Getting off the Grid in the Uinta Mountains

To jump right into it, this weekend was great!  Spent Saturday and Sunday in the Uinta Mountains for the first time ever and definitely won’t be the last; NOT just because I bought the climbing guidebook but because of everything.  Comparing the SLC Valley vs Uinta's in August…

95 degrees vs 70 degrees

Desert vs Alpine

Slick quartzite vs Sticky conglomerate

Being connected to the outside world vs Being in the outside world

I can really go on but the point is made, especially during these warm summer months, the SLC Valley is rough, whereas the Uinta's are simply perfect.

Saturday we left SLC and headed an hour east to reach Ruth Lake where we parked and later camped at.  From the trailhead it takes about 20 minutes to get to the main crag.  First thought that came into mind of the area was just, “wow”.  From afar the rock looked inspiring then when you got up close it just looked fun with multiple routes with hand jams, multiple roofs on singular routes, and features that I never thought could be possible on rock.

From afar

A bit closer

First day, after learning from being on The Most Epic Trip, we got acclimated to the area and hopped on the south facing wall of Ruth’s Lake where there were three routes of 5.7, 5.8, 5.9.  We only had time for the 5.8 & 5.7 but what I noticed was how sticky the rock was.  Not like granite-small-pebble sticky, but a wow-this-is-a-tiny-edge sticky that I can move up on very confidently.  Climbing ‘til the sun fell, we got out there around 8:45pm heading back to “camp”.

We only make the best food when cooking in a parking lot.

CampChef Stove in full action.

We had planned on setting up a tent somewhere off the trail but after cooking Lo Mein and hotdogs we were both not very motivated and slept in the car instead.  Gina was out within minutes of reclining the seat and getting in her sleeping bag.  I stayed up for a bit and watched as the sky put on a show of shooting stars and a meteor shower.  Those are the moments when you feel really small in this world.

I wish this was my photo. But it accurately depicts what I saw. (Courtesy of backcountry.com blog)

The next day we woke up, got a breakfast of champions (hotdogs), and made our way up to Ruth’s Lake crag again.  Instead of staying in the lower ratings, I wanted to test out more difficult routes.  The bad part about that is that it was in the shade all day.  It got pretty cold.  Cold enough that we had to throw jackets on to stay warm while belaying.  Hard to believe that it was mid-90s in SLC when we were out there.

The sketchiest belay station, possible fall of 10-15 ft for just the belayer.

The routes though were amazing.  My favorite route of the day had to be a 5.10c called The Legend.  It wasn’t a tough 10c other than the fact it had 2 roofs.  The holds were bomber and the worst hold I came across was a platform sloper.  It’s a must-do, in my book, if you head down to this area.  I would of liked to get on other challenging routes and I hate to make excuses, but I got tired really quickly out there.  Maybe it was because we were climbing at 10,500ft elevation?  Or maybe, and more likely, it’s the fact that I’m not the best endurance-type, in-shape climber?  I don’t know, either way I felt like I couldn’t climb as much as I would when in Big Cottonwood.  On the last route that I led (Black Elk 5.10a) I nearly fell apart.  I was absolutely exhausted half way through it and felt like going on was more of a burden than fun.  Man I wish I was in better shape.  So many fun looking classics at Ruth's Lake!

All in all, like I said in the intro, it was a great time in the Uinta's.  The scenery is amazing up there and I look forward to another trip.  Probably will be going again soon, since it’s so damn hot here in SLC!

Ticklist for weekend (+ rating out of 3 stars):
Fire Water 5.7 *
Sun Dog 5.8 *
Peace Treaty 5.9 **
The Legend 5.10c***
Sacred Hoop 5.10a *
Black Elk 5.10a **

...and some cool photos I couldn't figure out where to put in the post.

View from the top of Sun Dog

Gina hiking down into the rock field.

I love how the burner lights in the darkness.

To enlarge photos just click on them...

Meet the Author:

Steve W Weiss: Snowboarder, Climber, Beer drinker...oh and Blogger.  Cleveland-native who moved West to Utah to fulfill a life of mountain fun.  Keep up with me on my Twitter or Facebook!

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