The pic below was another taken via the timer on my first excursion to the Uinta Mountains in Utah. I felt a little guilty about it. In my time in Idaho, the Sawtooth Mountains had become my sanctuary, my "fortress of solitude". However, now that I'm in Utah, I figured it was impractical to have a escape route that required 6 hours of driving, so I decided to try something more local.

It was the Wednesday after Memorial Day, so I figured there would be some people up there, but not a lot considering that area got snow most of the holiday weekend. Turns out the place was completely empty. The camp hosts told me I was the only one in the whole drainage. Where I was "exactly" was the Yellowstone River area on the South side of the range, 20 miles north of Duchesne. I actually planned on heading to the northern side and hopefully getting a view of Kings Peak (the highest point in Utah) but a road closure due to snow changed the scenic route I was going to take to get there. I planned on taking 150 north from Kamas and finding a route along the range, but after reaching the pass and seeing UDOT vehicles blocking the road for plowing, I figured I had to durn around. Rather than go back around to Park City and then up to Evanston, I stayed on the southern side and took UT 35 across. Passing oil rigs and red stone, it was a little different than I expected, and I never really got the jaw dropping view of the summits that you get on ID 75 on your way to Stanley. In fact, most of the drive reminded me of the more subtle rolling hills of the Rock Creek Foothills near Twin Falls. Elevation, it was much higher than any developed campt site I've been to (8,200') but the major summits I did see were rounded off and bare. In my opinion, even the Wasatch are more impressive. A good mountain spot though can't be judged on impressiveness alone. There is the people factor. That's where the Wasatch lose out. When you are right on the edge of a metropolitan area of 1.5 million people, the nooks and crannies are going to be filled with people looking to "escape to nature" and that's fine, however, it makes to truly secluded spots like the Sawtooth Wilderness Area in Idaho that much better, which is why if I had my choice, I would live in Idaho and work in Salt Lake, if that makes any sense.

"Just sittin' here, watchin' the river flow."