{"id":2229,"date":"2026-06-18T21:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T21:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.distinctmag.com\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:55:19","slug":"the-long-way-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.distinctmag.com\/index.php\/the-long-way-back\/","title":{"rendered":"The Long Way Back: Hiking the Uinta Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-c07808e\" data-block-id=\"c07808e\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-c07808e-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-5935e10\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"5935e10\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-5935e10-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-5935e10-inner-blocks\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" data-block-type=\"core\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220346\/LD_Uintas_23-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"The Bear River at Uinta National Forest\" class=\"wp-image-2232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220346\/LD_Uintas_23-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220346\/LD_Uintas_23-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220346\/LD_Uintas_23-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220346\/LD_Uintas_23-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220346\/LD_Uintas_23.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-3fa1708\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"3fa1708\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-3fa1708-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-3fa1708-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5af4282f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\" data-block-type=\"core\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-heading stk-block-heading stk-block-heading--v2 stk-block stk-b695071\" id=\"by-scott-bay\" data-block-id=\"b695071\"><style>.stk-b695071 {margin-bottom:var(--stk--preset--spacing--none, 0px) !important;}<\/style><h6 class=\"stk-block-heading__text\">By Scott Bay<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-block-type=\"core\">From a young age, I turned to nature for life\u2019s big questions: Which career path should I choose? What comes after death? Or, arguably most important at the time, will my seventh-grade crush check yes or no on the note I slipped into their locker? The answers usually lived within Utah\u2019s Uinta Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-block-type=\"core\">Back in the 1960s, my grandfather built a cabin along the Bear River in the heart of Uinta National Forest. Because of that cabin, my version of the Uintas became inseparable from that A-frame, the lily-pad-covered alpine lakes, miles of trails, and the single highway threading it all together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-55c139d\" data-block-id=\"55c139d\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-55c139d-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-5ba46b8\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"5ba46b8\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-5ba46b8-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-5ba46b8-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5af4282f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\" data-block-type=\"core\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" data-block-type=\"core\">Into the Uinta Mountains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-block-type=\"core\">The range is vast\u2014a corner of Utah where outdoor diehards go for real adventure. \u201cThere is nothing out there. It\u2019s a tranquil escape from society,\u201d says Caleb Christian, my guide and director of recreation and activities at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montage.com\/deervalley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Montage Deer Valley<\/a>. This summer, he secured the first hotel guiding permit in the area, one of 10 total permits allowed in the Uintas. There is no cell service, and the hiking trails among the 2.2 million\u2013acre wilderness are fully immersive\u2014the kind of place where you\u2019ll likely see more wildlife than fellow humans. It\u2019s an escape from modern life, yes, but also a genuine mountain adventure, one that can quickly humble inexperienced outdoorspeople. The terrain can be challenging and unforgiving. \u201cAfter your time up here, you feel like you\u2019ve actually gone somewhere and done something,\u201d Christian says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">It is this mix of tranquility, sheer size, and danger that makes the range singular. It holds more than 2,000 glacial lakes, with nearly 1,000 of them populated with trout, and lives up to its name\u2014from the Ute word yoov-we-teuh (pine forest)\u2014with lodgepole pines stretching as far as the eye can see. As a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, it is unusual for being the only range in the contiguous United States running east to west; it also contains King\u2019s Peak, the tallest point in Utah at 13,528 feet. But it remains relatively unknown, even to locals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">With this new guiding permit, Montage Deer Valley is spreading the word with two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montage.com\/deervalley\/experiences\/excursion\/#!\/e\/uinta-mountain-experience-5996d23a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hiking excursions<\/a> to showcase this untouched backcountry. \u201cYou won\u2019t find any crowds here\u2014just pure nature,\u201d Christian says. \u201cPlus, for the evening excursion, you\u2019ll see the Milky Way on display like it\u2019s supposed to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Since these trips are fully customizable, I opted for the four-hour daytime option for the more intrepid. The route unfolded in stages: a pit stop at the roaring Upper Provo Falls, a relaxed stroll to a picnic at Mirror Lake, and finally a steep push up Mount Baldy, which was particularly gratifying as the pines fell away above the tree line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">Over a picnic spread with Christian\u2014which he aptly described as \u201cstraight out of an L.L. Bean ad\u201d\u2014I thought about my years living in New York City. When life felt a little too big in the concrete jungle, there was always one thing looming larger. I would think about how many Manhattans could fit in the Uinta range, or in contrast, how small One World Trade Center, my old office, would look if plopped at the base of King\u2019s Peak. (In fact, the Uintas would hold about 150 Manhattans and it would take nearly eight One World Trade Centers to equal the height of King\u2019s Peak.) Looking at King\u2019s Peak between bites of local charcuterie, I couldn\u2019t imagine the glass-and-steel monolith. Strangely, I never had a hard time recalling these high-elevation mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-block-type=\"core\">For my grandfather, our family cabin was meant to create a legacy\u2014an appreciation for the outdoors, the importance of gathering with family, but also, perhaps unknowingly, a refuge for difficult seasons of life. We went when I was a child and it was the first place, I drove myself when I got my driver\u2019s license. The place became so important to me that I eventually tattooed it on my thigh. Back then, it was all too easy to find time to escape to the mountains, so I wanted a reminder of them when I moved to the East Coast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-625fd14\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"625fd14\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-625fd14-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-625fd14-inner-blocks\">\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\" data-block-type=\"core\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-99da2eb\" data-block-id=\"99da2eb\"><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-2233\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220536\/LD_Uintas_13.