highline trail uintas

mathew

mathew

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Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Messages
28
Hello all, I am new to this forum, I do a lot of hiking and back packing and am planning a highline trail trip in august of 2014, this will be my first several day trip. I have done multiple 2-3 day trips in the past so I have a good idea of what I will need to bring, and what should be left home.
I am wondering if anyone out out there can point me in the direction of getting a good topo map for this, as well as maybe share your experiences on this trail if you have any, what you would do differently if you did it again or just some things to look out for.
Thanks for any advice.
 
My .02 - do a 4 or 5 day trip first as a warm up and carry all the stuff you plan to bring on the week long trip as practice. It probably isn't that much more, just food, but it might just open your eyes to what you do and don't need and make the whole thing a lot easier. Maybe bring a friend and just offer to carry all of the food and you'd basically have your real pack.

As for a topo, the Trails Illustrated High Uintas map is a good overview but not a great detailed map. For detailed, you have to either get a LOT of USGS 7.5 quads or do a custom job. I printed up a set of 11x17's with Trimble's MyTopo service when I was planning my trip. The MyTopo service sucks but if you have a lot of time on your hands, it can produce good maps and it doesn't cost much. Being able to print larger than your home printer will be very handy. Might be worth saving them as 11x17 PDFs and then taking a trip to Kinkos or something. Is it still called Kinkos?

As for the trail itself, I didn't end up doing it all due to illness, but I've still hiked a large portion of it and a lot of the rest. You'll be above tree line a lot and the trails aren't very great up there. Be prepared and capable to navigate accordingly. The sheep also do a lot of damage making picking the right trail more difficult. Signage is not to be relied on. There is still a man missing up there from two years ago that was attempting the route.

If you plan to fish, you might want to reconsider. Unless you have a lot of time and energy on your hands, there really aren't that many fishing opportunities along the main route. It wouldn't hurt to pack something like a Tenkara rod setup which would only cost you ~5oz but packing an actual rod with gear is likely not worth it.

If you search the interwebs, you'll find all sorts of crazy stories. Inexperienced folks heading out there with 60+ pounds on their backs. Cans of red bull, bear canister and all sorts of ridiculous things you would never need up there. Really think about what you need to carry and you'll enjoy yourself so much more. Build your way up to it even. There are tons of 4-5 day trips that will bring you as much or more satisfaction than the Highline. Sure, it's awesome to have done the whole thing, but if that is what matters you're just hiking for ego and not enjoyment and what's the fun in that? And don't overlook the first part coming out of Leidy - it's highly underrated. Take your time.
 
I have read a few of the stories on the interweb about peoples experiences, I have definitely read some things that made me wonder if they knew what they are getting into. I will be hiking it with a friend starting on the leidy peak side on the first of august and ending on the mirror lake end on the eighth of august. I figured eight days would be enough time to do it and still be able to enjoy it.I am planning to go check and see if the forest service in Ogden has any maps, if not my buddy says he has a gps to bring, but I would still like a map just in case.

I started conditioning myself this last august for the trip and I know I can cover 18 miles in 6 hours with a heavier pack than i intend to use on the trip. I have packed my bag to approx 58 pounds worth of stuff and hiked from Ogden divide to ben lomond peak and back a couple of times. I also have been doing some running, and mild weight lifting to help get the muscles conditioned, as well as riding my bike 15 miles round trip 3 days a week. I have done a dry packing of all the things i intend to bring with me and it weighed in at a hair over 41 pounds.

My main reason for doing this is as a gift to myself for quitting smoking, I have planned the trip to be at the one year mark of quitting. I have always been an outdoors person and have spent a lot of time in the back country, I kinda lost that desire when I moved from Idaho to Utah, mainly because I didn't know where to go. I have lived in Utah now for 9 years and have been exploring the northern end for the past 5.

Thanks for the advice and if there is anything any one wants to add please by all means chime in.
 
You should buy the Trails Illustrated High Uintas Wilderness map. Any areas that you think you might need more detail on just use Gmap4 and print a detailed map of that section. Most of the trail is well marked. Anytime you think you are off the trail, just turn on your GPS and that will get you back on the trail. Nick is right about the fishing. If you plan on catching anything you will need to do a lot of research and plan your trip around the lakes that will give you the best chance of catching anything.

