A hard trail and not your anticipated experience! But either way still an adventure that will hold memories forever! Glad you all made it through even though at different exit points!
@@mountainwanderer I mentioned that to Jesse, that you guys had set a really demanding itinerary. Your cousin's determination and stamina was impressive. Focused!
Whew! What an extraordinary and physically taxing adventure. Thank you to Eric who stayed with Travis. Josh did his best to keep company with Brandon and sorry he and Trav got sick. Altitude or Flu? Big congrats to Brandon who persevered alone to the end. What a great group of friends you all are. Now that all the good things are said - I know Brandon mentioned taking electrolytes - I hope the rest of you are, too. And, well, it seems like most of you are carrying awfully heavy packs....every considered some lighter gear?
It's best to take the North Trail past Helen and Lightning Lakes once you reach Rock Creek Basin. There is much less burn area and less deadfall to deal with. It adds a few miles, but you also don't lose the elevation that you have to climb back out of. You will make faster progress on the North Trail.
Nice End to the Uintas trilogy. 4 Different people each with a very different ending. Brandon should feel a huge sense of accomplisment..no one failed...it was all a learning experience...and most importantly, one hell and adventure. I cant imagine had u continued Travis and u werent able to re supply just how screwed u would have been. Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest. Good storytelling guys.
I definitely failed. The goal was to come out at Hayden Pass and I didn't make it. "Goal hikes" are not something that I have done before, and I'm not sure how I feel about. But it was definitely a fail. No reason to call it anything else. It was an adventure for sure!
@@mountainwanderer, man! You did great, don’t beat yourself up. I’m 59, been backpacking for almost 40 years. I just retired, and still doing it. I’ve been on trips like yours, I’ve carried two packs a long way. It’s about the adventure. I bet 50% of all my trips weren’t finished as planned. You did great, I’m proud of you and all the guys. Keep on keeping on!👍🏻
There's no beating myself up. I tried and didn't make it. It's ok. I've bailed on plenty of trips, but this was my first thru-hike attempt. It's a different kind of hiking. But I hope you're still going strong because at 59, you're not very far in front of me and I am not even close to done yet!
Glad Brandon made it to Hayden! Congrats to him for finishing the UHT! I’m sorry you guys got sick on trail. Altitude sickness is no joke. This is the greatest trail I have ever walked and it’s not hard to see why. Seeing you guys cheers 🍻 in the end was good stuff!
@@mountainwanderer You put in some long days for sure to finish! I felt so bad for Travis. I am sorry your other partner got sick as well on Red Knob Pass. I was rooting for you guys because I know how it feels to finish this trail. It's something no one can ever take away from you. It's special and a really great experience! Hoping to do my second trip on the Highline next summer! Glad everyone made it out ok! Cheers!
@@mountainwanderer I took a Tenkara Rod and caught at Lambert, Jack & Jill, Ouray, and Caroline. I fished Kidney and Deadhorse but didn’t land anything at those lakes. Part of why I want to go back next summer and do it again is to fish more of the lakes on the trail. Weather busted some of that for us last time, and one day we pushed Yellowstone to Lambert, so that took fishing time off the itinerary. Really since now doing three thru hikes, Uinta Highline, Ruby Crest, and Teton Crest, the Highline has the most fishing opportunities and largest fish I’ve caught on a thru hike. It truly is a special place.
Erik slayed them at Kidney Lakes, caught way more than are showed in the video. Brandon packed his fishing rod on the whole trail and only broke it out once! 😂
Those classic Rocky Mountain peaks are unforgettable. Awesome adventure. Thanks for bringing us along and glad you all made it out safely. The things that are worth it in life are never easy.
Thanks for the awesome video! Any sign of a hot spring near where Deer Creek flows into the Cour d-Alene along the trail? I found one on an Idaho Geological Survey Map but can't find any sign of it in any other maps....thinking it might be a fun destination for a hike out of Jordan Creek Camp.
Sir, I think you should get to your cardiologist and have them check you out. IF your heart is giving you issues, it can cause nausea, especially at altitude. This can and will kill you, so make damned sure its not. I was a backpacking fool that climbed mountains and had an agressive training regimen and still developed inoperable heart blockages that stopped my career dead. Don't take this non-serious...
Sorry Travis about you getting sick. It’s good you listen to your body. Great group, one sticking around to go with. I did that myself on a trip when someone got sick. I never looked at it as negative. Keep up the videos, they are great. 👍
It's good to have companions on a long hike. I hope you are alright Travis. Sending positive vibes to you. I've heard high elevations can cause illness. Hope that was the case. Anyway, good to see Brandon and Josh were able to continue. Eric is a true friend indeed to stay behind with you. Sorry about the mix up with the outfitter for Brandon and Josh, made the hike even harder.
