Packard Lake is one spot I have have walked on by, but never visited on my way hiking the Highline. But it has been on my to do list for a while. The Packard Junction is usually a rest spot on the way to Naturalist Basin. I recived an invite from my friend and the man himself, from the very popular Backcountry Exposure YouTube Channel Devin! Joining us was his Brother Brandon, and their good friend Chris. Because of the pandemic, we all praticed good social distancing on trail and at camp all weekend. I was looking to get out and this is one area I had not been to so I figured this was a good one to get out on. Early morning start to the Highline Trailhead, got the pack situated and the boots on and it was time to head in. Most of this hike into Packard Lake is downhill or flat, with a few climbs as the trail rolls over the terrain.
After about two miles of walking you arrive at Scudder Lake and the infamous burn scar from the Murdock Basin Fire from 2018. I was at Twin Lakes for my season closer when this fire was raging. I watched the smoke rise over Notch Mountain as it burned its way through the Mirror Lake area, then cross the Highline Trail before it finally stopped burning through the area. We hiked up to the shore of Scudder Lake and I have to be honest I was just blown away by what I saw. It looked like a bomb had exploded and the trees had holes burned right clean through their trunks. This was a powerful fire, and it altered the view of the Highline Trail in the section. You can now see Bald Mountain where hiking on the trail where before you were thick in the trees.
After about three miles you reach a junction to turn south to go to Wilder, Wyman, and Packard Lakes. The hike down to Wilder was a steeper grade and its well switchbacked. Wilder is a beautiful lake set in a bowl. From there you climb for a bit before topping off then dropping a short steep section into a massive meadow. The trail winds through the trees for a minute before you arrive at Wyman Lake. Standing at the Inlet of Wyamn Lake it looked like a big mushroom so I of course had to take the shot! We spent a few minutes there then the guys wanted to go and I would catch up. I was shooting from the south end of Wyman and saw them go uphill behind me. So of course I followed a short trail that fizzled out after about 30 yards. I used my GPS to navigate the short walk up and over this minor ridge and ended up meeting them right at the outlet of Packard Lake.
Packard Lake is a beautiful alpine lake that sits on the North Side above the East Fork of the Duchesne River. The overlook from the back side of camp is one of the best views from a camp site I have ever stayed at. We all picked our spots and and set up shop for the next three days. We then went fishing because I think everyone wanted to cast a line. Brandon struck first, shortly after I got my first one. It was a nice fish and the biggest I caught on the trip. We spent some time fishing then decided to head back to camp for some lunch and lounging. The clouds were building in all day, which was really cool to watch. I shot some timelapse and just took it all in. A pretty good storm rolled in after five and we took shelter for a minute as the temps expected at night were to dip below the freezing mark. Then you could hear it, hail/grauple hitting the tent. We all threw on the rain jackets and stood out in it as it literally coverd everything with white frozen pellets. It made me laugh because it was just dumping this stuff, but grauple doesn't get you wet so the rain jacket was totally dry.
Eventually the storm moved on and I was hoping for a clear night. All of us managed to notice one hell of a beautiful sunset and we raced out to the back porck overlook like a buch of paparazi. That orange cloud bank was at celebrity status for sure. As soon as it got dark we had a fire going and I set out my camera for a star trail. The guys turned in shortly after that and I was on my own for the rest of the evening. About 30 minutes after I started the images, I could see lighting over Grandaddy Mountain and there was a distant rumble. It was far from our location but it was ejecting clouds over us and I called it because the clouds only got thicker and I was tired and ready for bed. It ended up a nice time lapse but not the Star Trail image I was trying to shoot. Not letting that ruin what had been a perfect day I gathrered up my gear and coaled out the fire and hit the sleeping bag.
Day Two brought sunny skies and a much needed warm up since our overnight dipped into the upper 20's. There was frost on my tent when I got up and it was chilly! Once the sun was far enough up we all headed out on the porch for some coffee, tea, and even hot cocoa were on the stoves. We sat there for quite some time just taking in the view and having a great conversation! Chris decided he was going to loop up through Naturalist Basin to see Blue Lake, and me and Devin and Brandon decided we would hit Wyman Lake to see how the fishing was up there.
We did the short hike and made our way around Wyman Lake. There was no fish activity on the water, and we fished it for a bit and just got nothing. My hunch is it winter killed. I did however find and really nice camp site and sat down in this area for a lunch time snack. After a rest we made our way back to Packard Lake since we knew the fishing was going to be good there. Once back at camp we grabbed a snack then headed to the meadow on the North Side of the lake. Fishing was hot here! I used multiple bugs and landed a few good fish. Even tossed a grasshopper on and landed one on that silly thing in my fly box. Eventually I made my way back to camp to pull up a chair on the porch and just soak in more of this amazing view we had.
Evening settled in and everyone was back in camp very entertained by a certain soup that was not so good Devin was torturing himself with. Devin made a Day 2 rally both on a spin rod and fly fishing. That was cool to watch. Brandon was the winner on the trip I think he landed 10. I came in with 7 total for not spending a ton of time out tossing a line. I would have probably had a dozen had I not missed some on the strike, and others that were on but got off. But a good time fishing none the less. Everyone sat in for their dinners and got a fire going. I got things ready as we had clear skies and if you know me, you know what that means! Everyone but me headed for their tents. I sat out and let a star trail run, and also a still Milky Way and a Time Lapse of the Milky Way as a bonus! I eventually coaled out the fire and headed for my tent. An amazing night in the Uintas under the stars!
Day three we all woke up, sat on the porch one more time for our morning beverages. Then the breakdown to pack up to head out began. I think they were about maybe five minutes ahead of me packed, but I did fill up to put out our fire. We threw on the packs and headed on home. The weather was perfect. I moved a bit slower than these guys up the steep shots, but I was never far behind. I know I am not a spring chicken anymore so I pace myself on long walks up the steeps to conserve energy. It was a really nice hike out and I think everyone was happy to have gotten out in a beautful area. Finally made it to the trailhead where Devin offered up a Dr. Pepper. I haven't had a soda in like two years. But that was a awesome thing to have after a 4.5 mile hike. Thanks to Devin, Brandon, and Chris for the invite and great company. You guys are awesome! Enjoy the pics and timelapse from the trip. More Adventures to come!
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