- Joined
- Aug 9, 2007
- Messages
- 12,955
July 2006
So I know I've said this before but this time I mean it. NO MORE BACKPACKING ALONE FOR NICK. Seriously. I had originally intended for this to be a three day adventure. The idea was to hike into Amethyst Basin on day 1, camp at Toomset Lake then explore the rest of the lakes the following day. All of this mixed in with the usual Uinta activities such as fly fishing and spring tasting(like wine tasting but springs), mmmm... But back to the point. I came home a day early because I just didn't want to be there alone anymore. Call me afraid or whatever thats fine. It's just not fun. Here are the pics...
This is Christmas Meadows. Why this is called Christmas Meadows is unknown to me. Perhaps it was a nice place to harvest a Christmas tree? I don't know. Pretty though...
Okay so this is a peculiar trailhead picture. I wanted to point out the new wheels! Oh yeah, thats me driving that pretty red Corolla wagon. Yeah, I'm pretty much beating the women away from me nowadays. But really I got robbed this weeek. Some dumb ass broke the window out of my 4-Runner and tried to pry my stereo out with a screwdriver. He was not succesful in getting my stereo but succeeded at totally destroying my dashboard. It's in for repair now so my mother was kind enough to let me borrow her wheels. Thanks mom!
The first 2.75 miles of the trail meanders through Christmas Meadows. The trail only gains about 200 feet of elevation but it is up and down the whole time. It's a lot tougher than it looks on paper.
Backcountry sidewalk.
Mmmmmmm... We are officially in The Wilderness.
After Christmas Meadows the trail takes a sharp turn upwards at the Ostler Fork River. In the space of about 3/4 of a mile you go from roughly 9000 feet to 9700 feet.
Ostler Fork
The trail is pretty steep through this part of the hike. It kind of goes straight up the face.
Catching a glimpse further up Christmas Meadows towards A-1 Peak.
And finally we make it into Amethyst Basin.
Once into Amethyst Basin I had to do a little GPS route-finding to find my way to Toomset Lake. The trail comes within about half a mile but then you're on your own. The tricky thing is that this lake sits precariously on a shelf that you would never think a lake could be. It could be quite challenging to locate it without GPS.
A little river crossing on the way to Toomset. Ostler Peak in the background.
Voila! Toomset Lake. I love this place.
Near the inlet to Toomset. I was pumping water and getting eaten alive by mesquitos but this Alpenglo Sunset was too nice not to take a shot or two.
Okay so it was a weird night. First of all there were noises in camp. What made this even scarier is that Nikita was very spooked by it. Usually she just sleeps right through the crackling footsteps around the tent. Yeah... that was kind of scary. So then morning comes and along with it lighting, thunder, rain and hail. And it was so close. I could feel it in the ground. So 13 hours later the storm passes and the light hits my tent. Time to get up.
The break in the storm was short so I decided to pack up and get the hell out rather than spend another couple hours huddled in the tent. This is the departing shot of camp. Recognize the pit Taylor? We kick ass.
The view up Amethyst Basin. I was moving back towards the trail with the storm at my heels.
The steep part down the mountain. This was a lot of fun in the pouring rain... oh and the hail. Can't forget the hail. The rest of the way out I had to holster the camera and pretty much run back to the car.
So I know I've said this before but this time I mean it. NO MORE BACKPACKING ALONE FOR NICK. Seriously. I had originally intended for this to be a three day adventure. The idea was to hike into Amethyst Basin on day 1, camp at Toomset Lake then explore the rest of the lakes the following day. All of this mixed in with the usual Uinta activities such as fly fishing and spring tasting(like wine tasting but springs), mmmm... But back to the point. I came home a day early because I just didn't want to be there alone anymore. Call me afraid or whatever thats fine. It's just not fun. Here are the pics...
- trip date: 7/2 thru 7/3/06
- distance: 10.5 Miles
- starting point: Christmas Meadows Trailhead
- destination: Toomset Lake in Amethyst Basin
- elevation: Trailhead: 8,840 ft, Peak elevation 10,331 at Toomset Lake
This is Christmas Meadows. Why this is called Christmas Meadows is unknown to me. Perhaps it was a nice place to harvest a Christmas tree? I don't know. Pretty though...
Okay so this is a peculiar trailhead picture. I wanted to point out the new wheels! Oh yeah, thats me driving that pretty red Corolla wagon. Yeah, I'm pretty much beating the women away from me nowadays. But really I got robbed this weeek. Some dumb ass broke the window out of my 4-Runner and tried to pry my stereo out with a screwdriver. He was not succesful in getting my stereo but succeeded at totally destroying my dashboard. It's in for repair now so my mother was kind enough to let me borrow her wheels. Thanks mom!
The first 2.75 miles of the trail meanders through Christmas Meadows. The trail only gains about 200 feet of elevation but it is up and down the whole time. It's a lot tougher than it looks on paper.
Backcountry sidewalk.
Mmmmmmm... We are officially in The Wilderness.
After Christmas Meadows the trail takes a sharp turn upwards at the Ostler Fork River. In the space of about 3/4 of a mile you go from roughly 9000 feet to 9700 feet.
Ostler Fork
The trail is pretty steep through this part of the hike. It kind of goes straight up the face.
Catching a glimpse further up Christmas Meadows towards A-1 Peak.
And finally we make it into Amethyst Basin.
Once into Amethyst Basin I had to do a little GPS route-finding to find my way to Toomset Lake. The trail comes within about half a mile but then you're on your own. The tricky thing is that this lake sits precariously on a shelf that you would never think a lake could be. It could be quite challenging to locate it without GPS.
A little river crossing on the way to Toomset. Ostler Peak in the background.
Voila! Toomset Lake. I love this place.
Near the inlet to Toomset. I was pumping water and getting eaten alive by mesquitos but this Alpenglo Sunset was too nice not to take a shot or two.
Okay so it was a weird night. First of all there were noises in camp. What made this even scarier is that Nikita was very spooked by it. Usually she just sleeps right through the crackling footsteps around the tent. Yeah... that was kind of scary. So then morning comes and along with it lighting, thunder, rain and hail. And it was so close. I could feel it in the ground. So 13 hours later the storm passes and the light hits my tent. Time to get up.
The break in the storm was short so I decided to pack up and get the hell out rather than spend another couple hours huddled in the tent. This is the departing shot of camp. Recognize the pit Taylor? We kick ass.
The view up Amethyst Basin. I was moving back towards the trail with the storm at my heels.
The steep part down the mountain. This was a lot of fun in the pouring rain... oh and the hail. Can't forget the hail. The rest of the way out I had to holster the camera and pretty much run back to the car.