Thomas' Birthday Adventures Presents

Birthday
Adventure
to the Summit
of Friendship

June 6–7, 2026  ·  1-Night Backpacking

Duck Lake Trail  ·  High Uintas Wilderness, Utah

Can you come out to play with me outside? Take a giant breath of fresh air and get an actual break from made up society. Celebrate life, and the fact that I still breathe it. Come spend time with me and with the Earth. I think you may come home a happier, more refreshed person. I would love that for me and my friends. Thus you have an official invitation to my party.

Claim Your Spot
7.6 mi
Round Trip
889 ft
Elevation Gain
10,800 ft
Peak Altitude
Duck Lake Trail High Uintas Wilderness June 6, 2026 Overnight Backpacking Birthday Expedition Utah Alpine Lakes Sponsored by Thomas' Birthday Adventures Bring Your Own Cake and/or Food Duck Lake Trail High Uintas Wilderness June 6, 2026 Overnight Backpacking Birthday Expedition Utah Alpine Lakes Sponsored by Thomas' Birthday Adventures Bring Your Own Cake and/or Food
Thomas taking a well-earned rest at an alpine lake
Thomas' Birthday Adventures Official Event
The Occasion

A Birthday Party
Is ultimately an excuse for an expedition.

Forget the reservation. Forget the bar tab. Forget the playlist you spent three hours curating for a venue with objectively bad acoustics. This year we are lighting candles, portable stoves, and our passions for living at 10,800 feet, surrounded by granite peaks, wildflower meadows, and the kind of silence that actually rearranges your brain chemistry. Thomas' Birthday Adventures is proud to sponsor the most recharging birthday party in High Uintas history.

* Thomas' Birthday Adventures lives in Thomas's brain and is sometimes deployed as a made-up capitalist entity to explain to tax authorities why hosting this website is, in fact, a business expense.

Jun 6
Launch Day
1 Night
Deep Wilderness
7.6 mi
Out & Back
∞
Vibes Per Mile
Duck Lake crystal reflection
Duck Lake Trail

The
Route.

A jewel of the High Uintas Wilderness. The Duck Lake Trail winds through dense lodgepole pine, breaks into sweeping subalpine meadows, and delivers you to a crystal-clear alpine lake at the base of the Uinta crest. This is the birthday venue. Nature brought the decorations. You bring the snacks and vibes of gratitude that we are all still alive... for now.

View on AllTrails

Trailhead

Mirror Lake Scenic Byway (HWY 150) · Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah

Moderate Difficulty

~7.6 miles out and back · ~889 ft elevation gain · sustained but very doable with a full pack

Allow 5–6.5 Hours In

We are not racing. We are experiencing. Plenty of stops for views, snacks, and general awe.

Early June Conditions

Cool days (55–68°F) · Cold nights (25–40°F) · afternoon thunderstorms possible · possible snow near lake

The Science (Trust Me, Babe)

Your Body Is Literally
Begging You To Cum.

Did you know that 72 hours in a forest does more for your prefrontal cortex than literally anything else on Earth? Science said it. I read it. It was a whole study from Japan. Your cortisol levels are THROUGH THE ROOF right now and you don't even know it. Come to the mountains. Drink the water. Heal yourself. It's free — well, the gear can be an expensive investment, but once you have it, assuming we stay friends, you're gonna use it quite a bit.

Peer-Reviewed and Everything

The Forest Is Your Therapist Now

Japanese researchers — and look, they are very serious about this — proved that forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) reduces cortisol by up to 16%, lowers blood pressure, and activates your natural killer cells by an amount that should frankly be making headlines every day. Natural killer cells. That is your immune system going completely feral in the best possible way. You are not attending a birthday hike. You are attending a cortisol-crushing, immune-boosting, life-rearranging wilderness wellness retreat that happens to also have a birthday cake component. The mountains are doing what your $200/month therapy app could not. And the views are better.

Nervous System Alchemy

Regulate or Disintegrate

Your sympathetic nervous system has been firing like a broken fire alarm since approximately 2020. Nature activates the parasympathetic system — "rest and digest" — in a way that no app, podcast, or breathwork seminar can replicate. The sound of moving water alone measurably drops your resting heart rate. You will be a different person at Duck Lake. A calmer one. With inexplicably better posture.

Zone 2 But Make It Scenic

This Is Actually Fitness Training

Backpacking with 30 lbs of gear across 4 miles of alpine terrain is one of the most complete full-body workouts in existence. Cardio. Leg strength. Core stability. Hip flexors. Grip training from trekking poles. Your physical therapist would honestly love this. Also it is your birthday so the calories from the trail mix are negative. That is how it works.

Skinny Dipping · Sunning · Changing Clothes · All Fair Game  ·  Thomas Will Absolutely Be Naked — Come Prepared For That  ·  Participation Optional · Good Vibes Non-Negotiable

Also: A Brief Word
On Nudism.

There is a growing body of literature — peer-reviewed, published in real journals, cited by real researchers who wear clothes to work — suggesting that shedding clothing in natural outdoor settings dramatically reduces self-consciousness, improves body image, and deepens your felt sense of connection to the environment. Something about the breeze and your nervous system believing you are actually, finally, free. Anyway. Duck Lake sits at the end of a multi-mile backcountry trail accessible only to people who showed up on purpose with full packs. It's very likely we will have the place entirely to ourselves or at least a ton of privacy. And if we don't, we're not going to scar people's eyes for life. Either way I require a judgment-free zone for bodies of all shapes, sizes, and genders.

Leave No Trace applies to tan lines as well. SPF 50+ is non-negotiable at altitude.

Pre-Expedition Intel

FAQ +
Pack List.

