We awoke to a beautiful sunrise at Ouray Lake. We had such a nice day in here the previous day, it was hard to pack up and leave such a beautiful place! We eventually after breakfast put it together and started the climb out of Rock Creek to Rocky Sea Pass. This section was hard to follow because you are navigating a burnt forest where the fire and deadfalls have destroyed the trail in sections. This was by far the hardest section to navigate and make sure you are following your GPS or compass and map. We approached Black Lake and then reached Brinkley Lake which had a wonderful reflection! The hike despite the partially burnt forest was beautiful and peaceful!
we climbed the final steep section to get to the base of Rocky Sea Pass! This is the last pass of the Uinta Highline Trail! We made haste as the clouds grew to get to the top of the pass as quickly as possible. Once we got to the top we all had cell reception in this one spot just like Anderson Pass! I called my wife and mom to let them know we were coming home the very next day! It was all smiles as I knew I would finish sometime the next day! After talking to our families, we moved down the trail to Carolyn Lake for our final night on the Highline Trail!
We quickly set up shop at Carolyn Lake and as soon as my shelter was up it started raining. I got things settled in the Lunar Solo, threw on the rain gear and got my water situation settled. I crawled into the tent and only meant to lay down for 20 minutes, but ended up taking a two hour nap. The sound of the rain on the tent put me to sleep! I awoke to the rain having subsided and I put on my gear and headed out to fish the small but fast action Graylings Carolyn has to offer! I caught so many I lost count because it was fish on with just about every cast. I caught pan fryer trout that was not a grayling and I am going to have to ask the DWR if they stocked trout in Carolyn. Dusk came and we gathered a lot of firewood and we sat by the fire for about an hour then the rain came back in. This time it was a thunderstorm and I retired to the tent for the night watching a TGR movie while the thunder and lightning danced around us.
Day 8 came in cold and wet from all the rain the night before! We all had coffee and kind of stayed in the sleeping bags till it warmed up enough outside. We packed up camp and hit the trail! This was the final leg our our journey and what an adventure it has been! We had a nice walk in the cool temps. We crossed both rivers and passed Naturalist Turnoff, and passed the Packard turn off. Just past this point the rain came back in. In typical fashion, the Uintas was going to send us off nice and soggy! Out came the rain gear and we pushed to finish! I was soaking wet when I got to the Wilderness boundary marking the last mile of the Uinta Highline Trail! It was glorious to walk into the Haypen Pass TH lot and complete the Uinta Highline Trail! We all got situated as we were expecting my wife at any moment! She pulled in and had hot pizza and cold beers for us! What a treat I love my wife! What an amazing aventure with Jim and his son Michael! 8 days, 7 nights, 7 mountain passes, 71 miles, 13,000 feet of vert! Uinta Highline Trail complete! I hope you have enjoyed these blog entries for my Uinta Highline Trail adventure! Please check out the YouTube video below for this Episode! Please like and subscribe! More adventure to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment