Middle Basin w/ a Summit of Hayden Peak

Blake Merrell

Life Elevated - Rising Higher
Joined
Feb 25, 2013
Messages
600


As I was hiking along in the Wind River Mountain range, I knew that another week long trip this year would not be doable. My wife was already sacrificing way to much, and for me to leave her and my newborn son for a 3rd week-long pleasure trip would be utterly selfish of me. It wasn't to hard of a decisions for me to cancel my 8 day Uinta Highline trip. Once I got home, I emailed my friend, Will, who had committed to do the Highline trip, and explained the situation. I thought I would just cancel the whole thing, but Will convinced me to at least do a 3 day trip. My wife agreed that it would be OK to still do that, so I let Will plan the trip. He decided to head to Middle Basin! I have been wanting to backpack there for a few years now, so I was thrilled with the decision!

Ahhhhhhh. Love the Uinta Mountains. So good to be back.

DAY 1

Early Thursday morning I picked up Will in Provo, and we headed to the Christmas Meadows trail head. Before we knew it we were heading up the trail to Middle Basin.

I don't begin many of my trips in the middle of the week, so it was a nice treat to be able to be in the mountains mid-week. Since we were backpacking the weekend after Labor Day, we pretty much had the whole range to ourselves. We did pass a few people on our way, but they weren't camping in the same area as us. The solitude we experienced was wonderful!

I very much enjoyed the hike into Middle Basin. The valley we were walking in was very nice. I loved the river that flowed by us. Once we got to the bottom of Middle Basin, we enjoyed a nice lunch, and also took some time to go fishing in the little stream. We saw fish in there so we figured we would give it a shot. I was happy to catch a couple of those fish! Both Will and I were successful in that stream! Good omen? I think so!

So...Ryder and McPheters lakes were amazing. It was so neat to be in such a special place. I am finding it difficult to express in words how much I enjoyed having the whole basin to ourselves. Something special happens inside me when I visit beautiful lakes in the high mountains. I especially enjoy the tundra, and blueish-greenish lakes, and mountainous cirques. all of that combined is pretty close to Heaven on Earth!

Our first night we spend at McPheter's Lake. This lake nestles up next to Hayden Peak. Its glacier blue waters complement the mountain slopes perfectly. Will and I enjoyed a nice evening of fishing, eating, and chatting. Will caught a really nice Tiger trout (I think it was a tiger?) and we enjoyed cooking it for dinner. It was a great way to end a day in the Uinta mountains.

Day 2

The next day I did something that I never thought I would do. I summited Hayden Peak. This was never on my radar, but Will had done it a few weeks prior, and loved it, and he was willing to guide me to the top on this trip! Hayden Peak is a stunning place. Getting to the top was tricky, but the views were so worth it! Once we made it to the summit, Will and I enjoyed an hour or so of just soaking in the grandeur. It was soooooo good!

Getting down ended up being a more of adventure than I wanted though. I was leisurely walking down the mountain, and as I skirted a ledge at the top, I slipped on a loose rock. Everything happened so fast. The rock I stepped on crashed down the cliff, and I fell into the mountain, where my armpit landed around a small boulder and immediately anchored me from slipping anywhere. As grateful as I was for that solid anchor for armpit, the force of the impact caused me to dislocate my shoulder. I quickly stood up and thanked my Heavenly Father for preserving my life. and then I began to wonder why my shoulder felts weird and out of place. As I moved it around I didn't feel any pain, just weird pressure. after a few seconds of maneuvering my arm I somehow managed to get my shoulder back into its socket. Man I was grateful for that! for the most part I was able to function as normal for my descent down the mountain!

Other than my fall, the day ended up being another perfect day in the High Uintas. Will and I enjoyed some swimming in the lake when we got down. I Love a good dive into an alpine lake!

Once we were done swimming and such, we packed up camp and moved to Ryder Lake. Again I was amazed that we had this whole thing to ourselves. Once camp was set up, we tried our hand at fishing again. I caught a few, but Will caught a ton! He was having a blast! It was fun to see him catch so many.

That evening, after dinner was done, Will and I stayed up talking late into the night. It was fut to get to know more about each other. Although, after our conversations, I was pretty sure that the world was gonna end in September LOL!

DAY 3

It was time to pack up and head home. After a good morning of sleeping in and some fishing, we were ready to head out. It took a few hours to get back to the car, and once we got there we opted to drive to Bald Mountain and summit it. Will had made a promise to his kids to call them from the top of a mountain. When he called on Hayden, they weren't available to talk to, So he was determined to talk to them on top of Bald Mtn.

It had been many years since I had climbed Bald mountain. It was great to do it again. We made good time to the top. The views from up there are spectacular, as always. Time spend up there was pretty short lived, but we did walk around a bit looking at other nearby places where we had backpacked earlier this season. It was fun to be able to look at the different mountains and lakes and be able to name them off this time, and tell stories about our visits to many of them. I remember my first trip up Bald Mtn. well. I was amazed at the landscape and with all the lakes I saw! I had no idea what any of there were called, so this time it was interesting for me because I knew many of them! So fun! :)

Well, this was a great trip. Can't wait to get back into the Uinta Mountains again!































































































 
Nice report Blake. I've been wondering where @WasatchWill has been and now I know.
Haha. I have been away from BCP for a bit haven't I? Just making up time with family and other interests after all the summer fun. I've been meaning to put together a post and video myself soon. Or maybe I'll just throw up some of my pics here on this thread.
 
