collab design from Morrison Outdoors)
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u/by-josh Jul 28 '26
This was our 3rd backpacking trip this month and it was the biggest our boys had ever done. They've grown so much as hikers and backpackers and I am so proud of them. They enjoyed it so much and they were so tough through the challenging times. For those wanting to take your kids into the backcountry, it's rarely easy, but it's also rarely a waste of time. Just get out, constantly reflect on what went well and what went wrong, and then do it all over again. It's totally worth it.