Christian Paul Photography 2018 Retrospective

Another year of adventures comes to a close. 2018 was amazing in so many ways. The Wasatch started the year with one of the lowest snow total winters on record. With that, and having a shoulder injury December through early February, my days on the splitboard were far fewer than I would have liked. But the bright spot of a low snow winter is that hiking and backpacking began much earlier this year! I had some amazing days on trail, nights by the fire, red hot fly fishing, and adventures with friends old and new. From the first weekend in June to the last weekend in September, I made the Uintas my home away from home. I visited new areas I had not previously been, and returned to the usual haunts that I just cannot get enough of. 2018 was a year of growth for me. I did the longest solo backpacking trip in the Uintas that I have ever done, which was to Ryder Lake. 19.7 miles round trip. Really taught me a lot about myself. Redeemed Hell Hole Lake which turned me around in 2017. Not this time, and it was a wonderful trip. Allsop Lake was finally knocked off the bucket list in August. I even got a trip to the Oregon Coast for my Birthday. Fall came and went rather quickly then winter returned. It's been a much better start this season than last, and the snow has been good every time I have gone out. I am grateful for all the time I have been able to, with good health and positive mind, spend in the mountains which I love so much! I even got a trip to the Oregon Coast for my Birthday. Grab a snack or your favorite beverage and enjoy the video below! Thank for stopping by to those of you who have visited my blog this year! Happy Trails for the New Year!

Promise Land, Big Cottonwood Canyon- December 2018

I decided to start my holiday out with a walk on the splitboard and getting some powder turns. I took a walk up the Promise Land in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Christmas Eve. There was about 3-4" of fresh that an overnight storm put down. I made the quick walk up the road and up into the Promise Land. I was breaking trail most of the way up. It was nice to be walking in the trees and the snow was really nice! I eventually topped out and made the switch over. The snow pack was a very stable and all tests showed I was in a good spot. I made the drop and had fun making turns in the glades and the trees on the way out. It was a great day in the mountains and so much fun to be out again on the splitboard. Its been a good start to the season! Happy Holidays everyone!

Christmas Eve in the Promise Land from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

Promise Land Tour 12.24.2018 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

Scotts/Guardsman Area, Big Cottonwood Canyon- December 2018

Its been a a week or so since I have been out. In that time, we have had a couple of small storms to keep things fresh. The gap in storms has let the inversions build and that is not a healthy situation. I was determined to get out and go for a walk on the splitboard, get some fresh air, and do some poking around to see the depth in the snow pack and how things are looking. Generally West to South is stable, NW to East still has a persistent weak layer that has everyone lacking expert avalanche skills staying off those aspects. There is a lot of facets that this snow is sitting on. I made my way up Big Cottonwood, found a spot at the Guardsman gate. I put on the boots, sunscreen because it was hot and felt like a day at the beach, and pack and made my way up the track. Once you were out of the sun you could feel the cold temps. Once I made the first curve it was in the sun and very warm. I do not usually tour in December, in a trucker hat and no gloves.

I made my way to the last corner and up the Scott's Pass trail. Big temperature difference here once you went into the shade of the pines. I went up to the first meadow and made my way to the base of the slope. The top surface in the shady trees was supportable pow. I like this area because you can do some snow science, and there are not too many people who stick around, they just climb through to the PC ridge line. The sun facing aspects had a zipper crust on them that finally softened on the decent to the Jeep. I exited west out of Scott's and actually got some fun turns. I had to walk from the corner to the road and up to the Jeep, about a 1/4 mile walk, which was warm to say the least. Looking at all the south facing aspects, they have melted and their snow pack is thin in areas. North Facing or shady tree areas are still holding their whole snow pack but have not bridged. Another great Sunday in the Wasatch. Keeping the legs fresh until we get another storm. We just need one more big one and the terrain is really going to open up. Pray 4 Snow!

