Daily Distance: 14.3 miles
Cumulative Distance: 55.45
Passes: North Pole Pass (12, 217 feet)
Campsite at Chepeta Lake
It was a still morning on Chepeta Lake with a nice reflection.
Andrew was prepared for another day on the Highline Trail.
The trail went through a peninsula and then returned to the lake.
We began the climb up to North Pole Pass.
We climbed until above treeline and then stopped to take a break before going over the pass.
The climb levels out on a ridge where we stopped to enjoy the view of Taylor Lake.
Looking up to North Pole Pass
Taylor Lake
The exact location of North Pole Pass was different on the topo map on my phone and the Trails Illustrated Map. On my phone the pass was noted at the top of the climb at the High Uintas Wilderness boundary but on the Trails Illustrated map it was noted at the top of the steepest point of the climb but not the top.
The trail went up and up. This pass with its rolling hill appearance was quite different from the dramatic cliff-like passes to come.
We reached the High Uintas Wilderness boundary and I put the sign back up as it had fallen down.
The High Peaks were getting closer. One of them is probably Kings Peak, the highest in Utah.
There were dramatic views from the west side of North Pole Pass.
The Uintas are known for their many lakes. We began our descent to Brook and Fox Lakes.
Looking back up the western side of North Pole Pass
Looking back to North Pole Pass
We stopped to take a break at Fox Lake.
Fox Lake
The trail alternated between forest and open views.
The signs began to indicate that we were heading to our next pass, the highest on the trail: Anderson Pass.
Some of the forested sections of trail were quite rocky.
We reached the trail junction for Kidney Lakes and decided to go off-trail to Bowden Lake to find a place to camp.
It was a short distance to the lake and an excellent campsite.
The lake was a little swampy but there was a nice view of a peak in the distance.
There was some nice evening light.
Across the lake I saw some elk, but they noticed me and ran away before I could take a good photo.
Continue to Day 5
No comments:
Post a Comment