New/more Environmental study results

Whatever your view is on wolves, this interesting reading from an Oregon State Univ study.

'Yellowstone increasingly looks like a different place' | Eugene News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KVAL CBS 13 | - Eugene, Oregon | Local & Regional News for Eugene, Springfield Oregon

YNP stats from "Natural Resource Vital Signs"

Here are some new stats about Yellowstone National Park, via KTVQ.com Mobile Friendly Website.

Yellowstone National Park's 2011 "Natural Resource Vital Signs" report is helping park managers and scientists more fully understand the status of important ecological "health indicators."


• Invasive Species: Since 1994 more than 550,000 invasive Lake Trout have been removed from Yellowstone Lake to help revive the population of native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout.


The 2011 report can be found online at http://www.greateryellowstonescience.org/sites/default/files/Vital_signs_report_2011NOV.pdf

First Aid in the backcountry....use the winter time to learn some!

This post has been sitting as a draft for a while. It's time to post it!

Safety is number one out in the backcountry, but sometimes we do get hurt. Below is a great article about basic backcountry first aid.

"Whether you're a guide, trip leader, or just enjoy getting outdoors, Wilderness First Aid training is a fantastic thing to have. Our class ran the full spectrum of outdoor enthusiasts including five trip leaders from TerraMar Adventures, several river guides, and folks who enjoyed solo and extended trips. The skills we learned will be valuable for all of us. You'll learn how to care for people who are far from definitive medial care, and that kind of knowledge is priceless. Find a course near you through NOLS WMI."






adventure-inspired: Seven Important Takeaways from Wilderness First Aid Training with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Bloomsburg University Quest

Idaho autumn morning

Travelling early in the morning. Beautiful sunrise on a crisp morning.

Pocatello’s New Fishing Pond

 

The good life just got better! Idaho Fish and Game put together a three acre community fishing pond that opened Friday afternoon. Paul and I checked it out yesterday afternoon, and there are definitely fish in there…big fish! 

This is a really exciting opportunity for me personally because now I can take Paul and Noah fishing nice and easy, five minutes out of our driveway we can be putting a line in some water that we know has fish.

Paul and I pulled in a 14-inch rainbow on a lure, while the powerbait on a yellow jig with bobber did nothing for us. We only fished about an hour until the wind got to be too much. Of course, today is a beautiful day with nothing but blue skies, bright sun, and no wind.

Paul has fun reeling in the lure.

We’re looking forward to good times down at this fishing pond. Many thanks to the guys and gals who put this together!!!

Paul is intent on bringing in a fish.

 

Proof of what’s available in the pond.

Some YNP history: Howard Eaton

I like to read about the history of Yellowstone National Park. Here's a clip I found a couple weeks ago at Once-famous Yellowstone trail no longer maintained:

Eaton was a multifaceted man who had a wide range of experiences. He is credited by some with creating the first dude ranch with his brothers in what is now North Dakota in 1882. There he met Theodore Roosevelt, who became a lifelong friend. Eventually, he pulled up stakes and moved his family’s ranch to Wyoming, where it still exists. In his later years, Eaton was named to a special commission to save bison.

One year after his death in the spring of 1922, the 157-mile-long trail that circles the center of Yellowstone National Park was dedicated in his memory, along with the biographical plaque honoring him.

I also recommend reading more about the place names of Yellowstone National Park. I'm not sure if the book below is the same as the one I have, which has a different color but the same name:



http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_21?field-keywords=yellowstone+place+names&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&x=0&y=0&sprefix=yellowstone+place+nam

Madison River–Oct 10, 2011

I make an annual trip to West Yellowstone with Pete and Roy every Columbus Day weekend to fish for the browns in the Madison just north of West Yellowstone. After four years, I STILL have NOT caught one of those fish! But, I get on the river, and life is good. One year, I think two years ago, the weather was absolutely awesome. Normally, like this year, it’s a bit chilly, windy, and cloudy, which isn’t a problem if you are dressed for it.

I started my annual trek with a 0530 alarm, with intent of being out of the house at 0600. I was tracking for another on-time-departure when Noah woke up at 0558, as is his somewhat routine nature now. I tried my best to take care of him and get him back to sleep; the last thing I wanted was for Tera to have to get up early because I went fishing when I was already planning to be gone all day on a holiday. These fishing days are getting expensive on spousal-approval-units!

