Unofficially the start of the camping season. Headed out with a friend and some of his family. Didnt get a chance to do much hiking due to deep snow still present in the High Uintahs, but hopefully I will be home a few weeks after returning from Korean in the beginning of July and will be able to take a few trails, would like to do a few fingers of Christmas meadows, and a few shorter trips in Mill Creek canyon, but still had a great time.
I was able to try out the Kifaru supertarp, annex, and small stove. What a GREAT setup. Light weight, packs down SMALL, dependable and rugged. Really want to get a larger shelter, been looking at a 8 man, but may just decided to go with a 6 man, then a medium stove for added pleasure.
We camped at the Dueschene Tunnel campground for 4 days, I originally setup a few hundred yards from camp that way I could still go out on the ATVs and still be able to experiment with a few new pieces of gear. Upon setting up, we headed out to see how far the snow would let us advance up spring canyon. Not far. On the way up we encountered a downed tree but was able to go off road and around it, headed down and did lunch and finished setting up their camp. They basically move outdoors, trailers, wall tent, easy ups, its a full blown outdoor hotel when they are done. Then I headed out to the river to pump my water for the weekend I picked up a MSR EX at REI for less than half price due to their anniversary. Thought I would try it out bad move, I should have just stuck with the Katadyn filters. I had to clean this dam EX twice and still could not pump enough water to fill the 10L MSR dromedary bag, Thank god I had the MIOX, said screw it and just wrapped my bandana around the inlet, and submerged it, then gave a double dose of the MIOX. Wish I could return this piece of trash.
While on the river dinking around with all this the wind starts to pick up and I expect the storm they were anticipating, then I hear a loud CRACK and glance over my shoulder to see a large tree fall into the river about 30 yards away.. GREAT. Its coming. Never did, but the winds were fierce for about 2 hours. Rangers come rolling up and say, winds are breaking trees all around the area, be carefull.. Figured I would move camp into their camp due to some not so great looking trees in the area I chose, and with the ground still being wet, I had little other areas suitable and still close by, so much for the roughing it part.
Setup camp near my friends and we decide to go out again and see what the wind did, got up to the spot where the last tree was down in spring canyon and there is a jeep and truck stopped in the road, we dismount and start chatting, they say, this tree is down, we said it was earlier and we just went around it. They look at us funny and it then that we notice another tree fell within 50yards of the one we were talking about and the road really was blocked. My friends dad runs back down the canyon to grab the chain saw we the guy in the truck starts setting up his wench. While we were cutting and moving the tree, a guy in a caviler dam near crashed thru us driving like a dam retard doing 40 on this dirt road, I approach to tell him the road is out but within 20 minutes we would have it clear. He would not roll his window down or nothing, just looked around like he was on drugs. As I reapproach the tree cutting party, this guy revs his engine and shoots around all of us, just clearing the shoulder we just opened then drives right over the 2nd tree. We laugh about it and know he is not getting far due to the snow. Got the road cleared and head up again, on the next switch back there is a nice green tree that fell, as we approach we notice the caviler is not there, then notice the damage to the tree cannot imagine what is poor car is going thru. Clear that one and head up to the snow, we are hoping he was stuck in it and we already said none of us would help him, well we get to the snow and the car is there, empty and not stuck sad. We dink around for a bit playing it in, and call it quits for dinner, just as we are leaving down comes Mr caviler, walking. We just ride off. As we near the base we notice another smaller tree has fallen, we easily move this and just as we do, the caviler flys by us down hill well over 40. We go back to camp and get a little toasted as it starts to snow. It never stuck just snowed a bit, then cleared, then snowed, then cleared, and did this several time for 24 hours. After the skys were blue for a while the 2nd day we headed back up and bumped into a guy and his wife from Kamas, we were talking about the weather and somehow the situation changed to this weird guy in a white car, I menion the caviler and he says, thats the one, and told us how last night he was about 50 yards in the snow stuck . WE MISSED IT!!! He said they approached him and he was under the car kicking snow, they didnt dare to help him since he did not seem like he was in his right mind, we explained our story and I showed them photos we seriously think he was trying to dump a body up there . Guess Ill wait to hear about it on the news.