If you go to "Following Redbeard" on RU-vid, he went with a group on the Highland Trail. They had one in their party with the exact same issues as you and they had to be evacuated. Elevation sickness. What elevation do you live at?
Bummer, you got sick. Great video showing when to call it before things get worse. Looks like if you weren't sick, you wouldn't have had enough food at the meet-up with the outfitter. Beautiful area! Thanks for sharing! Hike on!
You weren't whistlin' Dixie when you said the views got better, especially on the big screen! But a real chapper about the fatigue, the nausea, and not being able to fully enjoy a bucket list trek. Hat's off to ya for the heroic effort! And that of your hiking partners!!
I’m sorry you fell ill Travis. I was rooting for you to pull through. Continuing on would’ve have been tough with the botched resupply so probably good you bounced as it sounds like there wasn’t enough food for all four of you to finish. You guys had better weather than us going over North Pole Pass! There is a possibility I go back Summer 2025 Chepeta to HWY 150 so if I go Travis you are welcome to join if you want another crack at it. Look forward to the next episode to see how the rest of your crew finished.
So many cool little places in the CDA forest since the first time I went up there with my family in the 60's. Camp in the middle of the week if you can.
Love the music! Perfect for the mood/moments. Man, when you were explaining about bailing you had me in tears. It's cool that Eric stayed with you, not to mention providing fish steaks for dinner!
Good thing the mountains aren’t going anywhere. Never a good idea to push it and glad you had a buddy to help you get out. There’s always next year. Maybe I’ll see you out there next August. Cheers buddy, and stay safe.
Sorry you weren't feeling well for the first three days. Hope you improved in part 2. This is a different kind of challenge for you. The Uintas look incredible. I've never been backpacking there, but have thought about it a few times. Great video Travis!
All right. Glad you made the right decision and got out. 25 mile days are no joke. Perseverance for sure. Thanks for the video and anxiously awaiting the next. Take care, Al
Even though I knew I was making the right choice, it was still a really tough call to make. But the story doesn't end there! more to come in the next one!
The video content was spectacular and the emotional side of the venture was very compelling. I've been hiking the uintas all of my life and I am much older than you guys. Thankfully, I have never been sick or injured while in the middle of nowhere. I hope Travis is going to be alright. Getting sick doesn't mean you failed! I am looking forward to the next video to see the outcome.
Thank you for following along! Without giving too much away... I survived. 😂 I've never experienced anything like this before, but I will saying my body was telling me to quit the thru-hike and I was listening.
I've hiked the Highline Trail twice. July 12-19, 2022 and again July 12-20, 2024. I'm an avid hiker, and lover of the Uintas. I hike the Uintas every single week, usually starting in April and going until sometime in November. With that being said, it sounds like you suffered from altitude sickness. Your symptoms sound exactly like mine. Even though I am in the Uintas every week, I still suffered altitude sickness both times I hiked the Highline Trail. I thought that I would have acclimated enough to the altitude by hiking every week in the High Uintas, but still got altitude sickness. There are medicines and some supplements that might help. Next time I hike the Highline, I'll be sure to get a prescription from my doctor for altitude medicine. Altitude sickness is more than just the decreased oxygen, but also with the change atmospheric pressure, which affects you at the cellular level.
Well, there it is. I appreciate this comment. I'm pretty sure I had altitude sickness as well. Can't say that I hike the Uintas every week, but I hike above 10,000 ft at least one trip per year (usually more) and I've never felt this. But this time I did. When I got to lower elevation I quit throwing up, but it has taken weeks to fully recover. Erik who stayed with me was on medication for altitude sickness. I was warned not to just take that medication and so I did not take any when I was up there.
oh man...at about 10:45 u look super red and flush...hopefully when u got back to civilization u went and got an EKG or somethibg. U may have been on the verge of a heart attack man. I know that look and feeling of having to jump out of a hike all to well..however u did the correct thing. Saftey over pride..and Chauteu with the fish and trout cakes for the win. Im enjoying the trilogy so far.
I was probably in rougher shape than I have ever been in my life! No, I didn't go get checked out after the hike. I don't want to ruin the surprise of what is going to kill me. It was a no-brainer to get off of the trail, but it was still tough to make the call. Felt like a one-time chance to do the trail.
Another awesome adventure!! Crazy how that trail looks wide as a road at times and then disappears. Can't imagine how much it would suck to be sick on the trail, especially when faced with lots more strenuous hiking! Always enjoy your adventures and look forward to Part II!!!
The start of the trail was also an ATV trail, but it was so rough that we couldn't believe anyone would ride it! Even though I was sick, I just kept pushing through hoping I would come out of it.
Epic in every sense of the word, Travis. Good to see Brandon back out on the trail with you. Your other companions provided good camaraderie. I think the mad cow was seeing red! The vistas along the ridge were awesome. Thanks for sharing.