Out the door at 0625. Get gas. On the freeway at 0630 and cruising. I get to the see the sunrise from ray 1 to full-blown daytime….I realize I haven’t seen one in a while. Near St. Anthony I can see that the Tetons have lots of snow again already, and I wonder how much snow is on the ground in Yellowstone. At Pete and Roy’s room, I’m in and then a few seconds later we’re out the door. No screwing around this day!

Stop at Blue Ribbon Flies to get some flies.Apparently, Pete caused a bit of an uproar in there the day before, and I shouldn’t have asked why. Below is what was recommended to me. I don’t remember all the names. I liked the yellow one the best, but then I’m not the one who needs to eat it, unfortunately.

On to the river! We stop at a small parking area just north of the airport. This is new to me, and my gut says “make sure you know where you are!” because I’ll be walking out by myself back to the car later in the day. We dress quickly. Can’t find my bear spray…I KNOW I put it in my pack!?!? 

A few minutes on a road/trail, then bushwhacking. Bam! We’re at the river. The first guy we see has a fish on, then off, then right back on. This is going to be a good day!

I spent the next five hours playing around on the banks of the river, putting my fly into spots that HAD to have fish. Nothing! Nothing all day! Oh wait, there was that little white fish I didn’t know I had on til I yanked my fly out of the water. Wonders of a seven weight! By golly I had a fish! He came right off as he flew threw the air.

One hole got about 150 casts and ten different flies through it. NOTHING!

 

Brace yourself for what I am about to say. Sitting down? 

There is cell phone service on the river through this section. There I said it. And yes I used it. Throw me in the creek or whatever. I say this so you know it’s there and know that it can be used if there is a safety issue. And if you get a bit cranky about no fish, you can….now, I don’t recommend this actually….you can call your wife and whine and moan about no fish while she’s at home taking care of the little kids and all their end-of-the-world-issues with not near enough sleep.

 

On the way out, I lost the trail and no-kidding had to bushwhack. I hit the road about 200 yards south of the cars, so that’s not really that bad for being in an area for the first time and not having a map. I didn’t break out the GPS on the phone for a bit, but it’s location had me on the wrong side of the road….it’s not very accurate.

I don’t consider these great days for fishing, but I like them because I get to be on the river. I am excited about taking Paul and Noah there some day, and Tera could finally have a day off(!). The weather was pretty good, and I didn’t get rained on. I got to see Pete and Roy. I got into the park for the last time. You know, it was a pretty good day!

………….and then I found my bear spray in the bottom of my pack when I unpacked after getting home! Go figure.

Live....on the Madison

Nice day if you have the right gear. Not catching anything, but I'm here just to be outside.

Next Trip? Monday for Brown Trout

October is the last fishing trip of the year. Each year, I do an out-n-back trip from Pocatello to West Yellowstone to meet up with Roy and Pete for some brown trout in the Madison. Guaranteed to be chilly and probably cold (relatively). 

Craig Matthews is THE man if you want to know about fishing in Yellowstone. He's a large part of an interview  in the Billings Gazette recently:  http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/article_680c1c9a-6571-5905-9b0d-f86f93db4928.html?oCampaign=hottopics

Next weekend is three days! Saturday is a trail run in the morning (probably some snow for our local race!), blow off some ammo in the afternoon, then take Paul to the Bengals football game.  

Sunday is church and nice family time.  Maybe some trap shooting in the afternoon if all goes well.

Monday is the fishing trip.

Then? Well, then I start thinking about skiing and get into the groove for my winter training season for triathlons next summer. 

LIFE IS GOOD!

Bechler River fishing report Sept 16-18, 2011

Wow, did I need that backcountry trip! I haven't had any backcountry nights in a long time. I forgot how great it is to go to sleep at 9pm and sleep til 8am in the awesome fresh air.

So, how did this trip go? Not perfect but pretty darn good.

Pete called me on Wednesday and told me it was going to rain. Well, I didn't like that news but I'm glad he told me because I hadn't looked at the forecast.  Now the forecast was calling for rain and a low of 28 degrees....snow?!?!   In any case, I had just bought a bunch of new flies and was eager to try to catch my first fish out of the Bechler River, and it was going to be my first nights out in the woods in a long time...nothing could really damper my enthusiasm.

