My map reading mistake added a full day to a trip in the Wind River Range

I was planning a four day loop in the Winds last summer, and I was sure I could cut off a big chunk by going cross-country over a pass that looked gentle on the map. The contour lines looked fine, but they didn't show the giant boulder field on the other side. It took me and my buddy over six hours to pick our way down maybe a mile of loose, car-sized rocks. We had to camp short of our planned spot, which threw off our whole water and food plan. That one choice turned a four day trip into five, and we ran really low on snacks by the end. I learned that a smooth line on a map can hide a world of pain on the ground. Has anyone else gotten totally fooled by a map's lie of omission like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia2mo ago

Maps are sneaky like that sometimes. Those smooth contour lines never show the ankle-breaking scree fields. It's a classic backcountry lesson the hard way.

julia_burns92mo ago

Yeah, learned that one the hard way too. Now I always check for trip reports or photos of a pass before trusting the map alone.