Thru-Hiking The Uinta Highline Trail | Full Documentary

This 110+ mile trek takes us through the stunning Uinta Mountains of Utah, offering crystal clear lakes, lush forests, and awe-inspiring vistas. Our journey starts from the western trailhead, as we make our way eastward, taking on steep ascents, rocky terrain, and unpredictable weather conditions.
During this unforgettable backpacking trip, we encounter a diverse range of wildlife, including curious deer and majestic moose. We hike around some of the highest points in Utah, including the iconic Kings Peak, and witness one of the prettiest sunsets we've ever seen.
Throughout this documentary, you'll see the prototype packs we were testing, created by Outdoor Vitals. Keep an eye out for more information by subscribing to our outlets.
Join us as we tackle the challenging Uinta Highline Trail, pushing ourselves to our limits and experiencing the incredible beauty of this awe-inspiring mountain range.
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Podcast going into more depth about our Highline experience: • The Uinta Highline Tra...
Our first attempt at the Highline Trail: • Everything Goes Wrong:...
Great Outdoor Gear: bit.ly/3eHMfq3
Table of Contents
00:00 Teaser
00:29 Last Time
01:11 The Uinta Highline Trail
02:36 Day 1 - Highline Trailhead to Dead Horse Pass
21:03 Day 2 - Dead Horse Pass to Anderson Pass
39:51 Day 3 - Anderson Pass to North Pole Pass
58:47 Day 4 - North Pole Pass to the end of the high country
01:07:02 Day 5 - The Last 20 Miles
01:13:33 Pizza
#uintahighlinetrail #uintahighline #thruhike #outdoorvitals #documentary

[@TaysonWhittaker]

You might notice some prototypes of a certain new backpack... 🤔 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oauqcnWsfbVnhNE

[@TheFraziers]

Joe has a lot to be proud of. His "before" picture at the beginning of the video really puts his journey into context. Very inspirational! Awesome work Joe!

[@TaysonWhittaker]

We could not agree more!

[@bewhiskeredjuarez6851]

It's videos like these that remind me why I prefer solo backpacking LOL

[@brycewalburn3926]

Joe, you absolutely made yourself look good while bailing. Some people are not mature enough to recognize their limits and make the best choice for the group. You put up a heck of a fight. You moved the needle and that's what counts.

[@ervinslens]

Absolutely gorgeous cinematography bud, this was one outstanding film!

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Thanks!

[@Minister_of_Magic_1997]

Joe chose a great spot to head back. Moon Lake is absolutely gorgeous and even has cabins a little shop to rest at.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

You got that right!

[@Packsalot]

Well done on your adventures and your video highlighting the Uintas and your trip. The Uintas are my favorite place to recreate. So awesome. Wow, you all had some amazing experiences on this trail. Take care and maybe I'll see you on the trail someday.

[@BBQDad463]

Thank you for this video. The Uinta Highline Trail seems to be quite beautiful, although the idea of 100 miles above 10,000 feet is a bit daunting to those of us who live at 1,000 feet. Still, who knows? With enough conditioning... Subscribed.

[@peterchristensen8200]

Thank you for this documentary! Brought back great memories of my 8-day thru-hike in 2020. The place is absolutely spectacular, and this video really shows that.

[@Manatherindrell]

Awesome. I'm going to be hiking the Highline Trail this summer (snowpack permitting) so I've been watching everything about it on youtube.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Good Luck!

[@davidson_oldbull_sectionhiker]

Thank you so much for this documentary Tayson and leading your team on a successful trek. God Bless

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Thanks Warren!

[@ThienNguyen-ec8yc]

I love this. The focus on bettering your situation and not taking the easy route.

[@panhandlejake6200]

Sensational trek ! One challenge is making the choice between pushing on vs bailing when you are either debilitatingly tired or low on energy. Phe exhilaration of finishing while bailing always leaves questions and lingering self-doubts.

[@vickihubach4388]

Awesome! Thank you, Joe, I've been there with the knee thing, and I totally prefer the slower pace, right there with ya!