Scotts Guardsman 12.16.2018 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

December Begins! Millicent Tour, Big Cottonwood Canyon- 12.2.2018

December has arrived, and with it a lot of snow in the mountains. We have had nearly 50 inches of snow in spots in the Wasatch since last Thursday. Sundays seem to be the day so far this season. I made my way up the snowy canyon road in the Jeep and arrived at the base of Millicent. Quickly put on the boots and headed up. The first 100 yards there was a snow gun running, skins and gun snow are not fun. I pushed past the second one almost slipping into a ditch, but managed to keep my edge hold and proceeded up to the next switchback. There was no skin track at this point so I made one and it was weird that the snow sounded like it was collapsing. I know it was that layer of gun snow breaking under the new snow from my weight, but if you need a refresher on what snow sounds like when it is collapsing this was a good one. It did not avalanche, you could just hear that crust breaking as you put pressure on each board as you climbed. Finally hit the summer road and put in some fast tracks uphill.

December Begins! 12.2.2018 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

I eventually topped out at Twin Lakes, switched over the gear and hung out for a bit. I like to enjoy these moments. Winter is beautiful in the mountains! After taking in the view with the falling snow I dropped in. The snow off trail was right side up, but pretty thick if you were making turns. I really missed making turns in deep snow like this. It makes you feel like you are flying. I had good snow all the way to the Jeep. Even got frosted by a snow gun at the bottom of the Milly chair. This has been a great start to the season! Much better than last year. I hope it keeps snowing so the terrain opens up so we can get out and explore! Enjoy the pics and videos from the climb and the descent. Let the good times roll!

Millicent Tour 12.2.2018 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

First Day Out Splitboarding For The 18/19 Season!

First day out on the splitboard for the season today! Just poking around to see where the coverage was. With the avy danger high, and the tide low, I decided a low angle walk and some turns to get the cobwebs out and getting the legs underneath me again was in order. Nothing fancy, just getting the muscle memory back and to start building up my body for bigger climbs. It was nice to have some time on the skin track and some turns on the way to the Jeep. It was a great day to kick things off for the year! I hope this is the beginning of many more of these days to come! Winter is here! It was nice to be back at it. I really missed it! I hope this is the beginning of more fun days to come!

First day back on the skin track 18/19 from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

First Day Splitboarding 18/19 Season from CPPhoto on Vimeo.

Bells Canyon, Wasatch National Forest- October 2018

Fall is in full effect. The leaves have turned and are falling from the trees. The days grow shorter and the nights are getting colder. I have been really busy since my last outing in the Uintas for the year. Thats the price you pay to backpack so much in the summer. I was able to get out on a very warm weekend here in the Wasatch for a loop up my local trail here in Bells Canyon. It has been really warm and dry here this fall. I have not been up this canyon since late May. The fall colors were really nice up there. Still holding some patches of brilliant color. They have done a lot of trail work up there and it was relatively clean up there. They even put in a bridge by the lake so you do not have to cross the outlet. I did a 3.4 mile loop up to the second bridge and the wilderness boundary. The creek has no water in it and the lower reservoir is as low as I have seen it. I spent a little time at my favorite hideout up top just relaxing and enjoying this mild fall day. I love fall hiking! Great day to be in the mountains! Enjoy the pics! More adventures to come!

Twin Lakes, Uinta Mountains- September 2018

Fall in the mountains of Utah can be tricky. Some years winter shows up early as I have posted here in previous years. Some years its warm till October, and some years it will snow on you in September. This year has been incredibly warm and dry out there. I had the itch to try out some new camera tricks and really wanted a couple of more nights out there before the long winter returns to the range. With the forecast showing mid 60's daytime, mid 40's over night I thought I would spend the last three days of September closing out my season in the Uintas. I finished work on Friday, then packed up the Jeep and headed into the Uintas. It was balmy, even into Kamas. Once on the highway it got cooler as you drove in. I arrived to pretty empty trail head. A few cars, but not too many which meant it was going to be a nice hike in. I put on the boots and pack and started in on the trail.

