Hiking is an active pleasure that some prefer to forego. After all, it is just a repetitive act of putting one foot before the other over and over and over again. Yet, there is a certain splendor in that simplicity and a definite splendor in the places your feet can take you. A segment of my family planned a backpacking trip in the Uintas this summer. Somehow, that turned into an all-day hike to Naturalist Basin, which is certainly a spot of splendor. This is the tale of that trek.

Naturalist Basin, which is located in the High Uintas, is a favorite amongst both Boy Scouts and bigger explorers. It features over a dozen lakes and countless alpine meadows bounded by the jagged ridgelines of Mount Agassiz and Spread Eagle Peak. Hence, its popularity makes perfect sense.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I only got three hours of sleep the night before our long hike. I was up at 3:30, a bit earlier than what was required for our 6:00 AM meetup. Still, Jason and I were prepared and nearly on time. Even the rain that wetted our drive, and hinted that much more would be forthcoming, didn’t diminish our eagerness for discovering what was around the corner… or mountain.

The Highline Trail starts at 10,350 ft. It descends for a bit before climbing again as it nears Naturalist Basin. We started our hike at 8:40 AM and finished it about 7:00 PM. That’s over 10 hours of hiking for those of you having difficulty with the math. In those 10 hours, we followed the Highline Trail past Jordan Lake to Shaler Lake, a total of 12.8 miles.

Roughly three miles into our trek we crossed the singed ghost of a forest. A large section of the wilderness near Scudder Lake was burned by the Murdock Fire last fall. For over a mile, we hiked through a landscape literally enveloped in blackness. The contorted remains of pines and spruce scrutinized our advance like iridescent specters. Although destruction and demise echoed on those hillsides, green shoots were already starting to push through the charred earth. It was both heartbreaking and beautiful.

Jordan Lake, the largest and most popular lake in Naturalist Basin, provided our lunch spot. From its elevation of 10,630 feet, we ascended another 350 to the upper portion of the basin. Although that difference in altitude seems insignificant from a human perspective, not so for plants. The timberline fell away from us as we topped the upper basin. It might as well have been another planet.

As I already mentioned, Naturalist Basin has a reputation for being a little too popular for its own good, but we didn’t encounter the steady line of people moving up and down the mountain we thought we would. The threat of rain persisted the entire day, so perhaps the populace’s general aversion to being soggy at 10,000+ feet did us a real solid. Showers were forecasted, and we were prepared for a drenching. Instead, we got cool, cloudy weather and a nice breeze with nothing more saturating than occasional sprinkles. We did have to remove and replace layers rather frequently though… too bad I didn’t remove and replace my socks. I had an allergic reaction to them but didn’t realize it until after we were done hiking. By that point, I had a substantial rash. That’s a new one.

Those in our group were rather tired after about 10 miles. The differences in the children’s reactions to this fatigue were fairly comical. Some outpaced the group and didn’t complain once. Others grumbled frequently about issues that were easily fixable. As in, whining about being cold instead of just putting on the jacket wrapped around your waist. For the kids in the latter category, bathroom breaks became a way of resting in the woods beyond the eyesight of adults that would urge them on. Still, all protests were halted by a meal at Hi-Mountain Burger in Kamas on our way home. Maybe it was the 13 miles talking, but that burger was one of the best I’ve tasted in a long time.

Naturalist Basin was gorgeous. My super useful tip for those planning on visiting it? Wait until Mother Nature is all grumbly and ready to rain havoc. Then, convince her to reconsider. That way, you will be able to enjoy it with just the hardiest, or most unwise, of hikers.

Families are cool. Cool activities are cooler with a cool family. Here are a few unrelated cool things my cool clan has done together lately. (Yes, I know you are currently questioning the coolness of this content.)

A group of the ladies, and one unintentional man, went to Afternoon Tea at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. This exceedingly-British affair featured elegant drinks and miniature foods. Posh teas and cocoas, scones with clotted cream, cucumber sandwiches, macaroons, madeleines, and harp music were all part of the tasteful experience. We extended our pinky fingers like pros at pomposity!

My parents paid for our entire gang to spend a day at Lagoon together as their Christmas present to us all. We went on a rather warm day with a large chunk of the fam and enjoyed ourselves despite the sizzle. We screamed and laughed on the Cannibal, Wicked, Colossus, Centennial Screamer, Tidal Wave, Rocket, Space Scrambler, Spider, and Dracula’s Castle. One of our nephews informed us he was officially a man because he had conquered the Cannibal, apparently the only prerequisite for manhood these days. We played carnival games for cheap prizes. We ate Dole Whips, frozen lemonades, and giant pretzels. We came home overheated and exhausted but amused. On a side note, if you find yourself at Lagoon, I’d recommend eating at the new beer garden. It offers large portion sizes of flavorful food and, more importantly, plenty of shade.

As a bonding adventure, the boys went rafting on the Weber River near Henefer. I received conflicting reports of this event with some depicting fearsome water and others a calm canal. The most accurate accounts indicate the river was fairly mild with Class II+ rapids on occasion. The only point all sources described as intense was the crossing of Concussion Bridge. This railroad overpass was so low to the water that everyone had to lie down in their boats, hence the headache. That nuisance didn’t dampen spirits though even if it dampened shorts. Splashing contests abounded, and the boys came back giggling and recounting incongruent tales of their exploits.

Don’t be jelly of my cool relatives; jelly is what goes on scones with clotted cream.