After a slightly disastrous yesterday in the Uintas, the whole hiking crew decided to alter trip plans once again. We were going to start the hike out and camp at a lake off a side trail. It was three miles from our current location at Four Lakes Basin to the destination, Wilder Lake. What could go wrong?
What can happen when you throw six internet friends on a backpacking trip prior to the biggest outdoor tradeshow of the year? A lot apparently. #UintasHike16 was born as a pre-show gear testing and hang out opportunity to experience the Utah backcountry. 40+ miles through the Wasatch over three days was going to be an adventure.
I was too slow. I was too fat. Maybe my pack was too heavy. I shouldn’t have gone to the gym yesterday. Did I really need to bring my DSLR and tripod? Why couldn’t I keep up? What if he didn’t want to ever go on climbing adventures with me again?
My trekking pole got stuck in a crevice. I yanked it out and subsequently knocked the handle into my eye. That was the final straw that broke the frustrated camel’s back. I tried to stop it, but one sniffle led to another. Then I was suddenly bawling on the last half mile section to our Matterhorn campsite for the night.
I love birthdays. Celebrating birthdays are my jam. Birthday surprises are the best surprises of all. Most of all, I love birthday surprises that involve making awesome memories.
My boyfriend officially crossed the threshold into his late twenties earlier this month. He’d never actually been backpacking before, so what better place to take him than Lake Aloha in Desolation Wilderness?
Gloom and doom settled upon our second shelter on the Routeburn Track, the Lake Mackenzie Hut, overnight. AJ and I woke up in our bunks to dreary skies and a slow, steady drizzle. We were on a time crunch to catch our bus to Milford Sound; breakfast was fast and we hit the track.