Everything you need to know and everything you need to bring. You can bring more but remember this is going almost 8 miles on your back with you. I overthink the gear math so your back doesn't have to. Expand each section below.

Uintas Approved

Complete 1-Night Backpacking Packing List

Your complete Uintas overnight gear checklist. Pack smart. Pack light. Leave no trace.

  • Sleep System
  • Tent, bivy, or hammock
  • Sleeping bag — rated 20°F or lower
  • Insulated sleeping pad
  • Compressible pillow
  • Clothing Layers
  • Moisture-wicking base layer (top + bottom)
  • Insulating mid-layer (fleece or down)
  • Waterproof rain jacket + pants
  • Hiking pants or shorts
  • Warm hat + gloves (nights are cold)
  • Sun hat or baseball cap
  • Wool or synthetic socks × 2 pairs
  • Broken-in trail boots or hikers (do not wear new shoes for the first time on this hike — you will feel needless pain if you don't heed my counsel here, peeps)
  • Camp sandals or lightweight shoes
  • Navigation
  • Phone with offline map downloaded (you will be moving with the group and we will navigate, but it's good backup to have this)
  • Portable battery charger
  • Food + Water
  • Water filter (we will have a system that waters the entire camp efficiently, but this is not a bad thing to bring if you have one or want to test one out you just purchased — you do not need to go buy this)
  • 2L water capacity (bottles or reservoir)
  • Backpacking stove + fuel if you have one (we will have a shared stove and fuel for the group)
  • Lighter + waterproof matches
  • Pot or mug
  • Spork / utensils
  • Dinner for night 1 (freeze-dried works)
  • Breakfast for morning 2
  • Trail lunch + high-cal snacks + caffeine supplements
  • Bear bag if you have one
  • Safety + First Aid
  • First aid kit (blister kit is essential)
  • Headlamp + spare batteries
  • Emergency mylar blanket
  • Whistle
  • Multi-tool or knife
  • Ibuprofen / personal meds
  • Hygiene + LNT
  • Trowel (dig 6in, stay 200ft from water)
  • Biodegradable soap
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Toilet paper + pack-out bag
  • Sunscreen SPF 50+ (altitude is serious)
  • Bug spray (DEET or permethrin)
  • SPF lip balm
  • Pack + Extras
  • Backpack 40–60L with hip belt
  • Pack rain cover
  • Trekking poles (optional technically, but you would be very dumb to not have these and I will remind you of that throughout the adventure)
  • $10 cash (parking)
  • Substances if you want

How hard is this trail, really?

Honestly? You will be reminded you are strong. The Duck Lake Trail is roughly 7.6 miles out and back with about 1,200 feet of elevation gain over varied terrain. The trail is well-defined and regularly traveled. The altitude is the wildcard — starting near 10,000 ft means your lungs will notice. If you are coming from lower elevation, well, don't get in your head about the breathing — you are still in great shape. We will move at a group pace and keep it fun and friendly. I'm hella patient with new people. Nobody gets left behind. This is a birthday party, not a time trial. although I may choose to do a time trial leading up to the trip if anyone wants to join that, lol.

What is the weather like in early June at this elevation?

The Uintas in early June are spectacular and should be respected. Expect warm days (55–68°F at the trailhead, cooler at altitude), very cold nights (25–40°F at camp), and afternoon thunderstorms that build fast and arrive with conviction. Bring layers for every scenario because you will use all of them within the same afternoon. Snow patches near Duck Lake are possible in early June. The mosquitoes emerge around snowmelt and are enthusiastic. Pack bug spray.

I have never backpacked before. Should I come?

Yes. Unequivocally. Backpacking for the first time with a group of experienced people is the single best way to do it. You will have people to borrow gear from, answer every question, help you set up your tent in the dark, and witness your complete transformation from nervous first-timer into someone who cannot stop telling everyone they know that they need to go backpacking. Reach out before the trip with gear questions. REI and local Utah outfitters offer overnight gear rentals for a reasonable day rate. The only wrong answer here is not coming.

Where do we camp? Is there a designated site?

We will dispersed camp near Duck Lake following Leave No Trace principles — at least 200 feet from the water, using durable surfaces, and spreading out our footprint to minimize impact. There are excellent flat spots in the trees near the lake. No reservations, no fees, no neighbors closer than the next tree. Just you, your tent, your friends, a possible campfire (depending on fire restrictions — always check current USFS fire ban status before your trip), and a sky full of stars at 10,800 feet. We can and will bring a camp stove regardless of fire status.

I have more questions / I am nervous about this.

Reach out to Thomas or Kaelyn. This has become one of our favorite things. My anxiety was the stuff of legends the first few times I did this — I get why you're worried. Let's talk about it, and yeah, maybe you shouldn't come, but we can talk and I will tell you if I think you are being crazy like I was. Good friends will tell you when you are being crazy.

Duck Lake at dawn
Official RSVP

The Mountain
Is Calling.
Will You Pick Up?

Spots are limited by the wilderness itself and Leave No Trace ethics, not a ticketing platform. RSVP via the Facebook event to lock in your place at the highest birthday party in Utah this June. Your future self — the one with the alpine tan, the trail legs, and a new inexplicable obsession with sleeping pad R-values — will be extremely grateful.

RSVP on Facebook

Opens the Facebook event — use fb.me/1ZCHqa1x9cxrJNB to share the invite link directly

Birthday Adventure to the Summit of Friendship 2026

Thomas' Birthday Adventures Sponsored Event

Date
Saturday June 6 — Sunday June 7, 2026
Location
Duck Lake Trail · High Uintas Wilderness, Utah
Meet Time
10:00 AM · Exact meeting coordinates shared after RSVP
What to Bring
See the extensive packing list in the FAQ section

Your crew is waiting for you to confirm