Uinta Triangle | Episode 9

Journey to Alsop Lake: a wilderness pilgrimage to Eric Robinson's resting place

This episode follows a carefully planned backcountry pilgrimage as a widow, Marilyn, returns to the Uinta Mountains to reach Alsop Lake and the slope where her husband Eric Robinson was found years earlier. The narrative blends emotional reconciliation with the practical realities of long-distance hiking, camp logistics, and the fragile beauty of high-elevation landscapes.

Recreating the trail: step-by-step backcountry route and preparation for Alsop Lake

Host Dave Colley leads listeners through an alternative approach to Alsop Lake that avoids the full Uinta Highline Trail, describing trailhead logistics, vehicle access points, and a staged five-day itinerary through Utah national parks designed to acclimate and prepare Marilyn for the final ascent. The episode emphasizes pacing, shaded rest stops, navigation through burned forest, and the value of support from local guides and the Judd family.

Emotional milestones: closure, memory rituals, and community at the campsite

At the cirque below the saddle, Marilyn and the group share ceremonial moments: flags, Tim Tams, and a quiet evening reading from a book carried on Eric’s final trek. The story explores how returning to a physical place can resolve long-standing questions, offering a sense of finality and renewed purpose. The Judd family, who discovered Eric’s backpack, provide personal testimony and symbolic gestures like an empty saddle to honor the found life.

Landscape as history: how changing forests shaped the journey

Side observations about the burned lodgepole pine forest, pine beetle die-off, and the role of fire in regeneration surface as a powerful subtheme. Photographs taken years apart reveal ecological change, underscoring that wilderness is both memory and active process. These environmental notes frame the hike as part of a larger story about human impact and natural cycles.

Practical backcountry tips woven into narrative

• Communication devices: carry emergency radios or beacons and understand their limits in rocky terrain.
• Pacing and acclimation: stage hikes with increasing difficulty to protect older or returning hikers.
• Leave-no-trace planning: pack caches carefully and consider animal impact in mountain meadows.

Robinson’s Rest closes the episode as both a physical campsite and a metaphor for acceptance. The combination of field recording, personal interviews, and on-site reflection produces an audio portrait of grief, resilience, and the slow work of returning to a place that holds both loss and meaning.