The rest of the weekend was nice, we rode around a bit, took the truck up to the end of service they are almost open up to Trial lake. Hiked around Murdock Basin and down the river a bit, then explored around the tunnel area. Took a few photos and thought I would share.
I was able to try out the Kifaru supertarp, annex, and small stove. What a GREAT setup. Light weight, packs down SMALL, dependable and rugged. Really want to get a larger shelter, been looking at a 8 man, but may just decided to go with a 6 man, then a medium stove for added pleasure.
We camped at the Dueschene Tunnel campground for 4 days, I originally setup a few hundred yards from camp that way I could still go out on the ATVs and still be able to experiment with a few new pieces of gear. Upon setting up, we headed out to see how far the snow would let us advance up spring canyon. Not far. On the way up we encountered a downed tree but was able to go off road and around it, headed down and did lunch and finished setting up their camp. They basically move outdoors, trailers, wall tent, easy ups, its a full blown outdoor hotel when they are done. Then I headed out to the river to pump my water for the weekend I picked up a MSR EX at REI for less than half price due to their anniversary. Thought I would try it out bad move, I should have just stuck with the Katadyn filters. I had to clean this dam EX twice and still could not pump enough water to fill the 10L MSR dromedary bag, Thank god I had the MIOX, said screw it and just wrapped my bandana around the inlet, and submerged it, then gave a double dose of the MIOX. Wish I could return this piece of trash.
While on the river dinking around with all this the wind starts to pick up and I expect the storm they were anticipating, then I hear a loud CRACK and glance over my shoulder to see a large tree fall into the river about 30 yards away.. GREAT. Its coming. Never did, but the winds were fierce for about 2 hours. Rangers come rolling up and say, winds are breaking trees all around the area, be carefull.. Figured I would move camp into their camp due to some not so great looking trees in the area I chose, and with the ground still being wet, I had little other areas suitable and still close by, so much for the roughing it part.
Setup camp near my friends and we decide to go out again and see what the wind did, got up to the spot where the last tree was down in spring canyon and there is a jeep and truck stopped in the road, we dismount and start chatting, they say, this tree is down, we said it was earlier and we just went around it. They look at us funny and it then that we notice another tree fell within 50yards of the one we were talking about and the road really was blocked. My friends dad runs back down the canyon to grab the chain saw we the guy in the truck starts setting up his wench. While we were cutting and moving the tree, a guy in a caviler dam near crashed thru us driving like a dam retard doing 40 on this dirt road, I approach to tell him the road is out but within 20 minutes we would have it clear. He would not roll his window down or nothing, just looked around like he was on drugs. As I reapproach the tree cutting party, this guy revs his engine and shoots around all of us, just clearing the shoulder we just opened then drives right over the 2nd tree. We laugh about it and know he is not getting far due to the snow. Got the road cleared and head up again, on the next switch back there is a nice green tree that fell, as we approach we notice the caviler is not there, then notice the damage to the tree cannot imagine what is poor car is going thru. Clear that one and head up to the snow, we are hoping he was stuck in it and we already said none of us would help him, well we get to the snow and the car is there, empty and not stuck sad. We dink around for a bit playing it in, and call it quits for dinner, just as we are leaving down comes Mr caviler, walking. We just ride off. As we near the base we notice another smaller tree has fallen, we easily move this and just as we do, the caviler flys by us down hill well over 40. We go back to camp and get a little toasted as it starts to snow. It never stuck just snowed a bit, then cleared, then snowed, then cleared, and did this several time for 24 hours. After the skys were blue for a while the 2nd day we headed back up and bumped into a guy and his wife from Kamas, we were talking about the weather and somehow the situation changed to this weird guy in a white car, I menion the caviler and he says, thats the one, and told us how last night he was about 50 yards in the snow stuck . WE MISSED IT!!! He said they approached him and he was under the car kicking snow, they didnt dare to help him since he did not seem like he was in his right mind, we explained our story and I showed them photos we seriously think he was trying to dump a body up there . Guess Ill wait to hear about it on the news.
The rest of the weekend was nice, we rode around a bit, took the truck up to the end of service they are almost open up to Trial lake. Hiked around Murdock Basin and down the river a bit, then explored around the tunnel area. Took a few photos and thought I would share.