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" alt=\"The night sky over a lake in the mountains at Deer Valley\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220536\/LD_Uintas_13.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220536\/LD_Uintas_13-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220536\/LD_Uintas_13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220536\/LD_Uintas_13-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220536\/LD_Uintas_13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-83b6440\" data-block-id=\"83b6440\"><style>.stk-83b6440 .stk-img-wrapper{width:100% !important;height:811px !important;}<\/style><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-2231\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220113\/dis-aspens.jpg\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" alt=\"Aspen trees in Deer Valley\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220113\/dis-aspens.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220113\/dis-aspens-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220113\/dis-aspens-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220113\/dis-aspens-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220113\/dis-aspens-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-37e6593\" data-block-id=\"37e6593\"><style>.stk-37e6593 .stk-img-wrapper{width:100% !important;height:327px !important;}<\/style><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-2234\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220739\/dis-mdv-summer.jpg\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" alt=\"A couple hiking at Deer Valley Resort in the summer\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220739\/dis-mdv-summer.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220739\/dis-mdv-summer-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220739\/dis-mdv-summer-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220739\/dis-mdv-summer-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220739\/dis-mdv-summer-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-c4d9e6e\" data-block-id=\"c4d9e6e\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-c4d9e6e-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-8c8a44c\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"8c8a44c\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-8c8a44c-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-8c8a44c-inner-blocks\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" data-block-type=\"core\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220820\/red_castle2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Baldy under Mirror Lake in Park City\" class=\"wp-image-2235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220820\/red_castle2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220820\/red_castle2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220820\/red_castle2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220820\/red_castle2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16220820\/red_castle2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-80b1f54\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"80b1f54\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-80b1f54-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-80b1f54-inner-blocks\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" data-block-type=\"core\">Exploring Mount Baldy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-block-type=\"core\">After the 3-mile hike, taking in the blue sky 360-degree views at the summit of Mount Baldy, I felt welcomed back with open arms. Below was Mirror Lake, part of the Trial Lake loop, which we had hiked earlier, but also, down the northern side of the peak\u2014my family\u2019s A-frame cabin, and of course, the lily-pad-covered alpine lakes, miles of trails, and the one highway connecting it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\">As time passes, some things remain the same. Concerns are omnipresent\u2014crushes (still), career decisions, and aging parents. But I know one place, one constant, that always holds the answers: the towering, and consoling, Uinta Mountains.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-9416f82\" data-block-id=\"9416f82\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-9416f82-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-d35399f\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"d35399f\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-d35399f-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-d35399f-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-d1c4aa8\" data-block-id=\"d1c4aa8\"><style>.stk-d1c4aa8 .stk-img-wrapper{width:100% !important;height:272px !important;}<\/style><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-2237\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-scaled.jpg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1919\" alt=\"Montage Deer Valley\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221237\/MDV-3-EXTERIORS-0098-2048x1535.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-273905c\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"273905c\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-273905c-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-273905c-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-35487f9\" data-block-id=\"35487f9\"><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-2236\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221000\/wildlife_red_castle4.jpg\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" alt=\"A moose in a lake in the mountains at Deer Valley\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221000\/wildlife_red_castle4.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221000\/wildlife_red_castle4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221000\/wildlife_red_castle4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221000\/wildlife_red_castle4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221000\/wildlife_red_castle4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-a2c74ee\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"a2c74ee\"><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-a2c74ee-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-a2c74ee-inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-image stk-block-image stk-block stk-cf0356e\" data-block-id=\"cf0356e\"><figure><span class=\"stk-img-wrapper stk-image--shape-stretch\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"stk-img wp-image-2238\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221306\/LD_Uintas_24.jpg\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" alt=\"A lake in the mountains at Deer Valley\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221306\/LD_Uintas_24.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221306\/LD_Uintas_24-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221306\/LD_Uintas_24-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221306\/LD_Uintas_24-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/upload.distinctmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/16221306\/LD_Uintas_24-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p data-block-type=\"core\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Uinta Mountains have a way of remembering. A writer returns to Utah\u2019s high country\u2014via a new hiking day trip from Montage Deer Valley\u2014where the wilderness, as ever, is right there, waiting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[22,38],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-experiences","tag-spotlight","tag-summer-fall-26"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Long Way Back: Hiking the Uinta Mountains<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This post reflects on family legacy, childhood memories, and the enduring pull of the Uinta Mountains during a guided excursion from Montage Deer Valley.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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