[@cjnibley]

that looked awesome. congrats because that's by far the longest KZbin video I've ever watched.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@BeaglesBackcountryAdventures]

I love seeing how you guys come together to test your gear for real! Man, you guys had some great weather and views.. Deadhorse was definitely sketchy and challenging but for me it was rewarding as well. As for the burn area bypass route, it was not any better. Constantly lost trail, sunk shin deep in ash mud, etc. Overall a great trip! Congrats to all.

[@colbypark1311]

What a cool group. Doing this hike in a little less than a month and I'm super excited! Good luck to y'all. Outdoor Vitals rocks.

[@Lv4_o2]

Nice job! Amazing hike, now on my bucket list…but I’m thinking it would take me more days.

[@skintback8211]

Right. These guys race everywhere.

[@ChristianPaulPhotography]

Congrats on your return trip! You guys were punching slog miles! You guys finished a day before I started my Highline trip last summer! No one gets out of North Pole Pass without some madness! Those two guys you were talking to about trail magic with we saw them at Deadhorse Lake and climbed Deadhorse Pass with them. You guys missed a crazy two days of weather by one day! We had pizza and beers to finish as well! 👍👍

[@Floki1624]

Man I'm stoked for this!

[@TaysonWhittaker]

So are we!

[@kenwbrenner]

Very much enjoyed watchng this video. It was well filmed, and made us feel we were with you. Thankful you all made it safely. God Bless!

[@chadtilghman255]

Great video, and big props to Joe. The work he's put in is admirable and I'd join him on a hike anytime, at his pace!

[@BackcountryTreks]

Great to see you guys get some redemption! I had the privilege of soloing this east to west last year. What an incredible experience and place it is! Saw more moose than people. Thanks for sharing!🍻

[@Colorado_Kkid]

Congratulations on completing your goal ... I enjoyed watching your videos of your first attempt and I also enjoyed this one ... And thanks for sharing your approach for doing high mile days ... I plan to give it a try this summer on my own backpacking trips ...

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Thanks Craig and best of luck this summer!

[@frederickneill5550]

Wow, what an adventure! I know what it's like to spend 6 hours in an OV tent while hail and lightning happen outside. I'd be okay with taking 10 days to hike that. Tell Joe to get in touch if he needs a buddy, seriously!

[@anthonyc1776]

This video was amazing. I hope you all celebrated well. The new pack looks amazing

[@ematherne11]

Great video guys! Keep up the good work. Thank you for putting out this great and inspirational content.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@curtelverd]

Wow! Spectacular, this makes me want to go conquer the Highline Trail!

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Do it!

[@whistlepig]

Great video, and I'm glad to have discovered your channel. This vid brought back memories of my trip on the Highline about ten years ago. Great work, guys.

[@TheWayOutdoors]

Hey guys, I'm just finishing Day 1 and loving this video so far. The commentary and shots are incredible!

[@lostinthewoodsproductions]

That is an absolutely stunning range to trek across! It's been added to the "hit list"

[@TaysonWhittaker]

We agree!

[@PierreFarrugia]

Wow, really enjoyed this, Joe feel no shame 👍

[@timroberts1109]

I really enjoyed this! Great work! I was exposed to you guys by watching Glenn Becks channel, and then I subscribed. I am a native and still Floridian, which sucks really. I LOVE mountains. I have made HUGE progress in comparison as to where I was, these videos help encourage me tremendously! I have some really cool things scheduled for 2024 and have accomplished some big goals I set for myself, I am not content where I am, but have hope I'll get to where I want to be. Thanks for sharing!

[@DiscinFool]

Great video, loved the redemption tour!

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Thanks

[@mikeswinyard5838]

Awesome views and I wish I could have been there in person

[@IdRatherBeHiking]

Amazing terrain out there, I missed that area on my road trip last year. After poking around on the map seems a portion of it is drone friendly 😋, I may have to do this thru hike at some point. You guys crushed it.

