This was a last minute trip that began Friday night. We had a spooky ride in the dark up Hwy 150, deer were everywhere. We finally arrived at my secret camp spot just of the Mirror Lake Hwy. We set up shop, got a fire going and cracked some cold ones. It was so dead out there you could hear a pin drop. Pretty chilly too. After some photos, some brews, we crashed out. Morning awoke me with some crazy clouds in over the area. Got some sweet photos, then we had coffee, breakfast and headed to the Pass Lake trailhead. We headed right in and it was still so green, wildflowers still blooming with the colors changing in the meadows. We made a hard push for the Kamas-Lofty/Cuberant junction, quick pit stop there then pushed for the pass. We did not stay on the pass too long, it was really windy up there. We moved on and down into Cuberant Basin. I love this place, so tucked back in there, and it was still so green! We made our way to Cuberant # 2, then after a few pics headed to Cuberant #3 to camp. We got shop pitched and fishing was on.
Third cast and I had a nice brookie on. These guys have grown from the last time we were out here last year. Fishing was on fire! We fished for hours, and both landed quite a few fish. Dusk comes early this time of year, so we finished up on the fishing and got our fire ready for a fish cookout! I took some pics at sunset, really nice lighting that night. As soon as the sun went down, the temps started dropping. We got our fire raging and got dinner ready. After an amazing dinner I took a few night shots as we had our frosty beverages by the fire. Around midnight both of us were tired, and it was getting really cold, so we turned in. I slept till about 9:30 am, as did Chris, and it was some of the best sleep I have had in weeks. We got up, made coffee and breakfast, and got out the slingshot for some good fun. Then fishing was on again! This was some really good fishing, as they would hit it on the drop. About 3 pm we decided to head up to #2 on our way out. A swift push for the pass and up and over we went. It was a perfect hike out, sunny skies, mild temps, and just beautiful views.
We arrived at the car a little under 2 hours later and cracked some 1st Amendment beers to celebrate another great trip in the Uintas. Bitter sweet for me, for this will probably be my last trip out there this year because of work and school. It has been a really strange summer, short, craziness for me and my family, and not as many trips as usual that is for sure. But I made the best of it, and that is what you have to do when the going gets tough. Enjoy the pics, I have one more weekend slated for Southern Utah, then bring on the pow pow!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
United- 2 Day Outdoor Event- Great Salt Lake- September 16th-18th, 2011
I was booked to shoot a wedding Friday night, so I was not able to make it out to this event till Saturday evening, which by all accounts Friday night was a miserable downpour and everyone was parking it in their tents. I got to the event and pitched my tent, cracked a cold one. Shortly after this the most awesome sunset appeared. This was a burn event on private property. I had a great set, people jiving and jacking, especially to my Salt Shaker track with a Jefferson Airplane and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas sample in it. I joined in the festivities and was taking photos until about 5 am. No bugs, starry skies with the moon out, and good times. This crew that hired me to play had just returned from Burning Man, and they could really throw fire. I had a blast taking pictures of this. It was a nice departure from the norm. Got up to a very warm desert, made breakfast, talked to the insomniacs and then headed home in the afternoon. All in all a great time, got paid to spin some slammin' progressive house, and play with my camera. I can think of worse things I am sure I could have been doing on a Saturday/Sunday. And I got to crash in my bag and tent too. Sweet! Enjoy the pics!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Kermsuh Lake- High Uintas Wilderness- September 3rd-5th, 2011
For the past two years, we have owned Cuberant Basin for Labor Day Weekend. But since we have had a shortened season due to the late snow melt, we decided to hit somewhere new that we had never been. We weighed the options and decided that Kermsuh would be our outing for the holiday weekend. We departed Saturday and arrived just after 9 am. We hit the Christmas Meadows trail and pushed a very fast pace to the junction to Amethyst Basin. A short break, then we pushed on. This part of the trail is very beautiful and we saw lots of Elk on the way in. After a bit, we found ourselves sitting at the junction for Kermsuh. It is crazy, the tree that the sign was on had been totally scorched by lightning. We took a snack break, then moved on. Heading into the basin you have to cross a stream that is too deep to walk through, and no one wanted trench foot, but it had a log you could cross. To say crossing this single log bridge was sketchy is an understatement. I did not want my D90 to go in the drink, so this was a bit precarious. But we all made it and headed up the switchbacks. This section really reminded me of the Wasatch, because it was steep and a hell of a workout.
