Holiday weekends are tough because of the crowds. I usually do not get out on holidays because you just do not get the solitude you are seeking on a backpacking trip. We have a few spots that are great and relatively less crowded than other areas we go to. Teal Lake is one of them. I had a few things to wrap up on Friday before making my way out to the Uintas. One half of our group went in early Friday morning, and I was expecting to meet them at camp. It was sunny and warm at the trail head, with a few clouds billowing up over the range. I made a very fast pace up to Ruth Lake, then up over the ridge to Hayden Lake. Then it started to rain, and I ended up at a very soggy Jewel Lake before pushing up to Cutthroat Lake. I was going to stop here to put on my rain jacket, but I decided I was so close to Teal Lake, I pushed on down to camp. I was a bit wet when I dropped my pack and put on my rain jacket. After about an hour, the clouds moved out and made for a great afternoon at camp. Night came and I had dinner and shot some Milky Way shots.
Morning arrived with warm temperatures and sunny skies. I got up and made breakfast, then put it together to try to get a fish and do some hiking around the area. I was expecting another friends to show up, and I ran into him as I was hiking around the lake. We moved him into our camp, and then everyone decided to go up to the ledges above Teal Lake. The view was amazing up there. But again, afternoon brought more showers and we huddled under some trees till the storm passed. It let up a bit and we headed back to camp to shelter down because there were more storm clouds coming in. A bit of thunder and some hail, then it was over. We then got a fire going and settled in for the evening. As darkness fell in, I made my way out to shoot the night sky again. Unfortunately, my interval timer was on the fritz, and I was not able to get the shot I wanted. Still a beautiful clear night, and awesome to see the Milky Way once more.
Monday was the holiday, and I got up and started putting it together to go home. The skies were clear and the temps really warm. The hike out was a straight line past all the lakes. I did not stop for one break on the way to the car. There were no crowds till I got down to Ruth Lake, then you could see all the holiday traffic which was out in the Uintas. Another great trip with good friends out in the Uintas. Enjoy the pics, more adventures to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment