I took a week off to catch up on things at home. We got some storms, a lot of rain, and that played in my favor for this trip. I left early on Friday and made the drive to the trailhead. I was shocked to see it so empty. The lot was less than half full, and there was no one around. I put on the boots and pack and made my way in. I made my way up the switchbacks and then the long jaunt to the pass. I stopped at the pass for a snack and some water then headed into the basin. The descent was nice and cool and the views were very nice. You could really tell there had been a lot of rain recently, these were the wettest trails I have seen all summer.
I made good time into my spot and found camp. I set up camp and got my water, and bear hang situated. Then I put together my fly rod and went out to fish. I got one bite but nothing landed. I went back to camp for some lunch, and did some more work on the place. By that time Jim had shown up and he set up while I changed into the evening layers. We both decided to fish till dark and got after it. Monsters in there! I got into one on my second cast which was a hugh Brookie! I landed fish after fish and was having the time of my life! Finally it got to dark to see so we moved it back to camp for dinner and a good night by the fire. I shot the Milky Way, then I put out my camera for a star trail. We had a great but chilly night by the fire catching up on life and everything!
I awoke to clear skies and had coffee and breakfast. Jim was only in for an overnighter, so he wanted to have breakfast and then go fishing before he had to pack it up to head out. We got out there and he had luck right off the bat. I struggled for the first bit then I hooked into the biggest fish of the trip, a 15" 2+ lb Cutthroat Trout that fought me like mad! After a great session fishing, I walked out with Jim and we hit a few other spots before parting ways. I headed back up to camp, and decided after having lunch to head back out to fish. I hooked into the largest Brookie of the trip, he fought me so hard my arm was sore after getting him in to release him. I went back to camp to settle in for the evening.
Evening set in and I got dinner and my fire going. I had the Mountain House Yellow Curry and it was really good! Night came in and I decided to shoot a Milky Way time lapse this time and just enjoy my last night in this beautiful place. The stars were amazing and it was so nice to be by a camp fire once more. Eventually I gathered up my camera and turned in for some much needed sleep.
Sunday morning came and I was up at 7 AM, and decided to pack as I made coffee and had breakfast. I was ready on trail at 8:30 AM. I wanted to make the pass before it got too hot. The hike out was perfect temps and quite empty which is not usual for this place. I was not complaining. At the pass I decided to just push the last 2.5 miles to the Jeep as I had a ice cold Gatorade waiting for me in the cooler. three days, two nights of great fishing, friendship, and the night sky delivered! A great trip I will soon not forget. We are now moving into September. There is a short time left for backpacking before the snow flies. Enjoy the post and images! Click on my YouTube video below for a live video of this trip! Like and subscribe! More adventures to come!
After a big trip into Henry's Fork in the Uintas, I found myself still wanting to get out for an overnight trip. The Wasatch has a few places that I have not stayed the night at so I figured I would just visit one of my favorite places. I packed up the Jeep and headed up the canyon to the Brighton lot. I put on the boots and the pack and heaaded up. The Wasatch in most places is much steeper than the Uintas because of its geology and terrain, and it is always a good reminder when you hit one of these trails with a full pack on. After junctioning with the Lake Mary Trail, the temps were a bit cooler. It was a bit busy in this section but nothing too bad. I made it up to Lake Mary in pretty good time and took a pano and moved on. The trail up to Lake Martha was pretty empty and had some great temps. The top of the Swithcback, which gives you a birds eye view of Clayton Peak and Peak 10,420 was awesome to take in the view. One final push throught the trees in a well sheltered trail up to Lake Catherine.
I arrived to a somewhat busy Lake Catherine. But they were all day hikers which I expected. I looked around and found a spot on the south east side. There was really only one place to put up my Lunar Solo which was flat so that solved that problem pretty fast. After getting camp set I decided to go fishing and do some time lapse filming.
I headed down lake side and there were three other people around the lake who were fly fishing as well. On my first cast I had a 12" Brookie on and that was a great start to a good couple of hours of fishing that pulled in about 10. During this time I was filming a time lapse of what I thought would be a cool storm cloud which actually turned out to be the start of the Parleys Canyon Fire. Right Place Right Time? After about 2 hours the fishing slowed down and I was ready to head back to camp for some dinner. After a good meal and desert, I headed back down for some sunset fishing and that was red hout landing me the biggest Brookie I have ever landed at Lake Catherine! What a fish that was! Light started to get thin so I headed back to camp for the night layers and to get my camera ready.
It took a lot longer to get dark than I thought it would this time of the year. Once it did I made my way out lake side and I set up a star trail and headed back to camp and settled in under the stars. It was so nice and a crystal clean night. I unfortunately did not see any Persids Meteors this time. I was hoping but I think I was just out of line of sight. It was really warm all night. It was quiet and stars shown bright for sure. After a couple of hours it was time to grab the camera and turn in.
I must have slept really well, just after midnight I turned in, and when I turned on my phone it said it was 7:15 AM. I got up, started some water for coffee, and began to break down my camp. I ate breakfast, packed some more, than parked it on a log after everything was packed ad just drank my coffee watching two deer feed down at the lake. After the coffee was done, it was time to hit the road. I had a great hike out, though a bit of the fire smoke from the west coast fires was back so it did make it a little hazy. Just over an hour I was back at the Jeep and headed home. A great overnight trip in my home range that was so much fun! The Wasatch is a gem! It was a great weekend! Enjoy the pics and videos. Check out my YouTube Edit from this trip. Subcribe and Like! More Adventures To Come!
This is a trail I have probably avoided because of the tales you hear of the crowds that go to this area. It was my birthday weekend and I wanted to see a new place. My buddy Travis went here last year and he had a really great time. Most people visit this area because they want to climb Kings Peak. But there is more than close access to Gunsight Pass. I arrived in the afternoon at the trailhead. I drove around to see if I could find a secluded spot but alas all of them were taken. There is a camp ground so I settled on one of those spots for the night. I went to ask the Rangers a couple of questions and it just started coming down. It rained for a good 40 minutes. With how dry Utah has been, it was a welcome sight. I put up my tent, then went to check out the river. I tried my Tenkara rod, but alas nothing. Still cool to see the water flowing and the Fireweed that lines the shore. I went back to camp, settled in for a couple of beverages then turned in early because I knew I had a long day ahead.
I woke at 6:30, broke camp and moved my car to the parking for hikers. I changed clothes, had breakfast and coffee, and then hit the trail. Some folks I know were also going in for a summit attempt and they were at the trailhead as well and I said hello briefly then made my way in. The trail really is easy going. It follows the river and has many meadows you pass on your way in. Not a lot of steep just a long walk. At 5.9 miles I made it to the Elkhorn Crossing. Its a log bridge that is sketchy at best, so becareful if you cross this bridge. After crossing I dropped my pack and had lunch. This also was where you go to Gilbert Lake if you head north on this side. That is the West Fork of the Beaver and Gilbert Peak is also over there. After about thirty minutes, I threw back on the pack and continued on. At this point the winds were really howling! It was like walking into a wind wall all the way up to the last mile of meadows. This continues to give you better views with each step as you cross this expanse of an area. Not really any cover in here so its best to move through this if there were a storm in the area. Right before the last section I ran into my friend Amy and her fiance Carson. They had just trail ran Kings Peak in a day! So awesome!
I arrived to the turnoff for Dollar Lake. I had some friends coming in and I was quite a bit ahead of them since I knocked off the 8 miles in four hours on the button. I hiked into the lake, then found a spot to hunker down because the wind was getting crazy strong and blowing in fire smoke. Eventually found a camp and everyone else trickled in from the trail. I tried to shoot the Milky Way after dark, but the smoke gave it an odd appearance, but with the headlamps coming in from Kings Peak, it made a cool effect. I turned in for a good nights sleep.
Day 3 brought some less smoky skies and I was itching to get out and explore this basin. Everyone else went to summit Kings Peak, I met up with my friend Jim and we went to explore and do some fly fishing. We first made our way to the sheep herders cabin, then down to the north side of Henrys Fork Lake. We then made a turn south to try to get to a waterfall, which found us bush whacking 8 foot tall willows that were thick to move through. It was rough going but we eventually found our way through. THe reward for that madness was a amazing waterfall! We took it in for a bit then decided to move up to the first lake on our loop of the basin. THe cross country walk was cool and the views were amazing! We finally found Lake Blanchard and we dropped our day packs and tossed a line. I got a small one first, but each fish seemed to be bigger. At one point it was almost every cast. Jim was getting into them as well. I moved a bit east to where I could see a massive hole in the lake and tossed a Parachute out there and fish on! These were a bit bigger and had a lot more fight. This is exactly what I wanted to do this day!
I have always wanted to come here to see Cliff Lake. It sits at 11,400 feet making one of the highest alpine lakes in Utah. Its a gorgeous area on the way up and there are a couple of tarns and a small water fall before you arrive at Cliff Lake. We got the rods out and started fishing. I got a couple of hits right off the bat just nothing on the end of the line when I set it. Jim was having the same luck. I moved east on the lake and right before we were going to hike out I got hit and had one on. So at least I did not get skunked. It was a 11" Tiger Trout. It seemed to me like a planter so I am guessing these guys were recently stocked. We decided to try to stay on a ridge to get back to the meadow which puts us on a trail to get back to camp. As we rounded a corner I stop Jim and say "Big Moose!" There were two Bull Moose in the meadow above us. They did not seem thrilled to see us so I took a couple of shots and a video and I moved on as to not disturb them. We eventually got back to our camps and I said goodbye to Jim and headed back to my camp. We did a 8 mile loop and visited two amazing alpine lakes and had a blast fishing! we even saw a Albino Marmot on the trail back. Night settled in and I shot the Milky Way. This time I got it! I found a nice spot which gave me the exact angle I wanted for this shot! After getting the shot I headed back to camp and climbed into my sleeping bag for some much needed sleep.
Morning came and I got up and pretty much packed it up and was on trail at 7:30 AM. I wanted to beat the heat and get a head start on getting back to the Jeep. I knocked out the 8 miles back to the Jeep in exactly three hours. It was a great trip in a new area. I will return here because there are a few secrets left in there for me to visit! Enjoy the pics and you can watch the whole adventure on my YouTube Channel! More adventures to come......
