Shadow Lake, Uinta Mountains- September 2019

What I am going to share in this post is a recount of my weekend in the Uintas. I am still trying to process these events.

After a series of storms soaked Northern Utah midweek, there was a break in the action for the weekend. Me and a friend decided with the expected temps overnight, we would make the short two mile hike into Shadow Lake for an overnight backpacking trip. We made good time into the range on Saturday, and arrived to a pretty empty Crystal Lake Trailhead. The air was chilly and we bundled up, put on the packs, and made the walk in. The hike in was cold, with pockets of sun warming us as we made our way in on the trail. The meadows are now changing in their fall splendor. It was a beautiful walk and very quiet as we moved through the woods. After about 2 miles we arrived at Shadow Lake.

We made our way to the camp I wanted and got on some dry layers seeing as the temps were in the low 40's. We set camp and got our firewood situation settled. It was going to be a cold night so having a good fire was going to be key if I was going to stay up to shoot the stars. I decided to do some fly fishing while it was still tolerable before my hands would get cold. The lake was gorgeous and the clouds were just amazing to watch. There was a cold breeze blowing occasionally, and I am glad I packed the extra layers that I did. I thought I was going to get skunked when I hooked into a nice fish, got it near shore, and it wiggled off. This had me casting for a few more minutes till I landed this one pictured. My hands were cold from stripping a wet fly line so I made my way back to camp to get a fire going and to warm up. We spent a good part of the evening just staying close to the fire and staying bundled up.

Night fell and there were intermittent clouds with breaks where the stars would pop out. We had a clear window with the sky, so I walked solo out to the north side of the lake to try to get a good shot. It was cold away from camp and the dew point was making the plants and ground very wet. I got to the north end and the clouds obscured the view of the Milky Way. Sometimes you get them, and sometimes you don't. Being freezing cold, and feeling a bit defeated I returned to camp, stopping to set up my D810 for a star trail just on the shore below our camp. It was nice to get back to the fire. It was really beginning to get chilly and there was a cold wind blowing. I huddled by the fire for a bit just to warm up before I was going to attempt to make dinner. Little did I know one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever had backpacking was about to happen.

I had gone to my tent to get some warmer gloves, when I heard my partner take a fall and was moaning in agony. I immediately rushed to his aid, and it was clear right off the bat he had a serious leg injury. He had tried to step over a log, and did not see the other one on the other side and that is how he fell. I am not going to lie, the panic set in for me. It was dark, we had no cell reception, we were miles from help, and my friend was hurt. I quickly reverted to my survival knowledge and started to make a plan. I did not want him to be alone if I hiked out in the dark, in case there was shock or hypothermia. We met one of the campers across the lake from us earlier in the day. Really nice guy, and I had a nice conversation with him. I could see they were up from the glow of their fire, so I decided to ask them for help.

My plan was to have one of them stay with my friend while I hiked out for help. There was a nice gentleman named Phil, that said I should stay with my friend, and that him and his son would hike out to call for Search and Rescue. We could not move my friend, he was in too much pain, so we got his sleeping pad under him to insulate him from the ground. We covered him in multiple sleeping bags. I had some hand and feet warmers that I gave him to radiate some heat. We also put hot rocks around him on the ground to create a heat block. I did my best to keep my friend warm by keeping the fire blazing hot as we waited for Phil's return with Search and Rescue. My friend was going in and out of consciousness, and I was getting really worried. As the hours dragged on, and the temperatures dropped, I was feeling like this was going to not turn out well.

About 1:30 AM I saw a helicopter headed towards the lake. I ran out to the shore of the lake to signal them with my emergency light on my headlamp and arm signals. I can't feel my toes at this point and my hands and freezing even with gloves on. It was 29 degrees and everything was covered in frost making it a slippery mess. The helicopter made a few circles with a spotlight and was looking for a place to land. I tried to navigate them to the meadow above our camp but not sure if the pilot saw me. He looped out and over to what looked like the area were we parked, so I returned to camp figuring Search and Rescue was coming in on foot. About 30 minutes later, I could see headlamps coming and Phil was at the head of the pack and had brought rescue! I was so grateful and I have to admit was crying because I knew my friend was going to be ok. Search and Rescue got the helicopter into the meadow I was trying earlier to point out to the pilot from the ground. They put my friend in the Life Flight and off they went. I decided not to hike out then. It was 2:30 AM, I was exhausted, cold, upset, and just too emotional to to try to navigate in the dark. I turned in to try to get some sleep.

About 7:00 AM the Coyotes woke me up and were really near camp howling in a pack as they often do. It was 31 degrees and I was not about to get out of my sleeping bag until it warmed up a bit. By 8:00 AM I could not lay there anymore as my mind was still spinning about what happened. I got up and pretty much broke camp for about an hour and a half as it warmed up, and then hiked out. An hour or so later I was at the car and on my way back home. When I spoke to my wife I guess all the emotion spilled out because I was crying. In those moments when it is a survival situation you are in the moment, and the emotion is suppressed. But once at home I lost it. I am not gonna lie about that. This was one of the most terrifying experiences in my life. Sitting there with your friend, trying to keep them from going into shock, and hoping help is coming. I felt helpless. Everyone keeps saying I did the right thing but I felt like I did nothing. I just wanted my friend to live. Phil and his group across the lake deserve my eternal thanks and gratitude for their help. Without them this could have been much worse. We did everything right, had a plan, stuck to it, and were prepared. This is a prime example of you can do everything right, and it can still all go wrong. My friend ended up with a Fib/Tib and Ankle fracture. He will need surgery, but is ok which is the most important part. This just shows how quickly a beautiful day can quickly turn into a survival situation.

In all the chaos my camera was out on the shore recording a star trail and captured the flight path of the Life Flight as it circled the shore. This shot is of that. I am not sure if I'll get another trip in the Uintas this year before winter shows up. But one thing is for sure, more adventures to come. Be safe out there everyone.