We have been wanting to backpack in the Uintas all summer but have not had a free weekend, and now it is too cold to backpack. So we are now backpacking this upcoming weekend in southern Utah, but on Sunday we drove to the Uintas for a day hike to Cliff Lake. The Uintas are where Abe would backpack every year growing up, and it was so special to go to this place in Utah that has been such a big part of his own history.
On the way to the Uintas, we ran into a herd of sheep. They were grazing in the Aspen forest and nearby meadows, and we had to slow down because they were also crisscrossing the road! The only time I’ve ever stopped in the road for sheep was in Ireland, so to me the sheep seemed exotic. The kids were enchanted and Basil had fun barking at all of them.
When we got to the trailhead, everyone ate breakfast and then we began our hike. The smell of the Uintas is unbelievable. It is maybe the best air I have smelled in my life. The scent of the pines is so powerful, and everything feels clear and fresh.
Here are some fun videos the kids took:
On the hike we stopped by the cliffs at Cliff Lake and set up to fish for a couple of hours. We didn’t even know that they were used for cliff jumping, but some boys jumped off several times while we were there. That felt like free entertainment! Lydia is currently our only child proficient at fishing and casting, so Abe was very, very busy helping tie and re-tie all of the poles, and the rest of the kids spent most of the time playing pretend in the woods and by the shore of the lake. Abe didn’t get very much time to fish himself, but even so he was so happy to just be back in the Uintas.
