The Rambler

kevin earl's garfield basin backpack
August 19-21, 2011
Lake Y-36
8
On August 19, Kevin Earl led our hearty group of 5, including Steve Pritchett, Turtle Ala, Katie Slack
and Carl Kunz, into the high Uintas near Duchesne. We left the Center Park trailhead above Hells
Canyon in the Yellowstone River drainage and hiked a difficult 11 miles through Swasey Hole into
Garfield Basin. Arriving at the cleverly named Lake Y-36 at elevation 10,820’ around 6:00 that
evening, we hastily pitched tents as the skies opened up for a typical late afternoon downpour.
Before the rain had stopped, Steve had already landed four 12” to 14” brook trout, which Steve and
Turtle cooked for dinner and shared with the group.
Turtle and Steve fry up some trout
for fish tacos
After a leisurely breakfast on Saturday, we
set out for a day hike to Tungsten Pass. En
route we passed many lakes; Steve and Kevin
fished at Five Point Lake on the way. There,
the Forest Service had breached the dam,
returning the lake back to its natural level and
leaving a bathtub ring without vegetation.
We also encountered an old cabin on a ridge
along the way where we stopped for a snack
and to enjoy the view. After 5+ miles we
arrived at our destination, Tungsten Lake,
where several fish, including a Grayling,
were again caught and released back to
their habitat. All day Saturday we were
serenaded by a symphony of thunder claps
from increasingly threatening skies. The rain
- and hail - finally arrived late afternoon and
continued for hours before we’d returned to
camp. The high ridges turned white as the
storms deposited a lot of hail on them. Fortunately, wet seasonal conditions in the mountains this
year allowed us to build a much needed fire that dried our clothes and warmed our bodies. Steve
wasted no time and caught four more brook trout, which Turtle made into tasty fish tacos for the
group.
We broke camp mid-morning Sunday and retraced the 11 miles back to Center Park trailhead. Our
packs were only marginally lighter than they’d been 2 days before, and we all felt the effects of the
arduous up-and-down terrain by the time we arrived back at the trailhead. But we knew that good
Mexican food awaited us in Duchesne, so we wearily packed into our cars and headed out of the
wilderness just as the thunder started. SUBMITTED BY KATIE SLACK