Much of the highline trail is very, very rocky. That will put a lot of stress on your ankles. I did an 85 mile trip in the area last August and ended up with over use injuries in my ankles because of the uneven terrain. Next time I do such a long trip on such rocky terrain I am going to do Achilles tendon strength training before hand.

As far as gear goes make sure you bring trekking poles. They are a must have. Also, make sure you have good boots that cover the ankle. Leave the day hikers at home unless you are an experienced ultra light backpacker. Depending on the season there may be lots of bugs. Picaridin works well and will not destroy your gear like DEET does. You also may want to get a mosquito head-net, they are light and will save you if the bugs are bad.

I live in SLC, so if you want more info you can PM me and we can meet for coffee sometime.
 
I managed to get a ashley uinta national forest map from the forest service office in ogden for $10, it has a pretty good map outlining the highline trail on it though it is hard to follow in some spots. It surprised me that the person working in the map area had never heard of the highline trail before so he had no idea what i was talking about, I had to tell him what mountain range it was on and what the trail number was before he could locate the rite map for me and we both searched through it to insure it had the whole thing on it.
 
Not to bag on that map, but if you aren't going to get something at the 25k zoom level like the 7.5 quads, you should at least get the Nat Geo Trails Illustrated. Everything else is garbage.
 
To echo @Nick, you definitely want higher resolution than an overview map provides. USGS quads would be a minimum requirement for me.

Are you aware of the Utah Department of Natural Resources map shop? It's located in their office on North Temple in Salt Lake. Kirkhams also has a decent map selection.
 
My trip will officially begin this coming friday, the pack is loaded minus water checked and rechecked to insure everything is present and comes in at 39 lbs minus water. My buddy and I have gone over the check list to insure we dont double up on things that there is no point in both of us packing. I will do a trip report when i return.
 
You are probably already planning on it but sleep at the trail head or make a really light day 1. I have spent a good amount of time above 9k ft this year but still came down with some altitude sickness on my hike into Dead Horse Lake last weekend. It was a first for me, but I have never done 10 miles on day one of a trip.

Way excited for you and look forward do hearing how it goes!
 
Devo said:
You are probably already planning on it but sleep at the trail head or make a really light day 1. I have spent a good amount of time above 9k ft this year but still came down with some altitude sickness on my hike into Dead Horse Lake last weekend. It was a first for me, but I have never done 10 miles on day one of a trip.

Way excited for you and look forward do hearing how it goes!
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^^^ This! My Highline attempt was ruined by not spending a night at the trailhead and then slamming out 13+ miles on day 1. Then I just couldn't get over it the next day. I feel awesome if I have a night to acclimate.
 
^^^^What they said.....I tend to wander in just a little ways but spend the night at around 9,000 as I live at 2,700. I am also counting down. 8 more days.....safe travels to all.
 
Sound advice from everybody about acclimatization. This is very individual based. For example, I can go from my house (4500 ft) and go 20+ miles on day one and end over 10,000 ft. My buddy on the other hand cannot, plain and simple.

I've wanted to do the Highline for quite some time but each time something different happens that impedes my success. I've done other long trails, and have to say that is my favorite way to backpack. Even if you're grinding out 20+ miles a day, a good 6+ day trip is always worth it.

Good luck and I can't wait for the TR.

Salud!
 
the only issue so far that I am seeing is the weather may be a little on the wet side, but we have prepared as best we can for that
 
Even when the forecast looks better, it's pretty much inevitable that it will be wet in the afternoons up there. I highly recommend you plan the bulk of your travels in the morning and early afternoon before the monsoons pickup, especially those passes!
 
congrats on quitting smoking, that's great. Take lots of pics, we demand a trip report. :)
 
TannerT said:
Sound advice from everybody about acclimatization. This is very individual based. For example, I can go from my house (4500 ft) and go 20+ miles on day one and end over 10,000 ft. My buddy on the other hand cannot, plain and simple.
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So true, it was a new experience for me. I usually start my first day in the afternoon and so milage on day one is always low. This was the first time I had done more then 7. About 8 miles in it started hitting me hard and I had a nausea on and off and a headache the rest of the trip.

I will look to always keeping my first day 7 miles or below from now on or a night at the TH. Seems like everyone has to learn where there limits are regarding altitude sickness. Just don't recommend finding those limits on the first day of a long trip. ;)
 
Well the trip was forced into an early retreat due to a twisted knee on my freinds part, I will do a trip report of what we managed when I get it together.
 
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