Uinta Highline Trail failed attempt 2025

Intro

On August 30th of this year, I left out to attempt the 100-mile Uinta Highline Trail. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that my packed sleeping system was inadequate for early September nights above 10,000 feet. I currently plan to re-attempt the trail early August 2026. With many lessons learned during this attempt.

Day one

Day one was a day of logistics and not very much hiking. For those of you unfamiliar with the Uinta Highline Trail (UHT) it spans the Uinta Mountain range. The only east west mountain range in the United States. Fortunately, the westernmost trailhead is only about 60 miles from my home! Unfortunately, the eastern trailhead, while only being 100 miles away from foot, is close to a 200 mile detour through Wyoming by road. Thankfully, my mother was extraordinarily helpful with these logistics. In her trusty 2010 Mitsubishi galant we navigated these canyon roads and were able to stage my jeep at the western trailhead so that it would be there waiting for me whatever time of day I finished.

Once my car was staged, we started heading east via Evanston so that I could start my journey.

I hiked a little over five miles that first day. My intention was to get to a lake, my first documented water source on the trail.

However, seeing this lovely dry flat marsh area about a quarter of a mile before the lake changed that plan very quickly. The hike that day had been very cruisy. There had also been several streams across the trail that were not documented. As I laid my head down, I was feeling fantastic about this trail.

Then the night started… Almost immediately as I laid my head down on top of my stuff sack I knew the caffeine I had consumed while driving was a mistake. Sleep did not find me for hours as every little thought brought me back to consciousness. “oh my leg itches”, “where did I put my headlamp again?” and other meaningless thoughts which brought me back to full consciousness.

I can’t say when or if I had fully fallen asleep before the cold started but around one in the morning I could feel the cold humid air pressing up against my legs through my quilt. This was the start of part two of not being able to sleep it got rather cold that night. In my comfort rated 30 quilt and my puffy I was too cold to sleep. I spent the remaining hours until daylight started pouring into my canyon taking turns closing my eyes or staring up into the overhead pocket of my tent where I watched my watch’s glowing second hand slowly count up the minutes.

Photos from Day one

Day two

I was out of my quilt and cooking breakfast at the first sign of light day two. Cursing myself for camping on top of a “dry” marsh as I blamed it’s humidity for my sleepless night.

That morning still wearing my puffy. I cooked myself up a double oatmeal and a double instant coffee before quickly dunking one smart water bottle into a freezing stream and hitting the trail. I didn’t know it yet, but this would be my biggest mistake of the day.

Despite me dragging my feet I thoroughly enjoyed the trail that morning. By the time I had gotten to the lake, I had chosen not to camp at the night before the sun was shining and I was walking on some beautifully maintained trail.

Leaving out on Saturday morning, I had 10 days’ worth of food in my backpack. I had intended on this being a lovely vacation hike doing tiny 10 mile days and giving myself plenty of time in the evenings to just enjoy myself. With me only doing five miles on my first day, I knew I would have to make up that time, but I had no intention on doing that today.

About three miles in that day, I met another backpacker! Gloop was a woman also hiking the UHT we spoke just for a few moments to get one another’s name and long enough for her to complain about “this 20 mile water carry” as I was only carrying 5 miles worth of water in my bag and had not even bothered cameling up due to my horrific morning all I could do was hide my surprise, smile, and nod.

We went our separate ways and about two miles later, wouldn’t you know it? The first water source I had planned on my map was dry here I sat down a few minutes, had a snack, and tried to melt the frost off of my rain fly. There was another “unreliable” water source five miles ahead or I could turn around and go back about seven miles to the lake I had passed. At this point, I chose to hike on backtracking 7 miles day one did not sound like a recipe for success and with that, I charge into my second major mistake of this hike.

Resting and defrosting my tent without water

To the surprise of no outside observer there was no water at the next source. Now I had a new dilemma continue hiking almost 8 miles to the next lake on trail, hike 10 miles back to the last known water source, or get off the UHT and navigate 6 or 7 miles to a lake at a lower elevation.

At the time, six or seven miles off trail would seriously decrease the feasibility of me successfully completing this hike. As I would have to climb back up quite a bit of elevation to get to the trail consuming the food I was already half a day over consumed. So I decided to stay on the trail and continued to ration by water giving myself way less than what I needed but always keeping some in the bottle. About a mile, 13 or 14 I found it water…. But was I ever grateful to have a water filter.

Bad water is water

Please excuse the dirty camera lens.

At this puddle, I was able to get myself a liter of water. I did not relish it and drink only what I needed for the next few miles as my sleepless night caught up with me. I continued to drag my feet for several miles. Drinking cow pie tea and dreading the climb that my map showed was just before the next lake.

My hike continued traveling through National Forests and mountain meadows. At the last meadow just before I was to start my last major climb of the day. I happened to look over and see some of the cows that were ranging in the area, drinking…. A few moments later, I had two liters of cool running water in my bottles. My body was dehydrated and exhausted I stopped right there making sure to set up my camp a few hundred feet away from this water as I attempted to learn from the mistakes of the night before.

With a warm meal in my stomach, I was inside of my sleeping quilt a little after 5 PM that night/

I am extraordinarily thankful that I went to bed early that night. Come 2 AM I got a blast of cold from the rear. As anybody who has used a backpack quilt on the ground can tell you sometimes you can roll over funny in your sleep and untuck the quilt giving you a cold surprise. I had done just that and chilled myself to my bones. After fixing my quilt, I sat back and waited to warm about 20 minutes later I was still cold…. At this point I pulled on my rain gear and my puffy but soon I was shivering… I spent the rest of the night like day one watching time slowly pass.

Photos from Day two

Day 3

The morning of day three I spent about half an hour looking for my best route to a trailhead that my mothers brave little 4 cylinder car with about two inches of ground clearance could get to. Realistically my best option was to turn around and go back to the trailhead I had been dropped off at. Fortunately my mother agreed to come to the rescue and pick me up two days from then.

With that, I camelled up a liter of water and filled all my bottles to hike back the 17 miles to the lake that I had passed the day before.

Day 3 was relatively uneventful with seven days worth of food in my pack, it was light enough to be comfortable. I ran into a man who was packing the trail on two horses and finished up the last of my water about a mile from the lake.

Photos from Day three

Day 4

Day 4 was the opposite of day 1. I was only about five miles from the trailhead, so I was able to sit back and enjoy the lake. I read a few books on my phone and took a few dips in the lake it was nice to just recharge underneath the warm sun.

Around two, I started the uneventful walk back to the trailhead. Setting up my foam pad and awaiting my ride.

My mother arrived a little after sunset. Which brought on a new challenge driving through canyons and rural Wyoming after dark. After several hours of “Dodge a deer”, and “Is that a shadow or a cow?” I got safely back home just before midnight. Ending my Highline Trail attempt safe and warm.

Photos from Day four

After the trail

The day after I got home, my mother was quite gracious and helped me retrieve my Jeep from the trailhead I never made it to.

Since then I’ve been trying to hike as much as I can during my time off work. I hiked a little bit above Salt Lake and spent a day volunteering out at Antelope Island state part. Tomorrow I plan to head out to a natural hot springs to enjoy it during the middle of a work day to see if I might get it to myself.

Island photos