Cuberant Basin, Uinta Mountains- 6.23-24.2018

Another great weekend was on tap and I was not about to miss out on it no matter who did or did not want to go. I packed it up and headed to Pass Lake Trailhead to head into Cuberant Basin. The hike in was nice, a few skeeters here and there, but not bad. I made a quick pace up to the Kamas/Cuberant cutoff then proceeded up the short climb. The meadows are full on like they would be mid to late July and its not even the end of June yet. Once on the pass, the view was grand and I took in the breeze and the beauty of this place. Over the pass I went into the basin. Then I dropped down to Cuberant 2 and it was very full for how dry our winter was. I then moved the final stretch down to camp. The best part about this hike was the lack of people. It was even better when I went into the basin and no one was camped in there as well. I don't remember ever having the first three trips in the Uintas as people free as these have been.

My arrival at camp was greeted with winds and mosquitoes. I had packed in some Nag Champa incense so I lit a few sticks and got camp set up. I then harvested some wood, all dead fall, not a single piece taken from any tree that was still standing. I then got my water and settled in for a very quiet afternoon. Evening came and the wind shifted from the south to the north as an expected cold front arrived. It quickly got me into the evening layers and as soon as dusk set in I lit my fire. Once the cold arrived the mosquitoes vanished as if blown out of there by the cold front. I made dinner then waited for the longest cloud in Uintas history to move out of the shot I wanted. I swear that could was all the way back into the Wasatch. Long like a cigar, and it just crept from 8:30 till nearly 10 PM when it finally was out of view. I had a wonderful evening by a great fire and a couple of beverages I hauled in. After my camera finished, I coaled out the fire and hit the sleeping bag. It was quiet and the wind had almost completely gone overnight. No frogs to fall asleep to like the last camp. But still a great nights sleep none the less.

The next morning was crystal clear and full of singing birds. I made coffee and sat out on the shore in the sun as it was a chilly start to the day. Once the sun was up I had breakfast and packed it up as I wanted to enjoy my hike out and not be in a rush. The hike out was perfect and I saw my first two folks just as I got over the pass and was on my way down. Talk about timing. As I hiked out the people were mobbing the Lofty Lake Loop so plenty of humans after the junction to the car. No matter, they were no where near me. Best part about the hike out was no mosquitoes. Did not even see one. With how cold the end of my nose got overnight, I think that cold front beat a lot of them down. I did not even DEET up on the way out as I had planned because it just was not needed. A great solo backpacking trip and another wonderful weekend in the Uintas. Enjoy the pics! More adventures to come!

Mill D North Fork To Dog Lake, Big Cottonwood Canyon- June 2018

Wonderful evening hike into Dog Lake via Mill D North Fork Thursday evening. The temps were warm on the way in, and down right pleasant on the way out. It was a smorgasbord of wild flowers for the eyes to feast on, especially on the way out with the evening light making the colors pop. I did the trail into the lake in just over an hour and some change. I was at the Dog/Deso junction in 42 minutes from the car. That has to be a personal best. I took my time on the way out. Even saw the tent worm caterpillars getting ready for the big change! As you can see there was a lot to enjoy on the way out! The Wasatch is beautiful! 5.2 miles round trip! Good for the mind, body, and soul. Enjoy the pics! More adventures to come!

Teal Lake, Uinta Mountains- June 8th-10th 2018

I had another opportunity to get out in the Uintas to go backpacking over the weekend. Our destination for the weekend was Teal Lake. We arrived to only three cars at the trail head and we were pleased to see no one had logged in past Ruth Lake. We put the packs on and made our way in. We made a great pace into Ruth Lake, then up over the divide to Hayden and Jewel Lakes. From Jewel we took a cross country route to avoid the swamp and small lake sitting in the meadow just below Cutthroat Lake. After a really fun and challenging hike we found ourselves standing at the outlet to Teal Lake. We picked our spot and built camp. The third person in our party did not arrive till dark, so we just got everything ready for the weekend. Once everyone was settled in we had a nice fire and I set out the camera for a star trail. Once my long exposure was finished, we settled in lake side and I shot the milky way. It was so peaceful out there, and such a beautiful sight to see. After that it was off to bed for some much needed shut eye. The frogs were singing all night and that was a pleasant sound to fall to sleep to.