On the way from Boise on Friday morning, Pete drove through some heavy rain in the Twin Falls area, a foreshadow of things to come. He picked me up in Pocatello under dry but threatening clouds, and we drove to Ashton under dark clouds. We stopped in at the Idaho Irresistables for a report and some flies; I was excited to find some new patterns even after buying far too many flies in Pocatello the day before. Ken was nice enough to let us know that the magic color was green.

We met Roy in Ashton; he was being dropped off after some time in Yellowstone with his cousin from England (who caught his first trout in Yellowstone on this trip!). As we ate lunch, it began to rain. Yeehaw, I thought. On the drive out of Ashton, Roy told us the YNP Ranger he talked to said the confluence of Boundary Creek and Bechler River was where all the action was and there are indeed some "sharks" to be caught in there.

Thirty minutes drive out of town and we were at the Bechler Ranger Station. We geared up and started to walk. Then it started to sprinkle. Then it started to rain. At least it didn't really downpour on us, just a nice little rain for 2-3 hours. Enough to soak my boots through the Gore-text for the first time ever.  Ninety minutes and 3.3 miles later (we were cruising cuz it's nice and flat), we set up camp in the rain. As soon as we were done setting up, it stopped raining. Ok, no sweat, at least now we can fish in some dry weather. Time to get the "sharks."

As we walked from our camp at 9C1 (a very average, basic camp, by the way, but close enough to the river to be nice....and this was the first time in my life I didn't get a picture of camp!), we saw risers all the way on the short trip to the confluence. The first few casts had immediate hits, and then the fishing pretty much turned off for some mysterious reason. It was dinner time, anyway.  And then, soon enough, it was bed time.

I wrapped up in my down bag with SmartWool beanie, gaiter, long-sleeve top, and socks...snuggled in nice and warm and dry as the rain began to pour some more. I love my tent! Ten years later, the Black Diamond BetaMid I got for $100 barely used still stays dry as ever.

Saturday was the main event. We had the basic breakfast, and then I topped it off with my new backcountry treat of Starbucks micro-brewed coffee....very nice on a cold backcountry morning. We crossed the Bechler River ford about a half-mile south of camp without incident, other than a no-kidding pain from the water being so cold...water was knee-deep if you crossed in the right areas, by the way.

From there, we bush-whacked upstream next to the river, thinking very few people ever do that because the trail is nowhere near this side of the river. Less people equals less pressure equals more "sharks" for us....or so we thought. Throughout the breezy, mostly chilly day we threw everything in the river with few results. We knew it was going to be difficult, but this was more than we expected. The sun came out every now and then to give us some warmth and remind us why we were there. We saw Collonade(?) Falls from the river, and that was pretty cool. No wildlife sightings until near the end of the day when we saw a bald eagle soaring above us.

Roy hooked into a huge fish, probably the biggest rainbow he's ever had on in the park and brought it the bank before it flipped off. I had a really nice rainbow hit my hopper while I was watching where I was walking instead of my fly; it was exciting to see the fish but would have been cool to at least fight him for a bit. Pete had a big rainbow on for a bit at mid-day but didn't bring him all the way in. I'm quite the amateur, so I was just hoping to catch a fish. Pete and Roy are pretty good anglers, so to see them have some trouble was frustrating, too. But hey, the real treat was just being in the Bechler River area and out in the backcountry.

We headed back to camp and had dinner. And then we finished the day at the confluence of the Bechler River and Boundary Creek again. Roy pulled in the fish one after another for probably an hour. I caught a few small rainbows before I lost my luck. Interestingly, I caught them on an orange stimulator while I stripped it back into my rod. Roy caught most of his on an orange stimulator, too.

Waterfall in the middle of the picture, a barely visible white speck, created a nice feel for the area.

Bushwhacking along the Bechler River.

Saturday evening, the sun had come out, and Roy was having fun at the confluence.

As I walked downstream to Pete, who kept fishing a mid-stream seam, he hooked a large fish. That large fish jumped out of the water, and I saw what I'm pretty sure was the largest cutthroat I've ever seen personally. It was huge, and I was about 150 feet way from it as he jumped in mid-stream. Then he ducked under a log and ripped the line. Dang, that was a big fish! Indeed, the Ranger that Roy had talked to knew what he was talking about when he mentioned "sharks" in that area.

Back to camp. Back into my down bag wrapped up in SmartWool. Back into dream world, finally with dry and warm feet again.

Sunday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and then packed up. But, before we packed up, we looked for my mysteriously missing fishing rod. Where was it? Thirty minutes and several theories later, I found it on the bank of the river. Somehow, I had left it there when returning the night prior. How does somebody forget their rod like that? Crazy!!

The walk back to the car was fast but relaxing. Pete and Roy surveyed different parts of the river thinking about some wish-fish, those they know are down there in a hole that they could hit if they stopped long enough to fish it. There was a ten-minute section through a mature, lodge-pole forest where you could see a fairly long ways through the trees. It was a bit surreal because ALL of the trees were lodgepole, and nearly all the ground cover was a two-foot high leafy bush that was all-yellow. Eighty-minutes later we were back at the car.

Bechler River is a must-do-trip in the fall. The cool mornings and normally warm and dry afternoons are perfect for admiring an ecosystem completely different than anything in the immediate area and certainly different than everywhere else in the park. The fishing will drive even the best angler a bit crazy. There's talk of an annual outing to the Bechler River, but they'll have to keep pulling me away from the Lamar!

Next up: Madison River browns over the three-day weekend in October! Talk about chilly mornings!

Heading to Bechler Meadows tomorrow

Gotta love fall in the park! Staying at 9C1, expecting to do some dayhiking. Buddy said the ranger said fishing is good in the area.

Forecast is 70% chance of rain on Friday night, with a low of 30. Do the math...and....that equals......SNOW!  I like to drink my coffee while the frost melts off my tent. I don't know how I feel about shaking the snow off my tent.

Pics and vids to come!

Economics of a national park vacation

An excerpt from an economics blog: http://www.oftwominds.com/blogsept11/dessert-cart-Titanic-9-11.html

If you go car-camping in a small, high-mileage vehicle, the dessert cart is remarkably low-calorie. We spent a grand total of $225 on gasoline to drive 2,415 miles (40 miles per gallon in a 1998 Honda Civic with 15-year old technology) over nine days, and less than $160 for campground fees, which ran from $12 in some Forest Service campgrounds to $20 for contractor- operated FS campgrounds, and $22 for Washington state parks. The National Park campground in the Northern Cascades Park was $15 a night. (It's generally free to camp on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. Do some web searches to discover the full range of camping options.)

I absolutely agree with the writer about vacationing on the cheap via tents and campers. I think the campers with extra gas costs, insurance, maintenance and such quickly get into the too-expensive-category, but I'm thinking about getting one (gasp..the horror!) because it will make it easier to get the kids out in the woods.

I honestly would rather spend one week in Yellowstone than two weeks at a resort in Mexico or something like that. Not only is Yellowstone more my style of fun, but is significantly cheaper. If I went to the Mexico resort, I would constantly be thinking that it's way too expensive.

My vacationing budget for just me on a fishing trip with friends looks like this:

Three nights backcountry campsite reservation = $20 per trip
Three days of food = $50
Gas to/from YNP = roughly $90 (450 miles at 20 miles/gal at $4/gal)
20 new flies = $30

$190 for four days/three nights. This is exactly what I'll be doing next weekend on a trip to the Bechler River, except we didn't get a campsite reservation (saved $20 there), I'm buying the flies on sale this weekend (saving $10 there), and I'm carpooling a total of 300 miles so only paying for 150 miles or 8 gallons or about $30 (saving $60 there). And I'll be eating some chow I scrounge up in the house and also some leftover MRE's from the recent training activities, so my food costs will be about half at $25 if I really go all out on whatever I end up buying. Total cost for this upcoming trip will be about $50.

If I spent three nights in Salt Lake or Boise, that's easily $150 for hotels (even if sharing) plus probably $100 for an event like a football game or something, for a total of $250 before we even start adding in gas and food.

The economics of backcountry fishing....saving your money, mind, and soul.

Labor Day outing report

The original plan for Labor Day was to go to Albert Moser Campground on the Cub River, east of Preston, Idaho. Well, I waited a day too long and entered into the three day period that no longer accepts reservations for campgrounds at www.recreation.gov. I was pretty sure that campground would fill up before I would be able to get there on Saturday, and by Friday afternoon I was thinking of making sure I got to church on Sunday morning, meaning my arrival would be even later. So….

