Trekking to Painter Basin (Day 2)

The worst part about waking up this morning was putting on the same sopping stuff—wet socks, wet shoes, wet pants. But the best part was waking up to vapors of steam rising over Fox Lake.
 
Fox Lake lies at 10,778 feet in elevation. I was surprised to find old cowboy cabins here. The more I explored this morning I learned the lake was man-made. A dam was built across portions of it and at the far end is a spillway.
 
I slept pretty good, except that I had to keep continually turning. My left hip was so sore that it was painful to lay on.
 

Fox Lake.

Old cabins near shore of Fox Lake.

Crescent Lake.

Our journey began pleasant enough. Skies were all blue and we had high hopes of drying out. The first mile went relatively fast.
 
Our hike today was spent on trails that were as far north as you can get and still be on the south drainage of the Uinta Range. We passed several lakes and once again had a struggle staying on the faint trail. At one point I believe we were traveling at a slower pace than yesterday. For me, all the pains and aches from the previous day persisted.
 

High-mountain trail, looking north toward the divide.

At one point the faint trail took us north near the slopes that represent the divide. From this vantage point I couldn't help but to notice the vastness of this mountain range. Well off the trail are basins and other sections that are rarely seen by people. How many lakes are out there waiting to be explored?
 
From here the trail hooks back and takes us to Kidney Lakes, of which the trail runs right between the two. It was near this point where we lost the trail completely for about fifteen minutes. I'm glad we found it again. I'd hate to get lost out here.
 

A vast wilderness.

As anticipated, a storm began to brew. When the rain started to pour, we scrambled for our rain-gear. The downpour continued for two hours and drenched everything. There was no dry place to step. Once we had to forge a stream that was a foot deep, completely saturating our boots. My poncho was cumbersome and twisted on my body. I kept stepping on the front flap and tripping. My feet were sore and I had no energy. This was true misery.
 
Luckily for us, the deluge ended. By this time evening was approaching and we found ourselves in Painter Basin. This is a beautiful valley with green grass all around, a stream and tall mountain walls on three sides.
 

Cold mountain stream in Painter Basin.

We passed a camp who had ridden horses from Henry's Fork and had their horses tied up. The men sat on camp chairs near the fire. We hollered a small conversation with them as we passed by and they wished us luck on our endeavor.
 
I should say that for most of this trip we have battled mosquitoes. At times we have been attacked by hundreds of them. In Painter Basin, it was no different. The mosquitoes were our only drawback.
 

One of many lakes in Painter Basin.

We found a campsite that looks over much of the basin. We can hear streams on both sides. We have an excellent view of Gunsight Pass and can see many peaks over 13,000 feet.
 
We built a fire to create smoke to get rid of the mosquitoes and also for warmth. We are close to 11,000 feet and it is a bit cold up here—especially when you're wet. We cooked dinner and read the story of Enos and his wrestle with the Lord while hunting wild beasts.
 
An additional surprise was the sheer volume of stars in the sky. We are about thirty miles from any civilization, leaving the sky free from an interference. The Milky Way stretches like a cloudy band above us as we watch shooting stars move across the sky like pinballs.
 
Total distance today: 13.1 miles. Total on trip: 27.1 miles. Elevation at camp: 11,227 feet. 

View from our campsite, looking toward King's Peak.