I made a quick push up to Wall Lake, took a picture and moved on. Its late September so daylight is short these days and the temps get a bit chilly in the shade now. I made my way past Wall Lake and then up to Hope Lake which had some very interesting light when I passed. I did the final push up to the junction for the Notch or to Twin Lakes. I moved down to Twin Lakes and after 1 hour and 20 minutes found myself standing at the North Twin. I looked around for a camp spot and found one nicely tucked back in the trees. I set up camp and gathered my fire wood for the evening. Just as I had finished getting my camp set a beautiful sunset started taking shaped I ran to the shore to get a shot. This was the best sunset all season up there. I then moved back up to camp and got my fire going. As soon as it went dark I set out my camera for a time lapse since the clouds were not going to cooperate with me getting a star trail this night. I had a really great night by the fire as the moon rise lit everything up like it was daylight. After my camera finished up I packed it in for some really much needed sleep.

Morning came and I got up later than usual. It was almost 9 AM when I rolled out of my sleeping bag. I made coffee and had breakfast then decided to get ready to go do some fishing. I tried the North Twin for a while. I landed some 8-10" brookies, but not on a very consistent basis. I then moved up to Clyde Lake. The wind was howling up here and that makes fly fishing tough. I found one spot that worked but only landed a few. The wind finally won and I returned to Twin Lakes. I got to camp and I was hungry so I made some lunch. I noticed this point above my camp and have wondered what was up there. I found a very nice lookout point that overlooked Wall and Trial Lakes. Walking back to camp a plume of smoke from the Murdock Basin fire was towering over Bald Mountain. It looked like a volcano was erupting. I watched it for a bit before returning to camp. I then decided to go fish the South Twin. It is more of a large pond than a lake. I had instant luck on some really small fish, one barley 5". I saw this hole that was boiling and as soon as my fly hit on the drop it was fish on! Nice sized Tiger Trout with one easily 14". I fished till the light made it hard to see your fly on the water. I returned to camp and got things going for the evening.

After putting out the camera I settled in for my final night of the year in the Uintas. The stars were out in-between the passing clouds. The Milky Way to the south was a wonderful sight to see. I ran some time lapses and hung out by the fire just enjoying how warm the night was for being the end of September. I honestly could not believe how warm it was. I took my beanie off and zipped open my down jacket because I was too warm. As the moon rose the temps started to dip a bit and I bundled back up and stoked the fire one more time. I had to get my camera so I went down to retrieve it and was treated to stars so bright and Mt Watson being lit up by the moon. I spent some time out there just gazing at the night sky. The wind started blowing and the breeze off the lake was brisk enough to have me move back up to camp. I tossed in the last of my wood to warm up and put everything away for the night. I coaled out my fire and turned in for some well earned rest.

Sunday morning came with a mix of clouds, cold wind, and sun. I got up and saw that some of these clouds were dark and I was not sure if the forecasted weather expected for early this week was coming in earlier than scheduled. I got up and packed it up and was on the trail by 10 AM. I made my way past the North Twin, then I hiked up to Clyde Lake. I traversed Clyde Lake in a really cold wind and then moved up and over down to Watson Lake. The hike out past Petite Lake and Cliff Lake was pleasant with the last of the fall colors really showing off. Eventually I found myself standing at my Jeep. It was really cold at this point. Coldest temps all weekend was right when I was standing at my vehicle. So I packed it up and headed to Kamas for the last tacos of the year from a taqueria that is open next to the Cheveron. $2 sweet pork street tacos and they have a yummy habanero sauce that was delicious since I did not have time to eat at camp. Its bitter sweet as this will be my last Uintas trip for the season. I have had an amazing year on trail out there. 11 trips, over 100 miles on trail, and 20 nights in the tent out there this year. It has been amazing to be out there and I am sure gonna miss it. Grateful, fulfilled, and blessed for all the days on trail, the nights by the fire, sleeping under the stars, thunderstorms, the amazing fishing, and the places I was able to visit solo, and with friends new and old. Enjoy the pics and time lapses from over the weekend. Soon things will change from dirt dances to snow dances. I will miss my home away from home. Thank you Uintas for purifying my mind, body, and soul. Its been a damn good one! More adventures to come!

