Uintas Conditions 2018

Good to know. Thanks.

Also, is a 30° quilt going to be suitable? Not that it matters as it is currently the only one I have...just want to know which puffy to bring

That is definitely a personal question and depends on so many other factors like your pad, what you wear to bed and how hot/cold you generally run. It'll be warm but it'll also be cold and wet at times. Plan accordingly. Layers are good.
 
That is definitely a personal question and depends on so many other factors like your pad, what you wear to bed and how hot/cold you generally run. It'll be warm but it'll also be cold and wet at times. Plan accordingly. Layers are good.

Yeah I know that. I usually take a 10° bag/quilt for any alpine trips but on the Collegiate East at the end of June I was too hot at 11,000ft with that bag. I'm just trying to gauge a comparison.
 
We did the Highline from July 5-9th. Things were pretty dry for early July, particularly on the east end but it got better as we went west. Mosquitoes got worse as we went west as well but only a few short times where they were pretty bad. Wildflowers were going off like crazy, especially up high near the passes. The bad snow year meant we were able to make it over Dead Horse Pass on July 8th, but it was really close and quite sketchy. A couple of snow crossings and much of the trail was eroded out and basically non-existent. It was very interesting. Here's @Dave on Dead Horse.

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Did you see goat beds and fur on the pass right after this shot on the trail or near it? I have every time I have been over Dead Horse.
 
Did you see goat beds and fur on the pass right after this shot on the trail or near it? I have every time I have been over Dead Horse.

I didn’t see fur there and I was looking, but I saw tufts coming down from Red Knob Pass.
 
I spent a few day around Jewel, Cutthroat and Kamas Lakes, fishing and spending time with dad and brothers. Saw a herd of goats on the cliffs between Jewel and Cutt! Bugs were pretty terrible everywhere! The wild flowers are amazing right now. I haven't seen such a proliferation in years.

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Just got back today from hiking the UHT. Mosquitoes were barely an issue. I only used bug spray in two places and even then it was barely necessary. Hiking east from Rock Creek they were fairly irritating and then between Chepeta Lake and White Rocks Lake they were a little bit of a PITA. At this point I don't think bug spray is a necessity as for the most part they were a very minor irritation and by the time you stop hiking you need long sleeves anyway. I would not carry bug spray again up there from this point on.
 
Just got back today from hiking the UHT. Mosquitoes were barely an issue. I only used bug spray in two places and even then it was barely necessary. Hiking east from Rock Creek they were fairly irritating and then between Chepeta Lake and White Rocks Lake they were a little bit of a PITA. At this point I don't think bug spray is a necessity as for the most part they were a very minor irritation and by the time you stop hiking you need long sleeves anyway. I would not carry bug spray again up there from this point on.

Trip report? :D
 
I took my 6 year old son up to Three Divide lakes this week. Bugs were significantly better than two weeks ago. We used kid friendly non-deet natural spray a few times but more as a precaution. Black flies were worse than the mosquitoes.
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Fresh out from of an overnight going in from Ruth Lake TH. Camped At 10,500’. Very dry everywhere. Even the mapped marshes and meadows were dry. Bugs were non-existent. Birds and wildlife seemed subdued, the summer doldrums. Great trip nonetheless.
 
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Fresh out of an overnight in from Ruth Lake TH. Camped At 10,500’. Very dry. Even mapped marshes and meadows were dry. Bugs were non-existent. Birds and wildlife seemed subdued. The summer doldrums. Great trip nonetheless.

I ran into sooooo much water....water water everywhere on the Highline Trail...I could barely go 1/4 mile (and often a whole lot less) before stepping over another creek or spring. I also spooked so many deer and dozens of elk I lost countDSC00835.JPGDSC00984.JPG
 
I ran into sooooo much water....water water everywhere on the Highline Trail...I could barely go 1/4 mile (and often a whole lot less) before stepping over another creek or spring. I also spooked so many deer and dozens of elk I lost count

It's a relativity thing. It's much, much drier than normal.
 
It's a relativity thing. It's much, much drier than normal.

Geez, if what I experienced was drier than normal (which I understand since it was a dry winter) then I would hate to see what a wet year looked like up there. I have hiked in many mountain ranges and never seen so much water, nor so many thunderstorms.
 
I ran into sooooo much water....water water everywhere on the Highline Trail...I could barely go 1/4 mile (and often a whole lot less) before stepping over another creek or spring. I also spooked so many deer and dozens of elk I lost countView attachment 66953View attachment 66954
That was the nice thing about walking the Highline trail. You could walk with NO water on your back. A liter bottle in hand.. empty it, stop at another water source and magic wand another liter. But believe me, the range is truly dry compared to normal this time of year or any time of year.

Great elk pictures!
 
That was the nice thing about walking the Highline trail. You could walk with NO water on your back. A liter bottle in hand.. empty it, stop at another water source and magic wand another liter. But believe me, the range is truly dry compared to normal this time of year or any time of year.

Great elk pictures!

I believe it. Colorado was the same when I was there a month ago. Anything south of Wyoming had a very dry winter whereas Wyoming and Montana got absolutely nailed with snow all winter long.

And thanks. I love photography. I got asked why I don't just use my phone for pictures...the elk and other animal pictures that need a zoom lens are all the reason I need.
 
I will agree on bugs and relative dryness. Just completed Red Castle - Yellowstone - Kings - Henry's Fork
loop and I didn't use repellent once. The areas on the trail where it was usually swampy were just dried
mud.

While not as impressive a photo as the bull elk, this guy hung out Henry's Fork Lake for over an hour .Moose.JPG
 
I can also confirm it is much drier than usual up there. When I did dead horse I only ended up in ankle deep marshes as opposed to mid calf deep marshes like most years. :) The uintas are a wet range so even this year there will still be lots of water, but in a normal year it can sometimes feel like 1 large marsh up there.
 
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