We awoke to clear skies, and strong winds. Breakfast and coffee were in order, and we sat around for a while just enjoying the day. I went exploring around Teal Lake and the surrounding ponds just to get out for a walk as it was too windy in camp. The winds just kept howling and we settled in for the evening as we were expecting a dry cold front to arrive. Surprisingly it must have stalled because another great night was to be had. We had dinner then got a fire going for the evening. I put out the camera again for a another long exposure and enjoyed the last of my beverages I had packed in. By that time I was ready for bed and crawled into my sleeping bag. I must have been tired, I slept for almost eight hours which is unusual for me. We slowly packed it up on Sunday. As the front moved in, the afternoon out there was down right chilly, almost to the point of being unbearable. I hiked out to the vehicle as I was just over the cold wind. It has been amazing this year to get out so early and have a couple of weekends in a row in the high terrain. Enjoy the pics! More Adventures to come!

Willow Heights, Big Cottonwood Canyon- 6.6.18

Wasatch Wednesday strikes again! Its been scorching in the 90's the last few days and after a cool weekend in the Uintas, I needed some relief from the heat. I decided to take a walk up Willow Heights just to get out of the valley and get some fresh air and a short hike. The hike in was beautiful with an assortment of wildflowers beginning to do their thing. It was not long and I found myself standing lake side. I had the place all to myself! I pulled up a spot under some shady aspens and just let the silence soothe me. I was up there for a really long time as I did not want to go back home where it was going to be a furnace. After a while, I wanted to get up and walk around so I followed the trail up the ridge and then down around the other side of the lake. The temps were perfect, the scenery was awesome, and I could not have been more pleased! It was a pleasant evening hike out and the light breeze was just an added bonus. A great day in the Wasatch! Enjoy the pics! More adventures to come......

Clyde Lake Loop, Uinta Mountains- June 2nd-3rd 2018

First backpacking trip of the year! The Uintas are open for business! We decided to do the season opener in a spot we have not previously started the year out in. We decided on the Clyde Lake Loop and do an overnighter at Booker Lake. We made our way into the Uintas and the snow, what little is left, is going fast. After arriving at the trail head, we put on the packs and made our way in.

The trail was snow free all the way to Cliff Lake. We took a short break there and then moved on. There were big piles of snow in the trees and shady sections. Fortunate for us they were frozen solid so you could walk right over them. We made our way up the trail, if you could call it that. We then came to Watson Lake. We could see backcountry skiers on top of Mt Watson, and the going to this point had been pretty easy. Once we moved above Watson Lake, the snow became fields, and the temps were warm. The snow was punchy and soft, and down right scary at times when you would have one leg post hole not knowing if the next step the other would go. We picked our way down to Clyde Lake, then traversed a snow field above the lake that if you fell, you were going right into the lake. We made it past there and walked up to Booker Lake.

We found one of the only spots with enough real estate to set up camp in, which happened to be a very nice spot. It was the maiden voyage for my Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL 2 tent. 1 lb 15 oz and lots more room than my previous solo tent that I have been using for years. Once we got camp set up we all just kind of lounged around listening to symphony of silence that wilderness provides. I sat out on the shore of Clyde Lake for a while just lounging in my chair soaking in the view. Evening came and it was time for dinner. As the sun set the temps dropped quite a bit, especially since we were surrounded by snow drifts. We got a nice fire going and I set up the camera for a star trail and we had a nice night by the fire. Eventually I turned in, and got to try out my new shelter.

Morning came with clear skies and cool temps. I slept in a bit as I was just too comfy to get out of my sleeping bag. The sun rose and I got up to make coffee and breakfast. We lounged around camp and did some fly fishing till late afternoon. We then packed it up and made our way to finish off the second and final leg of the loop. We walked the west shore of Clyde Lake and made our way up to Twin Lakes. I loved this area, gonna go back for sure. We then stopped on a high point and took some pictures. We then proceeded to the junction with Notch Mountain Pass, and made our way down to Hope Lake. The frogs singing greeted us upon walking up to the lake. We then made our way down the rest of the trail to Wall Lake over huge drifts of snow in the trees. This was the hardest part of the hike because they were not frozen on this day. We made it through and walked out to Wall Lake. It was completely ice free and looked like summer. You could not have been able to tell by the forest you had to walk through to get to it. We finished the last leg and found ourselves at the car feeling fulfilled and wishing we had another night. The adventures begin! The dirt party has started! I am glad to be back at my home away from home! Enjoy the pics, more adventures to come!