After last weekend getting snowed on and freezing my rear end off in The Uintas, I decided it was time to head south to one of my old haunts- Boulder Mountain. This time I would be joined by my friend Jared who I discovered this range with back in 2009. He has not been back since, so I wanted to show him everything I have found in this range to enjoy! We left Salt Lake around 4 PM in some heavy traffic, so this put our drive behind schedule putting us in at the trail head around dusk. Some last minute packing, layering, and we were on our way.
We had good light to the Great Western junction where darkness began to fall. We threw on the head lamps and continued on. The temps were perfect, but the mosquitoes were annoying. I bought a new bug spray from the Repel guys. It is Lemon Eucalyptus Oil. The second I had it on the skeeters would not come anywhere near me. I give this product 5 stars because it actually works and does not stink as bad as I thought it would. The scent goes away and so do the skeeters. I am officially retiring DEET from my pack and now will have Eucalyptus Oil from now on. We continued our hike passing some tarns that were full of frogs singing. So cool to be hiking at night and hearing the frogs just filling the air with song!
Eventually we made it to the Deer Creek Lake Junction which usually has a sign to direct you, but a deadfall aspen took out the sign it seems since the last time I was here. We made the last jaunt into our camp and set up shop for the weekend. Jared packed in a treat which was a chorizo and peppers hobo dinner that we cooked on the fire. That was damn near the best backcountry meal I have ever eaten! Nothing like fresh veggies and chorizo in the backcountry! It was a crystal clear night, mild temps and just great to be out in the mountains again. We settled in for a nice fire and I got the camera out for some really fun astrophotography. It was really late when we turned in to the sound of frogs singing and the leaves in the aspens getting tickled by the wind. We both slept really well and we were much warmer than the previous week in the Uintas.
Morning came and we both slept in. Coffee and some breakfast were in order. We then spent some time in camp just relaxing after the long drive and hike from the previous day. I sat out and shot a time lapse of the fluffy clouds drifting over Deer Creek. Eventually we put it all together and headed out to hike Mooseman and Chriss Lakes. We used the GPS to get us going in the right direction. After about a mile of wandering in the woods we were standing lake side at Mooseman Reservoir. I love this little lake. The fish were jumping, I tried my hand for about an hour to catch one but just nothing landed. That is how it goes sometimes.
After a while we decided to go down to Chriss Lake to see how that place was doing. It is so green this year and the hiking through the meadows and old growth aspens was about as good as it gets. We finally arrived at Chriss Lake and it was much warmer than where we were previously. I tossed a line and got a few hits but did not land a single fish. Maybe I used up all my luck last year. It started to get towards the evening so we made the hike back up the Great Western Trail to get back to camp at Deer Creek Lake. I think both of us were pretty beat after a 4.5 mile loop to and from camp.
Evening came and so with it lots of clouds. We settled in for dinner and some light tunes around the fire. I was hoping for a cloud free night again, but that unfortunately never happened. I was able to get this time lapse which not only caught a few jet liners in it, it also nabbed a few meteors streaking through the frame! Right before bed, we had a light sprinkle that was really not a big deal, but was not in the forecast for the weekend. We then turned in for another great nights sleep in the sound of silence.
Morning greeted us with high winds and lots of clouds. We had maybe a minute long sprinkle while packing up, then just winds and clouds. We ate breakfast and packed it up. We were on the trail just after noon and had a very nice walk out. Jared was finally able to see what he could not because we hiked the beginning section in the dark. We made a nice pace out and arrived at the Jeep with a cool breeze blowing. The drive home was a mix of rain and clouds all the way into town. This trip marks the 10 years since I first visited this mountain range. Every time I have visited it has been a great experience. A gem in Utah for sure. If you visit please help keep it clean and nice for others. Enjoy the photos and videos! I sense The Uintas are gonna be ready to go very soon! More adventures to come!
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