Two Kings and a Prince

I remember seeing the sunrise around 7:15 from the east and getting my first glimpse of Kings Peak from the horizon. Sitting as the highest point in Utah in the high Uinta mountain range, Kings Peak is a feat not many U.S. mountaineers can climb. Three hours from Salt Lake City, this hike is very remote and requires going into Wyoming to reach the trailhead. The road to the trailhead is off-road but well put together. We completed the drive in a Chevy Malibu. The drive from Salt Lake City to the trailhead is very boring. The trail starts at Henry’s Fork trailhead and is a total of 28 miles with over 4,000 feet of climbing. There are several places along the way to the peak to camp if you choose to do this as a two-day climb. Alligator Lake, Elk Horn Bridge, and Dollar Lake are popular campsites and popular destinations for a water filter fill-up. It gets very cold at night time and in the morning year-round. Kings Peak is very prominent, so the hike will be windy. Evaluate before attempting the final summit push if the wind speed is too high. A large gust of wind can be dangerous as you walk along a ridgeline of just looking rock. Once you get to the top of Gunsight Pass, it is very hard to follow the trail as there is a shortcut path or a long route. The long route adds about 1.5 miles total on a set trail, while the short path is more off-trail and requires route finding but is shorter and a tad steeper. When reaching the top of Anderson Pass, you think you are maybe 1 mile to the summit, but the ridgeline is about 1.5 miles of Ridgeline walking. There are a few false summits along the way that will really get your hopes up and then right back down. Stay to the left on the way up the ridgeline so you let the mountain block the incoming wind. Bring proper gear for mountain weather, as anything can stir up in the high Uintas. There are not too many animals to spot along this trail as they stay away from it because it is used a lot daily throughout the season. Some animals one could see are bulls, bears, moose, and elk. The best time to visit the mountain is technically September, but the season runs from May - October; both May and October will have snow and be really cold. Don’t underestimate this mountain; distance training and proper backcountry knowledge will be necessary. Even 28 miles flat in one day can take a long time. Class two scrambles to the top, nothing hard, just taking your time and being efficient. Two friends and I set out for this hike on September 16, 2022. We flew from Phoenix, Arizona, to Salt Lake City. We received our rental car in Salt Lake City and headed out for an adventure. A couple of pit stops, including seeing the Great Salt Lake, stopping for a Mike’s Way sandwich at Jersey Mike’s, and then REI for fuel. Once the fun in Salt Lake City was over, we drove to the trailhead, hiked 8 miles in from Henry’s Fork trailhead, and camped that night at Dollar Lake. That next morning was freezing, the coldest camping I had ever done. After getting ready in the morning, we took off for the summit. Brandon, Kevin, and I went to the summit, the highest peak in Utah, on September 17, 2022. Two of us did summit; Kevin and I were successfully summiting Kings Peak during a snowstorm that came out of nowhere. This decision was made with experience and backcountry knowledge. I do not recommend anyone without this experience or knowledge to attempt the summit in such conditions. My friend Brandon made it to the bottom of Anderson Pass. And I am so proud of him. This was his first-ever hike! And he had made it that far. A few months before taking off for the summit, I had this trip planned up and booked. I originally was going to do this alone, but I am not old enough to rent a car, and what’s the point of adventures without friends? So Kevin was invited. I had done a rim-to-rim with him and was confident in his mountain knowledge. Brandon saw my endeavors in the mountains and was always intrigued to join. After begging me for five seconds, I agreed to let his first hike be King’s Peak. But I knew he was in good hands. I sent him a 12-week training program for the hike and all the information required. He moved to Arizona just weeks before leaving for Utah. He did not live in a hiking environment prior; we only had one training hike before Kings. Brandon knew his skill level and what he could and could not do. For him, getting to Anderson Pass was a new phase of self-love and passion to better himself every day. That is the goal for any hike and trip I go on. From then on, I will bring my friends on some of my hard hikes so they can really find themselves. That is why I climb, to find my TRUE self.