[@jadenm]

Great video. Absolutely love that OV produced this. ❤

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Thanks Jaden!

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Thanks!

[@brianfairweather7298]

Great video! Such beautiful country. I'm hoping to do the UHT this Sept.

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Thanks! You'll love the trail! Some of the most unique country in the U.S.!

[@clarkansas6590]

Good job and good advice.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TZsHikingMyOwnHike]

Thanks for putting visuals to your previous podcast about this adventure...lots of fun to watch and see the amazing country you had a chance to explore. Looked challenging and rewarding. Are Tyler's MYOG rain pants going to be the next gear launch item?!?! LOL🤣

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Not exactly :)

[@mikeswinyard5838]

Waiting with baited breath!!

[@TaysonWhittaker]

🫁

[@59901Paul]

Great documentary. I’ve been planning to do the Highline for a few years. Going in July or August this year.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@zakkmiller8242]

You forgot to put "Award Winning" in the video title. Arent all thru hiking youtube docs automatically award winning? hahaha great video bro!!

[@shaunabrookshier5516]

Boy I went up Dead Horse from the other side and wouldn’t go down it the way you all did. Crazy!

[@LMay64]

This is excellent. I'd love to do this trail. Hey, just throwing this out there. I've had a total of 11-12 knee surgeries and a back surgery from prior military service. Right now, I have a torn meniscus and I'm bone on bone for my worst knee. My PT person clued me in on the miracle of KT tape for my knee and IT band issues. If applied the right way, it keeps the swelling and pain to a minimum. KT Extreme is an integral part of my first aid kit now. I keep the you tube vids on how to apply the tape downloaded on my phone. I can keep strips on for 5-6 days if I rub it on carefully at first. It is truly amazing to prevent and/or reduce pain and swelling. I don't put in the kind of miles you guys do per day, but I would truly recommend it.

[@panhandlejake6200]

SUPERB trek! Joe should not feel bad about bailing - a good percentage of experienced hikers would have some difficulty staying with these guys ! The distance he hiked is a pretty standard hike for most people. I would be curious to learn about the food plan each of the guys used on this trip.

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

Totally agree. Yea we are probably due for another food video :)

[@Toomuchgearguy]

Great documentary. I’m curious about everyone’s workout programs and diet. How do you prepare for that?

[@seansuttles1813]

Perfect example of “hike your own hike”.

[@mikeswinyard5838]

I see at least two different colors of new packs a white and a black one. They look awesome

[@TaysonWhittaker]

The packs used on this trip were prototypes and color was largely ignored. The final version has some slightly different colors with the foam used, and main pack will be in white UltraWeave fabric.

[@mikeswinyard5838]

@@TaysonWhittaker Awesome thank you so much for everything

[@stoicodysseys6352]

This is awesome that you guys persevered. I've been on these long and demanding trails. When you can push through the wall like Tayson did you earned respect. I am disappointed in the quitter. A little bit of knee pain means you haven't trained your legs properly via deadlifts, Farmer's carries and different angles with lunges. You didn't have the heart. Once you quit something, quitting becomes easier each time. The Outdoor Vitals team doesn't just talk about it they live it.

[@jeddahl6206]

You guys where hauling at an incredible pace! What was your base weight on average and what type of food do you guys buy?

[@thetaysonwhittaker]

We all are typically hovering around a 10lb base weight. Since I'm 6'2" and require LongWide pads/sleeping bags + we were taking gear to manage the possibility of temps in the teens, my baseweight ended up at 12 lbs even. That included battery bank and everything inbetween, except another 1.1 lbs in camera gear. Also everyone started the trail with 6 days of food incase we couldn't make the 5 day goal we set out for. Pretty streamline weights, but not overly obsessive...it's just not worth it in country as unforgiving as this country can be!

[@RunningUphill]

Wondering what your stretching routine is during these long hilly days. Knee pain for me tends to be hip/IT band tightness. Cause I'm older, I have to stretch at every pack break, even with my much more casual pace.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

I've gone through many stretching routines and what I have found is that stretching helps, but then often doesn't help in the long term... It seems to be short term relief. While I still stretch a bit, I focus my daily work on large range of motion exercises usually lightly weighted / loaded. This has paid the most dividends!