Paul and I went on a driving recon of the Bear River. For several years, I’ve wanted to see the road that goes north/south along the Bear River and the Oneida Narrows. This was the year. I was really hoping to get Paul to stand in the middle of the river and do some fishing or at least throwing the fly around a bit. But, the water was really high and no sandbars were available for that. The water is still bank full. We pulled into Preston and played at a park for a bit then got ice cream…raspberry shakes in southeast Idaho are always awesome!

While eating my ice cream, I decided we would go to the Warm River campground on the Warm River near Ashton, leaving directly after church and coming home Monday afternoon. After church we packed and got out of dodge, taking far too much stuff and far too long to pack it (and I even forgot some stuff!).

I love driving near Ashton because the landscape has my two favorite things: wheat fields and mountains.

Two hours after leaving Pocatello, we were at the campground. The nice lady host asked how my day was going, and I told her “It depends if you have sites.” I was prepared to just screw around a bit til sundown then come home if there were no campsites. But we got lucky and got a really nice site by the river….then I just had to go back to Ashton to get CASH to pay. Anyways, this campground is great for one simple reason: you are within 50 feet of the river! You can’t camp by the river like this in many places anymore, so I thought it was special.

This may be the perfect river campground for families with little kids:

1. Next to a river that is only two feet deep the entire way across.

2. The tubing and floating opportunities are awesome.

3. All sites are close to a bathroom, which is perfect if you’re little one is just getting potty-trained. Of course, the little boys have it easy, and Paul took 110% advantage of that!

4. Henry’s Fork is very nearby and Harriman State Park is 30 minutes away for adult fly-fishing adventures.

All winter long, I read the “Just me and my dad” book from the Critter series to Paul, and he would always yell “We’re gonna campout!” at some point. Well, that some point got here FINALLY. We put the tent up and then played in the river. I forgot his swim trunks and another shirt!!! Aaargh, at least I had more than enough food.

After playing in the river, we took a quick trip down to the fish viewing site about a mile away. I had seen earlier that people were watching fish, and I wanted Paul to see them and get excited about them. Standing on the platform, we could indeed see many fish below us. People would throw bread at the fish, and they would rise to it and pick it off the surface. Then someone showed up with small size dogfood, and the fish LOVED that! He was so prepared that he brought several extra bags to let others in on the action.

After an hour or so we headed back to camp and cooked up some hot dogs and then marshmallows. I left Pocatello without big marshmallows, thinking I’d just get some in Ashton. No go! All that was left was the mini-marshmallows, but they were going to have to work. And they did work! Paul liked cooking them and playing with the spear…(good thing his Mom wasn’t around to make sure he was playing super safe).

Soon enough, it was getting dark and time to go sleep. This was the part I was dreading..would he go to sleep for me? without mommy around? After about 20 minutes of playing on the leap-pad, I showed him the moon. He saw the face in the moon! I don’t know if he had heard a story about it or not, but that was pretty cool to hear him say. Then all of sudden he let out a big yawn and said he was sleepy.

The sleeping arrangements had me nervous, too. Right away when we went into the tent he wanted the orange sleeping bag. Well, that would be my down sleeping bag, versus the old green Coleman monster that I brought for him because it has so much padding. We were sleeping on individual sleeping pads that can be kind of slippery, and he moves around a lot at night. I decided to put the mats together as close as possible so I could hear him if he woke up and also move him around to keep him on the pad if needed.

Paul woke up every hour for the first four hours. After a short whimper of some sort, he’d be fast asleep again, off the pad and uncovered. So I covered him up and put him back on the pad. At 1:00 am, I was tired of it and don’t remember waking up anymore til the sun was shining. The night went well! But I could have done without the interruptions.

First thing Paul wanted to do when we got up was play in the water, so that’s what we did. That water was significantly colder than the day prior! I couldn’t stand in it for more than a couple minutes. Still, we washed our faces and got our hair wet with the really cold water, waking us up instantly. He loved it!

We packed up and headed to the Mesa Falls up the road. The lower Mesa Falls were running well, and Paul was excited to see them. One mile up the road is the Upper Mesa Falls lot. $5 to park!! I guess that paved road is expensive, and keeping open the lodge there is expensive, too.

