Trekking the High Uintas Wilderness: Circumnavigation of the Rock Creek Shelf

This was a welcome read on an insomniac night. Thank you sharing this adventure.

Enjoyable read. The Uintas are now on my list.

Surprisingly scenic country as I'm used to southern Utah and didn't figure the mountains of northern UT warranted much exploration. Thanks for the article.

Good read, thanks for the article.

A fantastic trip, and an excellent report. Thanks, Ryan.

About that 45 pound pack, though, even with all the cuben fiber stuff . . .

Great stuff, Ryan. And those fish are really something!

For a replacement groundcloth, just cut your own from a window/door film kit. Get just the right size that way.

Looks like a great trek! Reconnaissance Lake is one of my favorite stops in the range. The Uintas are such an under-appreciated gem. While the northern approaches (East and West Blacks Fork, Henry's Fork and East fork, ect) are more "dramatic", I've always loved the construction of the southern approaches. They feel like endless waves of stone. Glad you got out when you did as it dumped 8 inches of snow in spots there a few days back!

Is a HMG pack made of "Full Spectra fabric" something that can be special ordered from HMG? Is the advantage greater abrasion resistance than the hybrid cuben?
What is the weight trade-off?
thanks.

Ryan —

Perhaps an alternative for the Gossamer Gear Polycro ground cloth isn't needed since Gossamer Gear still lists the Polycro ground cloth as available in stock, both the single large version and the two-pack medium version —

http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelter-accessories/polycryo-ground-cloth-large.html

http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelter-accessories/polycryo-ground-cloth-medium.html

OK, so is this the same thing?

Link: Patio Storm Door Kit – is this polycro?

I like polycro for its weight and feel, so would rather not deviate from that. I see that they have it listed again on their site, but looking for a backup when they're out of stock.

—

Also thanks to everyone for the kind comments on the article. It was a really enjoyable trip, and a pleasure to write about it and share it with you.

Its the exact same stuff as the window shrink film sold at Lowe's/Home Depo/etc. And it comes in the larger sizes at the hardware stores. And its cheaper. And they store them there for you until you need one.

Sounds like it was a great trek! I am surprised there isn't more chatter about the Uintas on BPL. I would think hiking the Highline Trail would appeal to many here. I enjoyed my long trip to the Uintas last year, through the Naturalist Basin, Four Lakes Basin, and Grandaddy Basin. My friend and I didn't see any fish at Dean Lake, but we hit the jackpot on Graylings at one off-trail lake.

Given your experience, I would love to see a BPL article about cooking fish. Such topics could be:

Methods overview (frying, smoking, etc)
Lightest method (ex: mine is sea salt on the skin, cook on stick over fire)
Simplest/least cleanup required method
Techniques for cooking trout during fire ban or above treeline
Preparing a fish: I only know of two ways to gut a fish, but maybe there are more

Enjoyable TR Ryan. Between your report and the one Pmags shared last year of the Uinta Highline Trail, this area is on my bucket list now.

I'm not sure when but the full Spectra HMG packs will be made available to the public. My 4400 in size L weighs 40 oz.

@jrscruggs my starting pack weight with 9 days of food was 37# – 16# of food, 4# of photo and sat comm gear, a 2# FAK/repair kit (shared group gear), 2# water, 1# fishing gear (some shared), 1# fuel… It ballooned a bit on the Explorer Peak ridge crossing to 45# because I took a food bag from a one of my partners who was nervous about negotiating the descent with a heavy pack.

Ryan,

Although I have been a BPL member for a couple years or so, this is my first post on the site. I have enjoyed and benefitted from the great content you and your colleagues have provided, as well as from the advice and tips generously offered by the BPL community on the forum. Your article on your trek in the amazing High Uintas Wilderness was fantastic.

One of the many reasons that I have savored your Uintas article is that I was in this wilderness August 7 – 13 hiking the Highline Trail; it looks like I finished my hike the same day you started yours. I did the 62-mile version of the Highline Trail (although I did a couple of side trips that pushed the mileage a little above that). This was my first backpacking trip where I went more than 30 miles (which is no big deal for many BPL members but pretty good for me). What a marvelous experience! I struggle to find the words to describe the wonder and awe I felt while traversing this beautiful, majestic, remote wilderness.

This is a picture of my campsite near the base of Anderson Pass, with my HMG flat tarp pitched low in anticipation of storms and high winds during the night. The storms did not come, but the high winds did (and I was glad that I followed your advice on using plenty of stakes). This picture was taken looking toward the southeast (with Kings Peak and Anderson Pass looming to the right, although not shown in the picture).

I went up and over seven mountain passes on my Highline Trail hike, including two of the passes you crossed, Red Knob and Dead Horse. I am glad to know that I am not the only one to find them somewhat intimidating. The views were stunning, but the height combined with the steepness of the trail gave me some pause. For me, the worst—and the best—was Porcupine Pass. Below is a picture I took from the top of the pass, although it does not do justice to the breathtaking views or to the nerve-rackingly steep descent (on a trail that—at least for me—seemed pretty sketchy at times).

I wish our paths had crossed in the Uintas so that I could have thanked you in person. Many of the things that made my Highline Trail hike doable and enjoyable I learned from you, the other BPL contributors, and BPL members. I am very grateful to you all.

Peter

"Under my tarp, I repaired Dan’s Thermarest pad … [with] Loon UV Wader Repair to seal the tear."

Here is an eyelet that failed 15 miles into a 7 day trip –

I did the work in the dark shade of a boulder, working the cement deep into all layers of the fabric around and including the eyelet. (And capped the tube there.) I stepped into the sunlight and it was set in about 30 seconds. It will outlast the shoe.

$9 at your local fly fishing store.

Peter – I occasionally run into BPL'ers in the wilds, and it's always been a really positive experience. I would have loved to have met you in the Uintas! Porcupine is an outrageous view. You captured its vastness so well with your pic! It is indeed a sketchy trail!

I'm glad you enjoyed your trek. Love that place! – RJ

Ryan, what length is your tenkara line, and how much tippet are you adding? Are you casting really far out to reach these fish or wading out there to reach them?