Uinta Highline Trail Entry #1: Life Update and Prelude to the Hike

After getting humbled by the Pacific Northwest Trail, I returned to my new home of Utah and began the transition into getting the pieces of the next phase of my life in place. I searched for, and found, a quality fellowship of young people in recovery, and quickly began to build up my new network. While not as large as the population in the DC area, there is a contingent of young adults in the rooms in northern Utah, mostly in Salt Lake City. So I began making the 30-40 minute trip down I-15 multiple times a week- a very worthwhile investment of my time.

I searched all over the Ogden area for an ideal apartment. After a few days of looking, I found a room with a private bath in a shared basement in the neighborhood of Uintah on the sourthern edge of Ogden. The apartment is right at the foothill of an 8,000+ foot ridge. It’s beautiful, and close to numerous gorgeous hiking trails.

I also began sending in applications for part-time firefighting positions. On August 26, I’m starting my full-time, accelerated paramedic program at Weber State, which means I will be very short on time soon. I still want to continue to gain firefighting experience though, so I’m trying to land a part-time gig I can do while still dedicating the necessary time to my studies. I submitted a few full-time applications to the career departments too, just to throw my name in the hat. I’ve finally gotten my Pro Board certificates- the national equivalents of the firefighting certs I earned earlier this year in Maryland, so the fire departments in Utah can officially begin to consider me for work.

I’ve spent a lot of time with family since I’ve been here. It’s fun being Uncle Spencer to my very energetic nieces and nephew. My dad’s cancer is still stable, for now at least. My mom is still looking like she’s probably not ever going to make a complete recovery from her cognitive/psychiatric health issues. But at least I get to spend time with her and support her. I’ve visited Denver once already, where my sister, sponsor, and several friends live.

But my summer felt incomplete without getting another thru-hike under my belt. I don’t have the time now to do a hundreds/thousands of miles-long trail, but there is one trail I’ve been eyeing as a shorter conquest lately- the Uinta Highline Trail.

The UHT runs officially from McKee Draw north of Vernal in eastern Utah to Hayden Pass on the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway. Like the PNT, it runs east to west (or west to east, depending on your direction of travel obviously), and its official length is about 107 miles. Along the way is passes through 7 mountain passes and the gorgeous highlands of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Near the midpoint, the summit of King’s Peak (Utah’s highest point) is less than a mile off the UHT on a side trail, which I’ll definitely be paying a visit.

Though shorter than my other long hikes, the UHT is going to present some logistical challenges. The trail is isolated. There’s no service anywhere on the trail, including the terminuses, meaning it would be tough to call for pickup upon completing the trail. The two terminuses aren’t near much. Fortunately, my dad, ever willing to support my hiking ventures, offered to drive me in his pickup to the eastern terminus with his motorcycle strapped into the bed, then drive to western terminus, leave the truck there, the ride his Harley back home.

Another logistical challenge will be that the first 20 miles of the so are pretty dry. If the initial research I did was taken as the gospel truth, miles 4-20 are completely dry. However, after digging through detailed topographical maps, and confirming my findings with previous UHT hikers on Facebook, I found an active creek a short way off trail around mile 12.5, meaning I’ll have about an 8-mile, rather than 16-mile, dry stretch to content with early. Much more manageable. After around mile 20, reports are universal that water is very frequent (as are the mosquitoes).

The isolated nature of the UHT means I will have to carry my entire food supply on my back for the whole way- no resupply. So, rather than my usual 3-4 day supply of food, I’ll be starting the trail with 7-8 days of sustenance weighing me down.

But if I can contend with the longer water hauls early, and the longer food haul throughout, I’ll be treated to the splendor of Utah’s high country. The average elevation of the trail is about 10,400 feet- higher than the peaks I’ve been scaling here and there while living in the Ogden area. And that’s just the average elevation- much of the trail surpasses 12,000 feet, and some of the highest passes crack 13,000. High alpine lakes and miles of above-treeline hiking should make this rugged trail rival the splendor of the Rockies and even Glacier National Park. And the beauty will not be shared with people- I’ve read only a few dozen people thru-hike this trail each year.

As I conclude this prelude, I’m sitting in the truck my dad’s driving along I-80 East. His Harley Fatboy is strapped to the bed. My Gossamer Gear Gorilla is loaded with food, water, and the bare essentials to hike a long trail. Another adventure lies ahead.