On June 25, 2006, we hiked up to Swasey Lakes (Google Map) in the High Uintas Wilderness
of Utah. This was the last trail we hiked in October before it got cold...actually, it had already
gotten cold. But we only made it as far as the top of Long Park back in October, so I decided
this could be our first hike of the summer season...but this time we would make it at least to
Swasey Lakes. Well, we made it to Swasey Lakes, but, man, it took us forever to get there.
We made the 5.75 mile hike in about 5 hours...I mean, that's some good time! After we
dropped down off the mountain, I swear that we walked into some Bermuda triangle. My GPS
kept telling me we were .8 miles from the lake for a good 40 minutes. Every time I looked at
the GPS we hadn't budged an inch. I don't know what happened. But we eventually made it to
the lake after going cross country off the trail. We did find an informal trail the next day that
followed the creek, and we took that back out. But the climb up the mountain the next day was
a good hike. It didn't gain a lot of elevation, but the gain was in a short distance, so it was
really steep. But the hike was worth it. The top had great views above the treeline, and the
lakes were surrounded by tall mountains. We didn't see a single soul after the first mile, and
the only car at the trailhead when we came back was a Forest Service truck. The only
drawback: SERIOUS mosquitoes. I mean, Swasey Lake was horrible. Our 100% DEET was
working overtime. Since this is our first summer in Utah, I really hope all of the Uintas aren't
this bad. But all in all, this was a good hike. And here's a map and GPS Track Log of the hike.