Trail Pictures

Tracy breaking trail

Uintas

That was MUCH harder

to make than it looks

Uintas

Snow

Tracy

Limber Flag Yurt

Limber Flag Yurt

Limber Flag Yurt

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The weekend of 1 Feb 08, Tracy and I braved the weather in the mountains of eastern Utah and headed

up to the Limber Flag Yurt (Google Map) in the Uintas of the Ashley National Forest.  We had tried a

few weeks earlier to do the same thing, but a bad winter storm had come through and we weren't able to

make it to the trailhead...despite driving 6 hours to get there.  But this time the weather cooperated a

little more...not much, but a little more.  We started out by starting from the wrong trailhead.  That's not

a big deal when there's less than 5 feet of snow, but after going half a mile in 5 feet of snow before

realizing the mistake, we were already off to a good start.  But we got back to the right trailhead, and

started out following the tracks of someone who had cross country skied before us.  That made the

going pretty easy, and we made about 2 miles in just over an hour.  And then the cross country ski

tracks stopped.  This was not good.  We were only about a mile from the yurt, so we figured it wasn't a

big deal.  Three and a half hours later (yes, that's ONE mile in THREE and a half hours!) we made it to

the yurt.  The snow was well over 5 feet deep in most places, and it was very powdery.  We spent most

of the time in snow up to our waists despite the snowshoes.  By the time we made it to the yurt we

were completely and positively exhausted.  The yurt was pretty nice...it had two queen-sized bunk beds

and a wood stove.  But the stove as barely enough to heat the place, so it took us several hours to get

warmed up.  About 7 pm I turned on my little weather radio to see if the forecast had changed.  It had.

There was now a winter storm warning with up to 20 inches predicted for where we were within the next

12 hours, and 40 mph winds.  That sucked.  So we went to bed about 8 pm to try to recover some

energy, and we woke up about 1:30 am to the sounds of howling wind.  Luckily the sky was still clear,

so we packed up and headed out in the dark.  As soon as we started out the wind dies down, the

clouds moved in, and it started snowing.  But for the most part we could still see our trail we had cut

the day before, and we didn't have trouble walking with our headlamps.  The snow was blowing too

much to see far in front of us, but that wasn't a big problem...until we came on a big, open field where

snowmobilers had obliterated our trail doing doughnuts.  That was bad.  I couldn't see any trail markers

because of the snow, and I couldn't see our trail anymore.  Somehow, mostly dumb luck, I assume, I

was able to keep up with our trail and pick back up with our tracks in the trees.  Tracy said later she

figured we were going to get lost there.  It would have been horrible to lose the trail because it would

have meant breaking trail for a mile back to the truck...and we already knew how much that would suck.

But we made it back without incident, and just drove VERY slowly back down the switchbacks of the

mountain, and eventually back home.  It was a good trip.  I really enjoyed hiking in the middle of the

night...I need to do more of that.  Tracy doesn't like it at all, but I'm trying to show her that it's not as

scary as she thinks it is.  Anyway, the yurt is a good idea, because it gives you a chance to stay out

longer than you normally could by just dayhiking in the winter, and you don't have to camp on the

ground.