I had another two day weekend at my disposal and I figured it was time to head into the High Uintas Wilderness. I made a early morning departure for the Highline Trail. I arrived to several spots available and I put the Jeep in park and got ready. On the pack went and down the trail I made my way. I was at the Wilderness Boundary in about 25 minutes. There were a horde of people on the way out that I passed on my way in. I hit the burn scar from the Murdock Fire in 2018 and continued on in this now green section with burnt trees marking the area. I pushed on and finally made it to my turn off after about 3 miles.
Down to the next lake, then a short but steep push over the divide which drops you at the next lake. Then after a 1/4 mile I found myself at camp! I love this place! It has a great view and is such an epic place to spend some time. I got camp set up and then decided fishing was in order. It started out slow and I honestly thought I was going to have repeat luck from the previous weekend and then I put on an ant and it was showtime! I landed a few and missed a whole bunch more! It was nice to be catching fish again!
After hours on the water fly fishing I decided to head back to camp and shoot a time lapse from the porch and settle in for the evening. The clouds were amazing to watch! Evening set in and started playing with the clouds. The colors were amazing! I statyed out with my camera till the very last light, then I put on the night gear and started teh wait for dark to shoot the stars!
Night fell and with it came the chilly air. We are still in frie restrictions so I just put out my camera for some photography as I sat in my chair and enjoyed the stars! After about 2 hours I went to bed. About 1 AM I was awoken by Coyotes howling near my camp. I listened to them for a bit then went back to sleep.
Morning came and I got up, made breakfast, had coffee, and then packed it up. I was on trail by 8:30 AM and made my way reverse the route I came. It was a nice walk and I did not see another human till Scudder Lake. 9 miles in two days, great camp, fishing was so much fun, and the night sky did not dissapoint! Enjoy the pics and time lapses. Full video up on my YouTube Channel. Remember to like and subscribe! More adventures to come......
I had the opportunity to get out for an overnight trip and I took full advantage of it. Got up early, made the drive to the Uintas, and arrived at the trailhead to a mostly empty trailhead lot. I put on the pack and had a empty trail up to the first lake. There were a couple of people but the least crowded than I have seen in the past. Up over the divide to the next lake then down to the next. From here to my spot wasa off trail, and a fun adventure.
After hoping over deadfalls and navigating off trail, I found myself standing at the lake I was shooting for. I headed in and found the camp I wanted. I got shop set up and then I went fishing. The wind was pretty bad so after about an hour, I moved downstream to a river system and meadow that I was hoping had a surprise. Alas the 30 min excursion produced nothing but I did see a 6" fish in there so I think its a spawner pond. Back up to my lake where the gail force winds were now blowing. I sat in for some lunch then tried another angle on the lake that had a bit less wind, but was still tricky to cast in. I gave this a shot for a bit, but returned to camp empty handed as the winds were just not in my favor.
Evening set it and I gave fishing one more shot as the winds had calmed and it was my last shot before dark. I had a rise next to my fly, but other than that nothing. I did manage to catch a nice shot of the moonrise and the alpeglow on Lofty Peak before retiring to camp for the night.
Night fall came and I put out my D810 for a star trail. On a normal year I would be just sitting by the fire waiting for the camera to finish but there are Stage 1 fire restrictions in place so the whole range you cannot build a fire. So I just got the Luci lamps set up and cracked a cold one and sat and watched the stars shine as my camera did its job. Finally I was ready for bed so I gathred up my camera after shooting for nearly two hours and hit the sleeping bag.
Morning came and I got up and tried fishing again, but only to have the same result. I returned to camp to have coffee and then decided to pack it up and head to the lake above mine to see how the fish activity was on the way out. The hike was pretty with a series of creeks and small falls and a gorgeous meadow on the way up. I arrived at the lake and they were indeed jumping. I fished and got two on but both wiggled off before I got them in. It was a tough fishing trip. I threw the pack on and made my way out. The first human I saw was almost near the trailhead. I peaceful trip for the solstice, tough on the fishing but big on the hiking. Enjoy the images, and YouTube video, like and subscribe if you like! More adventures to come!
The heat is on! With a drastic increase in temperatures the Uintas experienced a huge melt off in two weeks time, so it was time to see how things were out there. I was joined by Dustin and his friend McKell. We made a early departure from the trailhead. The ground in the shadows was muddy as we made our way up the trail. As we passed the lakes the sights were wonderful and it was quiet out there. We eventually crested out on the top of the divide and the views really opened up.
We made our way across the divide enjoying the flowers, the peace and quiet, and some really wonderful reflections of Mt Watson in the Divides. We eventually made our way down to our camp for the night.
We eventually made it to our home for the night. After getting camp built, we put together the fishing gear and got after it. McKell struck first on the spinner rod and landed several huge brookies. Me and Dustin fished our asses off and just not a thing on the fly rods. I don't think I have ever dug so deep into the fly box to only be skunked. Evening set in and we made dinner. Dustin and McKell turned in early and I stayed up to shoot the Milky Way. Then I turned in for some good sleep.
Morning came and I made coffee and breakfast then tried my hand at some more fishing. Dustin and McKell got up and eventually made their way down after coffee and breakfast to try some fishing. I think all three of us by 10:30 AM were over it. We made the decision to move to another lake. We made a quick pack and then moved through the off trail up to the divide. Then we traveresed the Divide to our home for the second night. We arrived at another lake with no people which was awesome. I have stayed here previously but this was Dustin and McKell's first time here. We all set up camp and heaaded straight for the lake to fish. I had one on with my third cast. We fished for hours. I made my way up to the porch for lunch, then back down to fish for the evening.
Evening set in and we were treated to an amazing sunset that seemed to linger forever! Night settled in and Dusitn and McKell turned in early and I stayed up to shoot some astrophotography. I shot my very first Milky Way Pano in the Uintas. I was also able to get a star trail and still get to bed by 12:30 AM! I turned in and fell into a deep sleep.
I awoke at 6:30 and got into my coffee. The morning light was awesome to see and I enjoyed myself for sure. Dustin and McKell rose and they had their coffee as well. We decided to do the rest of the loop that connected our travels in to have a different experience on the way out. Lots of really awesome things to see and the temps were about perfect. Another great adventure in the Uintas. Summer is here and its time to get after it. Make sure you watch the YouTube edit from my channel and subcribe and like! More adventures to come!