Duck Lake, Lakes Country Trail, Uinta Mountains- September 2018

It has been a great year in the high country! Some big adventures and some revisiting favorite places I have previously been. I had the chance to get out with my long time friend Jared over the weekend. We have been friends for over two decades, as well have adventured in Denali and all over Utah together. So when I invited him and he accepted, I was really stoked! He has not been out on trail in nearly two years, so I did not want to push him too hard. I decided Duck Lake would be a decent one to get him back out on. I have not been to Duck Lake in over three years. It is usually my season opener, but I wanted to see some new places, so I took a break from Duck. Coming back after a few years was pretty nice. People have done a good job keeping it clean for all the traffic it sees.

We arrived at the trail head Friday afternoon, loaded up the packs, and headed on in. Both of us probably had too much weight in the packs, but we wanted to have a good weekend out there so we packed accordingly. We made our way up the pass, then descended towards Long Lake. Did I mention the fire smoke? It was pretty thick and looked very apocalyptic while hiking. It was not pleasant on the lungs and I put a buff over my face to cut down on what I was breathing. Long Lake looked so gloom and doom with all that smoke. The sun was glowing orange and it was raining ash with no wind. I was happy to move into the forest and out of the open air. The further we descended into the basin, the less the smoke was a problem. Once we arrived at Duck Lake, it was just grey from the fire smoke.

We made our way to camp and got things set up quick as it was late in the day and the sun sets earlier these days. Plus the temps from no sun in there were chilly to say the least. We got a small fire going and made dinner. I walked the shore and there was no one camped here. We had Duck Lake all to ourselves! The sun set and the stars started popping out. I ran an image trying something new out. Not what I was expecting but it turned out pretty cool. The time lapse I shot turned out nice though. We stayed up pretty late catching up. It was hard to not want to be awake. The night sky was pretty awesome! Eventually we coaled out the fire and headed for our tents. It was so quiet and dark when we turned in. You could hear a leaf drop.

Dawn brought clear skies and warm temps. I got up and made coffee and sat in the sun. It was chilly overnight and the wind was blowing and it was a cool wind from the south. After breakfast we set out fishing. I wasn't having any luck till I put on the ugliest, most thrashed and gnawed on caddis fly I had in my box. They just stared slamming it, including one Brookie that doubled over my 9' 6wt rod. It was a fight, which I have not had all summer. Catching that fish is forever etched into my memory. Afternoon came and so did the return of the fire smoke. I guess while we were in there two new fires started in the Uintas. We for sure had a plan to evacuate just in case, but the fires were miles from us. We both kind of got sick of breathing the fire smoke and felt laying low would help reduce our exposure. We both took naps until about 6 PM when we woke to clearing skies and much better conditions.

Evening set in and we got settled into camp for the evening. I set out the camera again for a much longer star trail. Unfortunately there were some clouds and lingering fire smoke that hung around, so not what I was aiming for, but still got a fun night time time lapse. about just before ten a band of clouds came over and even put off some rain drops for about 2 minutes. Then the skies went clear. I think both of us were tired so once my camera was done, we wrapped it up for the night.

Sunday morning brought really strong winds. I slept in, as did Jared. When we got up the wind was howling. It was hard enough just to flash boil a meal, let a lone to try to make coffee. We both packed it up and headed out around noon. Our hike out was very nice. A lot of fall colors and the lakes on the way out were awesome to see. This was a great trip with my good friend. We need to get out more. Once you adventure together with friends, you become family for life. I hope to get one more trip out to the Uintas this year backpacking before the snow flies. Fingers crossed! Enjoy the pics and time lapses! More adventures to come......