I am writing to let you know that I reached the top of my 49th state high point, Wyoming s Gannett Peak, on July 19, 2000. My husband, Moe Bell, who achieved his 50th on Denali in June 1999, accompanied me. At first, he wasn t thrilled about doing Gannett a second time, but it turned out to be a wonderful trip.
Roads don t get much bumpier than that one.
From there, we backpacked 14 miles along the Ink Wells Trail and the Glacier Trail to the end of Floyd Wilson Meadow. The next day, we made some very difficult crossings at Klondike Creek and another creek near the end of the meadow. On sunny summer days, heavy runoff from the melting glaciers makes these creeks swollen and treacherous by afternoon. That night, we camped near the end of the Glacier Trail in a beautiful high meadow laced with little pools and streams. We saw marmots and deer nearby, but they obviously weren t used to people and did not approach us.