Haha. I have been away from BCP for a bit haven't I? Just making up time with family and other interests after all the summer fun. I've been meaning to put together a post and video myself soon. Or maybe I'll just throw up some of my pics here on this thread.
very much looking forward to your video and pictures!
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
WasatchWill Naturalist Basin to Middle Basin? Almost... Backpacking 6
Ugly McPheters and Middle Basin -Labor Day Weekend 2017 Backpacking 16
westy High Uintas - Middle Basin Backpacking 5
WasatchWill Return to Middle Basin, Hayden Pk, & Bald Mtn Backpacking 13
Skiwi Naturalist or Middle Basin? Trip Planning 24
WasatchWill Potential Middle Basin - Naturalist Basin loop Trip Planning 3
JoshuaDyal Uintas: Amethyst to Middle Basin off-trail pass? Trip Planning 16
Udink Invite Late-Season Uintas - Middle Basin Meet Up (Members Only) 9
Yvonne Amethyst Basin and Middle Basin, July 2013 Backpacking 17
WasatchWill High Uintas - Middle Basin Backpacking 3
MtnMatt Middle Basin over Haydens Backpacking 17
forest dweller The story of a frustrated middle aged suburban wilderness lover! General Discussion 35
Stickerbumper Fold Canyon Middle Exit Trip Planning 9
kwc Adirondack Hike to Middle Lake Hiking & Camping 0
Perry Middle Fork Blacks Fork Ridge Way Trail - Does It Exist? Hiking & Camping 5
M Hello from middle Tennessee Noobs: Introduce yourself! 7
Windy Middle Fork Salmon 2018 On The Water 9
ogg Amethyst- Middle- West Basins. Trip Planning 7
Parma Think I can get 50 miles out of West, Middle, and Amethyst? General Discussion 5
Nick Middle Fork Weber River, June 2006 Backpacking 1
DrNed Uintas Amethyst & Middle Basins Backpacking 9
C Looking for good middle priced backpacking tent/gear Gear 18
HomerJ Buckskin Gulch - Middle Trail to the Paria Hiking & Camping 11
HomerJ Buckskin Gulch - Wire Pass to Middle Trail Hiking & Camping 2
Seldom Seen Anderson Middle Fork of Taylor Creek, Zion National Park Hiking & Camping 7
Dave Cathedral Valley - Middle Desert Wash Trip Planning 11
John Fowler Middle Fork, Taylor Creek, Zion Hiking & Camping 10
Tarp Boy Looking for Shuttle service for Uintas Granddaddy basin trip Trip Planning 0
S Titcomb Basin week itinerary options? Trip Planning 11
DrNed Naturalist Basin: Blue Lake to Shaler Lake? Trip Planning 12
BobFink Yellowstone South Entrance to Fox Creek via Basin Creek Cutoff - Labor Day 2022 Trip Reports 4
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Grand Teton National Park : Fossil Pass,Fox Creek Pass,Indian Lake,Alaska Basin,Hurricane Pass,Ice Floe Lake,& Snowdrift Lake Backpacking 19
NorthwestWanderer 8 Day High Sierra trek : Humphreys Basin, Star Col, Granite Park, Lake Italy & Piute Canyon 6/25-7/2/22 Backpacking 7
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. The Second Half. Backpacking 15
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. Part One of Two. Backpacking 61
P Shoshone Geyser Basin, Yellowstonne 2022, 2nd half Backpacking 4
P Shoshone Geyser Basin, Yellowstone, 2022 Backpacking 6
WasatchWill WRHR: Day 6 - Titcomb Basin to Beaver Park Backpacking 9
M Kannah Creek Basin loop, Grand Junction CO Backpacking 6
WasatchWill WRHR: Day 5 - Camp Lake to Titcomb Basin Backpacking 15
seekinglost 1000 Mile Nevada Thru Hike on the Basin and Range Trail Trip Reports 14
TeamJenkins17 Looking for info on Clark Creek drainage/Pierpont Pass into Hidden Basin in the Washakie Wilderness Trip Planning 5
Perry Henry's Fork Basin - Camp Site Suggestions Trip Planning 3
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Idaho's Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness : O'Calkens Lake & Bighorn Basin Backpacking 2
Mountain Wanderer Four Lakes Basin in the Southern Cabinet Mountains - Montana Backpacking 12
OldBill Short Bear Basin exploration, Wind Rivers Trip Planning 7
JuddOutdoors Hike To Grass Lake //Desolation Wilderness //Lake Tahoe Basin Hiking & Camping 0
travel2walk trip report: Wind River Range – Ross Lakes, Bear Basin, Grasshopper Glacier, & Dinwoody Creek loop, Aug-Sep 2020 Trip Reports 41
Jeremy C Early season run to Horseshoe Basin Hiking & Camping 7
Tim Valentine Shoshone Geyser Basin Paddle Trip 2010 On The Water 10

Similar threads

Back
Top