nordic ski tour: multi-day tour to amethyst/ryder lake (uintas) - January 6, 2012

The trip begins Friday morning at the Mirror Lake Highway winter parking area 30 miles south of Evanston, WY. We will plan on setting up base camp somewhere in the Christmas Meadows area between the trailhead and the split in the trail (9-10 miles). On Saturday we will attempt to ski to Amethyst Lake or Ryder Lake. Depending on conditions we may try to ski to the other lake before breaking camp and heading back to the car on Sunday. Previous winter camping experience is recommended but not required. Proper winter clothing is a must. Temperatures can range from around freezing during the day to below zero at night. We will be tent camping, so a warm sleeping bag and sleeping pad is very important. I have a sled that we can use to haul heavy gear, but plan on bringing a large daypack that can accommodate gear for a full day away from camp as well as lighter items for the ski in to and out of camp. Lightweight backcountry touring gear with scales or grip wax is best; bring skins for steeper sections and for taking turns towing the sled. Most of the terrain is fairly low angle but avalanche gear is required. Snowmobilers keep a packed snow surface on the Mirror Lake Highway, but significant trail breaking is expected once we leave areas where they commonly travel. The Mirror Lake Highway is a fee area ($3/car). Contact Glen to discuss the itinerary, gear for the trip, and transportation to the trailhead. Those coming from SLC should plan on departing early Friday morning for the 2-hour drive to the trailhead and expect to be back Sunday evening. If you are coming from a different origin we can work out a meeting point.

Level:MSD
Miles:38.0
Vertical:3900'
Route:Out & Back
Pace:Moderate
Organizer:Glen Mackey
Phone:540-529-4907
Date:Fri Jan 6 2012 — Sun Jan 8 2012
Meeting Place:Registration required