Cuberant Basin, Uinta Mountains- September 2020

PLEASE READ: I am going to preface this blog post with some background information about my visits to this place over the last 11 years. I have had some strange encounters, expereinces, and have seen some things in here over the last decade that I cannot explain. I am not a paranormal guy nor am I a bigfooter. I am a backpacker and photographer who is trying to understand just what I have seen in this basin over the last ten years I have backpacked into this place. So what I am about to share, I ask you to please keep an open mind. I am not writting this to argue with anyone nor am I trying to change any minds. I am simply sharing my trip and some historical context here.

After an amazing Labor Day weekend over in the Lakes Country Area, It was time for me to make my annual trip into Cuberant Basin. As many of you who know me, this place has a strange history for me, and with this basin's history of Bigfoot sightings, missing persons cases, plus my own experiences, this place has haunted me for the last decade in the back of my mind. But this year there is something different, I have a bonafide Bigfoot Researcher coming in to invesetigate this basin! I am pretty much a tour guide this time out. My friend Todd headed in earlier in the day and got the camp we wanted. I was not able to depart till noon so I did not get to the trailhead till afternoon. I put on the pack and boots and headed on in. The crowds of just a few weeks ago have thinned out and I had the trail all to myself.

I made my way down to Reids Meadow. Fall is sure here all the grasses are yellow and the ground cover is turning red. I then pushed on up to the Kamas Lake Cuberant Lake Junction. They put in a new sign this year that is metal and really nice. From the junction I made my way towards the pass. Its a short but steep climb, and it is always fun. At the river crossing it looks like the trail crews put in a new log bridge which makes that section a lot faster to move through. Up a few section and then the final steep push up to the pass. I stopped to film and shoot some images, then I pushed into the woods. I then came to the other side of the pass and got my first view in the basin this year. A short climb down and then I made my way to camp. There were a lot of dead falls from our previous weeks wind event to navigate which altered the trail a slight bit to get in there. After making it around and over all the deadfalls I was able to move on to the final section to get to camp.

I arrived at our camp and Todd was out fishing on the shore. I dropped the pack and we had our greetings. Todd is a Level 2 Tracker and a official BRFO investigator. He put some light sewing string in a perimeter around our camp about 7' up so if anything came through camp that was bigger than a human we would know which way it went. It would also tell us which way it came from. I was really happy someone who is into all this stuff was here to check this place out. After getting camp set for the weekend I joined Todd down at the lake for some fishing. After a few casts I had one on. Small but fast action brookies! I fished for a while and landed a few more as the alpenglow set into the basin. It was really good to be in the mountains again and we had this place to ourselves. Dusk was setting in so we moved back up to camp to have dinner and settle in for the night. We had just finished dinner when both of us heard what sounded like someone talking coming from the outlet. We knew no one was in there and it got Todds attention for sure. Kind of creeped me out to be honest. As it got pitch I set out my camera for a star trail and Todd did some howls and some whoop calls. About 30 minutes after his whoop call we had a return call come from the ridge above our lake. It was so quiet at our lake you could hear a pin drop. So the whoop sound we heard really stood out. Todd then did some wood knocks but we did not get a response. We spent the rest of the evening going over the next days plan and catching up on things. Eventually I gathered up my camera and headed for my sleeping bag for some much needed rest.

Morning came and we both slept in a bit because the temps overnight were some of the coldest I have had since early June out there. Eventually I could not lay in my bag anymore so it was time to get up and make coffee and breakfast. Todd went fishing and I enjoyed my coffee. After breakfast we put it together for a loop hike of the basin so Todd could see all the places I have had strange things go down in previous years. Our first stop was the Spooky Pond! We made the off trail hike up there, and had to climb over and through deadfalls and boulders to make our way over to it. In 2009, my first time in here with three other friends, we visited this pond. It was dead quiet when we got there, and while we were checking for fish one of our friends noticed a intact, uneaten deer leg like it had been literally ripped off a deer. We all thought this was a little strange. As we moved on since we saw no fish sign, we rounded this pond and there was huge bush sized hairball at the shoreline. All three of us got a weird feeling and we moved on. Todd looked around as I was really shocked to see how low the water is. The lilly pads were still there but no deer legs or hairballs this time. We then moved on to the next pond. It is a short but steep climb off trail to get there. As we came out of the trees to the pond I noticed a large assortment of tracks in the mud that was semi dry because the water level was so low. We have had very little in the realm of rain out there this year and everwhere the water is lower than normal. As we begin to look at these tracks we are seeing what look like toes in them. As we look further its not just a couple of tracks, this is a trackway that circles half of this pond and exits the way we came in.

Todd started to really look at every track and I started photographing them. Each one seemed to have some new detail that really made them stand out from any other tracks I have seen in the Uintas. First, the depth of the tracks indicated something very heavy made them. There was a wetter section right next to one of the tracks and I really planted my foot to try to see if I could sink as deep as these tracks and I did not even come close. We noticed they straddled and the gait between tracks was in the 40 inch range. The tracks were 11-13 inches in length and there were at least half a football field in length for this trackway. I have to be honest, I have only heard and seen things in here that were just not normal for a wilderness experience, but to actually see tracks like this that do not match any other tracks I have seen in the Uintas had me stunned. Todd was like a kid on Christmas encircling the entire lake examining every inch of the area. A wow moment for sure, and keeping up the yearly tradition of strange things being seen, heard, or found in this place.

After quite a while in this place we moved on to the next lake so Todd could see more of this basin. We fished at the next lake and Todd landed a very nice Cutthroat Trout! We moved down the Cuberant trail to Lake #1 and gave fishing a go, but alas, nothing was biting. We moved down to #2 lake and I put in at my favorite spot and they start hitting my fly right off first cast. I landed a couple of Cutthroats then I got a pretty nice one that was at least 12 inches. Todd had moved down to our camp and I made my way down there to see how things were. My tent was in the shade and I decided to take a cat nap and let evening settle in. After a good hour snoozer I got up and made dinner. I then headed out for some more evening fishing at our lake. Once again fast action pan fryer brookies were really a lot of fun! We settled in for our final night. Todd had to leave early in the morning so he went to bed and I stayed up to shoot another star trail. While the camera was running I heard a wood knock and a whistle. It for sure caught my attention with how quiet it was in there. Nothing exciting happened after that. I finished up my long exposures and then turned in.

Morning came and it was a bit warmer than the previous day. Todd packed it up and headed out. I got up and put my pack together then hung out and had a snack before heading out. I put the pack on at 8:30 am and hit the trail to head home. The hike out was cool, perfect temps in my opinion. I made good time up the first side of the pass. Once I hit the other side, I could see that the fire smoke had setteled in the range. No more blue skies. I descended the pass and made my way out on a very empty trail to the Jeep. Another great weekend with a bonus find of some very interesting tracks in a place that has had more mystery for me than any other wild area I have been on the North American continent. Fall has set in the range, and the nights grow long and the temps are cooler. I am hoping for one more before winter is here but we shall have to see what the weather gives me. Enjoy the pics and time lapse! Fall colors are starting to pop on the Mirror Lake Highway so the big color show is just around the corner. Soon this party will turn from dirt dances to snow dances. Hoping for one more before winter sets in. Thanks for stopping by! More adventures to come!