[@marywalker7653]

I want to come fast pack with you guys!! Also… are there vest options with the new packs? 😁

[@TaysonWhittaker]

We will have a new fastpack that we'll release this year with a vest harness system! Watch out for details this summer!

[@davidshirley6850]

Just listened to the podcast on breakdown of new packs, the detail on the process was great, from the peaks I'm seeing in video they look great can't wait till they go on presale

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Keep a lookout! It'll be sooner than you know!

[@shawnwalden2669]

any of you on strava? also what was your daily elevation gains? subbed and looking at your products. thanks for the adventure. also do you guys have an outlet store here in Utah?

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Hey, we have a store in Cedar city. www.strava.com/clubs/930618

[@powerliftingrideshareguyfu3658]

Besides kings peak was there any steep or dangerous cliffs you had to cross during this journey

[@DryBonesOutdoors]

Are the straps on the packs different?

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Yes, the packs used on this trip were prototype packs for the upcoming CS40 Ultra backpack, where color was largely ignored.

[@hikingfever4682]

Great videos. Are ya'll selling the shorts ya'll wore in the video?

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Soon!

[@TZsHikingMyOwnHike]

Just saw the Drip Campaign about discontinuing the 1st Generation Shadowlight. Did I notice some prototypes of Gen2 in this documentary?

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Gen 2 is already available with updated frames. They are essentially the same. We had just 100 of the 1st gen Shadowlights left & thought we'd offer a deal on them! Our updated Shadowlights will continue selling like normal. The prototypes in this video were actually for an upcoming pack called the CS40 Ultra! Keep your eyes peeled!

[@trevornelson7144]

Hey guys planning to rip the highline this summer. What week did yall do it?

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Early August.

[@user-to2gh7sg3l]

I've always been interested in this range, but usually opt for Wind Rivers since close to me and more impressive. I'm betting beard guy had an impressive smashed insect count infused in his beard by end of trip.

[@jacklynchstunts]

curious about your choice to do this one west to east instead of east to west.

[@RMBLNmedia]

I think I saw you guys just passed dead horse pass? Right next to all the sheep

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Sweet! Cheers mate!

[@seansuttles1813]

Did y’all encounter many other hikers?

[@TaysonWhittaker]

No

[@mikeswinyard5838]

We get nothing like that here in Florida

[@joshscott3184]

Joe looked liked he had 50 pounds of base weight before he even factored a pack and provisions.kinda saw that coming.

[@ArsenalFC-hp7xr]

You guys sent your mate off by himself?!?! Couldn’t do it.

[@timroberts1109]

Dan Becker, I meant.... oops I enjoy his channel also my bad

[@spokesmtn]

anyone want to do the highline with me this year?

[@lukedeleonardo7924]

Fellas, beer coozies over the tops of the smartwater bottles. Side pockets should cover the rest. Insulation is king. Nobody likes piss warm water when their sweatin their balls off. Especially if you're filtering sus water. Moral points added. Your welcome :)

[@Kaichee]

Derek almost got bit by an R.O.U.S? I don't think they exist.

[@ericcomp7032]

You guys make backpacking look so unenjoyable. It's strange to think that you could be so experienced and simultaneously enept. Not sure it's a great idea to teach people your bad habits. Setting miles instead of daily hours is such an amateur move.

[@TaysonWhittaker]

Hike your own hike...

[@ericcomp7032]

@@TaysonWhittaker b/c nobody should be hiking yours... yikes

[@ericcomp7032]

@@TaysonWhittaker you're the same dude that has a 10 minute drive but leaves with only 7 minutes left and rides my ass the whole way there. We know who you are

[@johntuttle4486]

A foolish trip! You NEVER split up a group! You should have taken extra food and planned for a longer trip so Joe could go at a slower pace or take a day off.