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Show Backpacking into the High Uintas The time for backpacking into tbe Uintas is here. One of the most memorable expeditions ex-peditions I even made, one anyone can do with a modicum of energy plus a few days time, is from Spirit Lake on the north slope to U-Bar Ranch on the Uinta River. It was simple: my wife, Judene, dropped me off at Spirit Lake, and my buddy Gary Webster made arrangements for his wife to pick us up 5'i days later on the other side. It needn't have taken that long but, we spent two days camped between tbe Kidney Lakes, exploring with fishing -rods into the Verlie, Rainbow, Weeping Ledge Lake country. We started out of the Sheep Creek drainage into Burnt Fork region with highest expectations. And we were not disappointed. Cutthroat trout struck with abandon any fly skittered in front of them, with pound or better b rookies out of Fish Lake. Not far from Island Lake we suddenly realized we were being visited by a monster. Not bigfoot, but a brute of a bull moose. The fact we continued to check lay of the land to determine best routes didn't bother him at all. CaniD at Island Lake brought more foot-long cutts seemingly eager to commit suicide. A meal of dehydrated pork chops, hot chocolate, and freeze-dried freeze-dried strawberries was graced with fresh fish. We needed the energy. Next . morning was the most challengine haul of the trip, up over the pass alongside Divide Lake into the bead of the Uinta River's Shale Creek. Westward we could see Kings Peak and Painter Basin below it, eastward the little saddle leading into West Fork of Whiterocks. At least that was the way we figured it there in the high winds preceding a hail storm. We skipped Fox and Crescent Lakes, although we could see fish rising in the latter, to fish Dime and other lakes closer to the Kidney Lakes traiL We played it safe, avoiding short cuts in new territory, arriving via the resplendent, emerald meadow below Davis Lakes. We caught plenty of black -bodied brook trout in the little stream feeding East Kidney. It had rained and hailed, but constructing a fire from deadwood beneath lightning-fractured lightning-fractured lodgepoles was not particularly par-ticularly difficlut. Next morning we drew a blank at two lakes: Lilly and Verlie. I also looked in vain for the reputed giant trout of Rainbow Lake. I did manage to draw a 15-inch brook out of Rainbow, but best fly fishing was in the treeless tundra above that water. Lakes without name held both cutts and brooks of about 12-14 12-14 inches willing to hit once at almost any dry fly. However, if you missed them, they became quickly sullen and wary. - Since it was now about noon, frequently feed time on high lakes where sunlight provides better visibility at mid-day, as well as stirring wind currents wafting insects about, we returned to Verlie. This time the fat brook trout, averaging about 1'4 lbs. which we had seen earlier, cooperated much more eagerly. For one 15-minute period I believe they would have stopped anything which moved -so long as they could fit their jaws around it. When the fish were in more marginal moods, I found they could be persuaded with a nymph I have found to work everywhere in the Uintas: Siberian wood-ant. It is tied sparsely, with double-jointed yellow body and brown hackle. As usual with most of my favorite fly patterns, it was wingless. Another favorite is the in-shell-emerging caddis imitation, black back and golden body. If you didn't want to fool around with flies, well, they were willing to meet a Mepps spinner halfway. On the next-to-last day we headed reluctantly downhill. We had discovered many things about the upper Uinta drainage. Weeping Ledge Lake, as it is named on some maps, didn't have much snow left to shed a tear this time around. But , other waters were more than we expected. There was a lake directly above Rainbow which featured two cutthroats of at least two pounds apiece in the inlet. And they wouldn't hit anything, albeit possibly a trifle spooked in the shallow water as we approached. Some of our fastest fishing was along the upper Uinta River on the way out. After picking out way through the narrow, steep, Shale Dugway, we fished the roaring river wherever steep ledges would let us down. I encountered one special brook trout in there which eluded me, but I'll be back for him. Most of them were beautifully-spotted stream cutts of about a foot long. The Adams and black barberpole, along with ginger quill, were top flies here. We arrived on schedule. 2 p.m. on the sixth day. We estimated the distance, with exploration into the corner above Rainbow, at least 50 miles. It had been the perfect backpack. We did, however, conclude after weighing out packs on the U-Bar scales that we could have gone lighter. Mine went 55 lbs., Gary's 57. at the finish. One thing we were most happy we'd taken was a full but smaller version of everything) first aid kit. Band aids are mandatory for such a trip, but foot powder is no less a must, along with chapstick, et al. Much of our dehydrated foot remained, but we had supplemented much of our diet with fish along the way, we made sure we had plenty of food in case of a delay getting over the backbone, from Summit to Uintah County, from Wasatch forest to Ashley. As it was. we had no difficulty. But, we checked the map most carefully at each rest stop! The one thing which can put a dent in such a trip is to find a 1,000-foot "surprise" ridge looming overhead. Since trails also criss-cross, you have to study them meticuously to make certain you are heading where you'd really like to go. Preparation is the key. You find out the hard way if you made any mistakes. It could happen at 11.000 feet in a blizzard. You have to be tougher in your discipline, of course, when returning a different route out than in. especially with a pickup point which lies across new terrain. As for maps to help accomplish ac-complish this, there is only one type which will do: the U.S. Geological Survey type with contour lines accurately ac-curately displayed. Cost is $1.25 each. Plan it right, and there is no greater satisfaction in all of the outdoors. |
