Uinta Highline Trail, Day 7 & 8, High Uintas Wilderness- August 2022

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise at Ouray Lake. We had such a nice day in here the previous day, it was hard to pack up and leave such a beautiful place! We eventually after breakfast put it together and started the climb out of Rock Creek to Rocky Sea Pass. This section was hard to follow because you are navigating a burnt forest where the fire and deadfalls have destroyed the trail in sections. This was by far the hardest section to navigate and make sure you are following your GPS or compass and map. We approached Black Lake and then reached Brinkley Lake which had a wonderful reflection! The hike despite the partially burnt forest was beautiful and peaceful!

we climbed the final steep section to get to the base of Rocky Sea Pass! This is the last pass of the Uinta Highline Trail! We made haste as the clouds grew to get to the top of the pass as quickly as possible. Once we got to the top we all had cell reception in this one spot just like Anderson Pass! I called my wife and mom to let them know we were coming home the very next day! It was all smiles as I knew I would finish sometime the next day! After talking to our families, we moved down the trail to Carolyn Lake for our final night on the Highline Trail!

We quickly set up shop at Carolyn Lake and as soon as my shelter was up it started raining. I got things settled in the Lunar Solo, threw on the rain gear and got my water situation settled. I crawled into the tent and only meant to lay down for 20 minutes, but ended up taking a two hour nap. The sound of the rain on the tent put me to sleep! I awoke to the rain having subsided and I put on my gear and headed out to fish the small but fast action Graylings Carolyn has to offer! I caught so many I lost count because it was fish on with just about every cast. I caught pan fryer trout that was not a grayling and I am going to have to ask the DWR if they stocked trout in Carolyn. Dusk came and we gathered a lot of firewood and we sat by the fire for about an hour then the rain came back in. This time it was a thunderstorm and I retired to the tent for the night watching a TGR movie while the thunder and lightning danced around us.

Day 8 came in cold and wet from all the rain the night before! We all had coffee and kind of stayed in the sleeping bags till it warmed up enough outside. We packed up camp and hit the trail! This was the final leg our our journey and what an adventure it has been! We had a nice walk in the cool temps. We crossed both rivers and passed Naturalist Turnoff, and passed the Packard turn off. Just past this point the rain came back in. In typical fashion, the Uintas was going to send us off nice and soggy! Out came the rain gear and we pushed to finish! I was soaking wet when I got to the Wilderness boundary marking the last mile of the Uinta Highline Trail! It was glorious to walk into the Haypen Pass TH lot and complete the Uinta Highline Trail! We all got situated as we were expecting my wife at any moment! She pulled in and had hot pizza and cold beers for us! What a treat I love my wife! What an amazing aventure with Jim and his son Michael! 8 days, 7 nights, 7 mountain passes, 71 miles, 13,000 feet of vert! Uinta Highline Trail complete! I hope you have enjoyed these blog entries for my Uinta Highline Trail adventure! Please check out the YouTube video below for this Episode! Please like and subscribe! More adventure to come!

Uinta Highline Trail, Day 5 & 6, High Uintas Wilderness- August 2022

After a long day to get to Lambert Lake, we took it easy on the morning of Day 5. We made no rush to get up and hit the trail. I had packed my Tenkara rod, The Sierra from Tenkara Rod Co. and I decided to give it a whirl before coffee in the AM. I went lakeside and on my first cast I had a nice brookie on! It was such an organic fishing experience on the Tenkara rod! I quickly got that fish back in the water and not shortly after that I got a big brookie, twice the size of the first one! I took its picture and put it back! I then returned to camp for breakfast and coffee and packed it up while Jim went fishing! He also caught some fish on his Tenkara rod as well! We then threw on the packs and hit the trail for Lake Fork! The trail drops you all the way down to the Lake Fork River then you make a ascent of the head of Lake Fork. This section was so hot, we made a water stop at the last spot for water before we headed up Red Knob Pass.

If you were to ask me which pass was the hardest pass, I would for sure say Red Knob Pass. Now if it were just the switchbacks to the top not a big deal. I'll get to that in a moment. I moved slowly up the switchbacks trying to conserve my energy for the pass. Jim and Michael were ahead of me and made it first, followed by me just a few minutes later. The views from the to of Lake Fork, and West Fork Blacks Fork and Deadhorse Lake were unbelievable! I had to drop the pack and just take it all in. We spent some time up there, shooting photos, snacking, just enjoying the view. It never got old. there was so much amazing nature to witness up there it literally felt timeless. Eventually, we made our way to the part of this pass that I consider to make it the hardest on the trail. The descent to West Fork Blacks Fork was over two miles on top of cliffs with loose rock, scree for miles, and it never let up on the quads as you made your way down. I was never so happy to be on flat ground when we hit the basin. It dropped us into the trees and a short but steep up to Deadhorse Lake. We set up camp and then gave fishing a try. Jim landed a nice tiger and we ate it as a second dinner that night. I went to bed early because we had to climb Deadhorse Pass in the morning and I wanted my energy for that.

Morining came and we did breakfast and coffee and then put it together. Deadhorse Pass goes up through a steep and sketchy moraine where there are sections I call "No Fall Zones" but the actuall pass is .07 miles from Deadhorse Lake so it was nice to get our climb over right out of the gate so we had good energy to work with the rest of the day. The top of Deadhorse Pass is incredible! The views are spectacular! We took time to shoot photos and take it all in! We then descended to Rock Creek as we had only one pass left to climb, and that is Rocky Sea Pass!

We made our way into Rock Creek and had to navigate the burn scar. We stopped and took lunch at the Jack and Jill junction by a creek. I forgot I had packed a Apple Pie so that was a treat! We moved on to look for a camp at Jack and Jill Lakes. The camping was horrible if you had to stay there. Not many spots and trees are all potential widow makers. But we could see a ton of action on the lake so we dropped the packs and tossed a fly with the Tenkara rods! Jim struck first with a very nice, fat, colorful brookie! I shortly after got a nice 14" brookie which I cleaned up and had for dinner! We put the cleaned fish in a ziploc with some water and moved on down to the next lake. I am so glad we did! Ouray Lake would be our home for night six! We got shop set up, then Michael wanted a nap and Jim went down the river to bathe. I cleaned up a bit too, then went fishing for hours! All the tributaries and Ouray Lake itself held fish! I caught so many fish I lost count! See the YouTube video I post below for a great recap! Eventually dark set in, we had dinner, and cooked out fish and boy were those tasty! We all turned in with full bellies and were off to dream as the rain came in at bed time! If you are enjoying this post, look for Day 7 & 8 Uinta Highline Trail to read about the conclusion of this adventure! I have linked a YouTube video for this adventure below! Please like and subscribe! More adventures to come!