About 2/3 of the way up, we got a side view of a canyon that the drainage flows out of, and it was holding some of the biggest trees I have ever seen in the Uintas. We pushed on, and finally made it to the part where it sort of levels off. A nice walk in the woods, and you come to a stream crossing and a huge meadow. You kind of loose the trail here for a minute, but it is easy to pick it right back up after you cross the stream. Then it begins to climb again, which once again reminds me of the Wasatch. Finally we hit the final meadow which was beautiful, and up the inlet to Kermsuh Lake. One word- WOW! This basin is pristine to say the least, and it is so picturesque. We decided because of a huge granite feature that was right off of camp to pitch shop on the south side with a full view of A-1 Peak. We pulled out our goods, got shop pitched and we were all fishing right away. And they are active up there! It seemed for a time, we all kind of forgot what time it was, and realized that we needed to get dinner going and a nice fire. It was a brisk night, but we had a half moon rise over Hayden Peak, and it was giving some cool reflected light.
I did some night photography, and then we were all bushed and decided to turn in. Morning brought the sun a bit later then any of us expected, as we all slept in a bit longer than we planned. Coffee, then fishing was on! Chris was nailing brookies in the inlet, and I got a few cuttys right off shore from camp. Afternoon came and we decided to go scout the water marked on the map in the cirque above Kermsuh. It was a nice hike, and very scenic. But alas no hidden fishing gem, but the view was spectacular! We were sitting right at the base of the shoots on the backside of Hayden Peak. It was awesome to be up there, and you could really see how far you had come up here. We spent quite a bit of time up here, enjoying the view, the warm sun, and good friends. Evening time found us back at camp fishing for dinner. Brookies ended up being the main course, and we all had a ton to eat! I did some more night photography, and we had some tunes by the fire off the Ipod Shuffle. The next day woke us with a slight drizzle, nothing major, but the sound of the drops hitting my rain fly were really soothing. Then it broke clear. We made breakfast, broke camp and started to head out. Then the storm tried to come in, and from Kermsuh, to the junction, it was cloudy, few drops and lots of wind. Then at the fork it broke again, sunshine all the way out of Christmas Meadows.
This was the best trip of the summer. We had only two other groups up there that weekend, and they bounced on Sunday, leaving it all for us to enjoy. The fishing was great, the scenery was exactly what I love when traveling in the wilderness. Kermsuh for sure delivered the goods.
About 2/3 of the way up, we got a side view of a canyon that the drainage flows out of, and it was holding some of the biggest trees I have ever seen in the Uintas. We pushed on, and finally made it to the part where it sort of levels off. A nice walk in the woods, and you come to a stream crossing and a huge meadow. You kind of loose the trail here for a minute, but it is easy to pick it right back up after you cross the stream. Then it begins to climb again, which once again reminds me of the Wasatch. Finally we hit the final meadow which was beautiful, and up the inlet to Kermsuh Lake. One word- WOW! This basin is pristine to say the least, and it is so picturesque. We decided because of a huge granite feature that was right off of camp to pitch shop on the south side with a full view of A-1 Peak. We pulled out our goods, got shop pitched and we were all fishing right away. And they are active up there! It seemed for a time, we all kind of forgot what time it was, and realized that we needed to get dinner going and a nice fire. It was a brisk night, but we had a half moon rise over Hayden Peak, and it was giving some cool reflected light.
I did some night photography, and then we were all bushed and decided to turn in. Morning brought the sun a bit later then any of us expected, as we all slept in a bit longer than we planned. Coffee, then fishing was on! Chris was nailing brookies in the inlet, and I got a few cuttys right off shore from camp. Afternoon came and we decided to go scout the water marked on the map in the cirque above Kermsuh. It was a nice hike, and very scenic. But alas no hidden fishing gem, but the view was spectacular! We were sitting right at the base of the shoots on the backside of Hayden Peak. It was awesome to be up there, and you could really see how far you had come up here. We spent quite a bit of time up here, enjoying the view, the warm sun, and good friends. Evening time found us back at camp fishing for dinner. Brookies ended up being the main course, and we all had a ton to eat! I did some more night photography, and we had some tunes by the fire off the Ipod Shuffle. The next day woke us with a slight drizzle, nothing major, but the sound of the drops hitting my rain fly were really soothing. Then it broke clear. We made breakfast, broke camp and started to head out. Then the storm tried to come in, and from Kermsuh, to the junction, it was cloudy, few drops and lots of wind. Then at the fork it broke again, sunshine all the way out of Christmas Meadows.
This was the best trip of the summer. We had only two other groups up there that weekend, and they bounced on Sunday, leaving it all for us to enjoy. The fishing was great, the scenery was exactly what I love when traveling in the wilderness. Kermsuh for sure delivered the goods.
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