I'm planning to head into the East Fork/Pyramid Lake area, possibly returning to Big Sandy by way of Texas Pass and the Cirque and am concerned about food storage in the Cirque. Usually hang my food in a tree and don't know if that's an option or if it's recommended in the camp area below the Towers. Never had any problems with bears in my Wind River travels but have heard that they can be a problem in the Cirque. I do have a canister but hate to use it unless I absolutely have to.

Thoughts, advice greatly appreciated!
Thanks!!

I'd take the bear canister anyway. Bears do frequently raid camps in the Cirque and at Big Sandy Lake. You could also hang it in a tree, but canisters are better.

I'd lighten any load, any way I could if I were going to walk over Texas Pass again. That thing is brutal, especially the boulder field under Pingora, and the endless hummocks coming down the cirque side, and the dirt slide up the Shadow Lake side. I would just stop at Shadow Lake instead of the cirque now that I think about it. More solitude and you can still climb several of the cirque classics from that side anyway.

Food for thought, thanks for the input! I'll have to revisit the canister issue and see if I can get comfortable with carrying it. If not, I may forgo the rigors of Texas Pass, the crowds of the Cirque and return by the same route that I took going in, perhaps with some minor variations.
Thanks again!!

Hey there, Bill! We talked a number of years ago about Horse Ridge, and our mutual adventures over on that side of the range. Funny how the Winds draw similar minded people back over and over.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend that if you're in the East Fork Valley/Pyramid Lake area that you do continue over to the Cirque and back out to Big Sandy. If you've got some time and the inclination, go over Hailey Pass, continue past Grave Lake and take Illinois Pass (see Kelsey) down into the Shadow/Billy's Lake area on the back side of the Cirque. Then over Texas pass (which is really no big deal-I've done it multiple times). It's a grand tour of the southern part of the range!

I'd also add that my parents had their campsite raided by bears in the Smith Lake area out of Dickinson Park 25+ years ago. I'd imagine it's still a problem in the Cirque, given the concentration of climbers/backpackers in that area now. East Fork Valley/Grave Lake area, you'd probably not have any worries. But check with the USFS about that.

Bill, if you push all the way over Jackass Pass to Big Sandy Lake, you'll find several food lockers in the vicinity.