Middle Basin, Uinta Mountains

Location: Middle Basin, Uinta Mountains, Utah
USGS Quad(s):
Trip date(s): June 2002
Why go?: Solitude, beautiful scenery, good fishing
Water: All over the place
Human Traffic: Moderate
Difficulty: Getting into the basin is a matter of following the trail. If you do it in one shot it could be considered difficult because there is a good climb at the end of a 5 or 6 (or more, who knows?) mile hike. Once you’re in the basin there are a number of exploration possibilities which require some moderate orienteering (or GPS) skills – at least someone who can remember which way camp is.

Introduction
We went up in mid-June and it was cold at night. There were still a few snow drifts, but just enough to keep a fish chilled until it was time to cook. The fishing was fast for the guy who brought his fly rod and decent for the rest.

Special Features
Mountain goats. Good fishing (pretty brook fish). Solitude. Quiet.

Trip Log
Day one: Starting at Christmas meadows campground on north east slope of Uinta Mountains, we hiked almost 8 miles into middle basin, camping near “lake desolation,” just east of Ryder Lake. (Lake Desolation was named by the group as the topo did not indicate a name. We were really tired when we stopped.) The hike was beautiful the whole way but long and tiring, especially for old fat guys, and young and skinny guys. Once we made camp, it cooled off enough that all we wanted to do was eat dinner and then go to bed. It was cold that first night, with ice covering shallow water in the morning.
Day two: I woke up early, eating breakfast and then pumping some water. We noticed big cat tracks (maybe mountain lion – who knows? We’re not the best with scat and tracks. It appeared as if the claws were retracted, possibly indicating a cat. The paw was about 4” in diameter.) near the water, between “lake desolation” and Ryder lake. As most of the group fished in Ryder lake, I went with Greg just below the base of Hayden peak (on the east side). We climbed above the tree line, paying attention to scat and tracks.
Once above the tree line there was a lot of cat scat. We glimpsed some mountain goats, moving white specs near the summit of Hayden Peak. Just below the peak they disappeared into some scrub bush. We sat, quietly, waiting for either the goats or a cat to appear, but grew restless after a while so we descended back to Ryder lake. Most of the group fished the afternoon away. I wandered to the southern side of the basin, hoping to see some wildlife but was disappointed.
Day 3: Greg and Eric left, being expected home by that evening (sissies). From what I understand, Eric fell backward into a huge mud puddle on the way down. Greg laughed a lot and Eric didn’t. That seems like a hilarious scene to me.
Ryan and K.C and I stayed for one more day, exploring much of the basin. We walked the breadth of the basin from north to south, K.C and Ryan fishing in the small lakes near the south side (and were skunked) while I read a book. That night we ate dinner, watched the stars for a cold moment, and then went to bed. As this was my first backpack since I was 16, I froze that night, not being prepared for the cold nights. I had carried only a light sleeping bag with me on this trip and had hoped that if I squeezed into Ryan and K.C’s tent I’d be okay – that wasn’t the case. Besides the cold, I had to endure Ryan’s stench.
Day 4: We ate breakfast and hiked out. Honestly, I was not happy to leave. This had been probably the most relaxing 4 days I’d had since being a young kid and would spur annual or bi-annual (and sometimes tri-annual) backpacks in successive years. Our families met us at Mirror Lake for tinfoil dinner. What a great way to end a backpack!

Notes
As yet, neither I nor any of my fellow backpackers had invested in a GPS unit (in fact, I still haven’t. I use an old one I “inherited” from my dad when he kicked-off). Therefore, I have no exact GPS coordinates. Middle basin is pretty open though and it is, in my opinion, paradise on earth. I have nothing but pleasant memories of that place.