We hiked one mile to the lower Mesa Falls, keeping watch out for swipers along the way. Don’t worry, I didn’t know what a swiper was, either, til I just looked it up. But Paul was very concerned about them!  After a mile walk to the lower falls, we had lunch in the woods for a while and then hiked back. Paul is such a little hiker!

We did the upper falls boardwalk loop and then reviewed the lodge. The furs in the back room were especially fun, but he didn’t like the bear. Paul had been concerned about bears all weekend, and this proved to be no exception.

Then off to home!  A great father and son weekend, everything I had hoped it would be. Except I didn’t get fishing in, but hey that will come as he gets older.

September planning done....where are we headed?

So, I missed Awesome August in the park and the great fishing that is available up there at this time of the year.   But I'm back home now, and I'm planning to get out and about in Sweet September. Hey..that started today already!

This weekend Paul and I are going to hit the Cub River in southeast Idaho near Preston of Napoleon Dynamite fame. The river is pretty small, so it's perfect for a three-year old. It's not really backcountry, but considering it's Paul's first night out of the house without Mommy, it's about as backcountry as I want to get with him right now. We'll be a 90-minute drive away from home, so the escape is very doable but hard enough to make me think twice about bailing.

I'm expecting to do a little bit of fishing and probably a lot of hiking. Paul wants a fire, too, and there are fire rings in the campgrounds, so we'll get to do that. I guess hot dogs and marshmallows are in order then, too! Of course, we'll be sleeping in a tent. If he's asleep before 9:30pm, I'll call it a success, but my plan is to simply let him go to sleep whenever he wants to so he'll associate camping with staying up as late as he wants and therefore want to go all the time. I hope to be able to sleep in a bit, but with this kid...who knows!?

On a side note for you planners, you can see all the campgrounds available online at www.recreation.gov and make reservations there, too. But beware that you can't make reservations once you're inside a three day window to the arrival date...I'm caught in that trap right now because I didn't make reservations yesterday and they don't take phone-ins inside that window either.  A commercial site that does the same thing is www.reserveamerica.com.

Then.....for the weekend of Sept 17, I get to hit the backcountry of Bechler Meadows for two nights. It's gonna be AWESOME! I've only been to that part of the park once, but it was so incredibly cool that I can't wait to get back. The fishing is much harder than the Lamar River, but I'm telling myself I'm ready for it. Also, the drive time is about half as long, so that's another plus.

A little humor...

Here's a funny story from the Cody newspaper. I first saw it on Aug 8, so it's a bit old. I didn't get to post it back then because I was gone away from my computer and internet:

Enjoy!.......‘Dr. Wade’ removes hook from woman’s lip

Back in town...planning Labor Day weekend

Back in town after three weeks away for Marine Corps Reserve Training.  I'm told it was really hot here while I was gone, but I was missing the weather here alot. South Korea in August is not my idea of fun, although it was significantly cooler than expected, and I didn't get rained on even once, which is a miracle in itself.

Anyway, I couldn't help but occasionally dream about fishing the Lamar River right now. The grasshoppers must be getting on the water by now, and the water is coming down according to the graphs but still high at 660. I think it was 1500 in late July when I went last.

But I won't be going to Yellowstone this weekend. Bummer! But I have hopes of something even better. I'm taking Paul out for his first camping trip! I'm not sure where we're going yet, but I want to keep it close and by a river or lake of some sort to get some fishing in. I also want to do some hiking. Can't have any bear activity because he's still in diapers (hopefully not next week, though!) and I don't want to deal with the risk that diapers in the backcountry could bring.

And I'm still planning a Yellowstone trip for the weekend of Sept 17th.  The Bechler River has entered the discussion, and that's very exciting! Heads or tails, Bechler or Lamar.....either way, it's a win!

Missing AWESOME AUGUST

Here I am on my annual training period for Marine Corps Reserve. I'm missing on of the best months of the year in park. Gotta do what I gotta do.

We have a weekend of fishing planned for mid-September. Location is TBD, but we are looking at Slough Creek and the Lamar River (of course!) but also maybe going to Bechler Meadows area.  Either way, it's sure to be awesome.

No report from last week's adventure?

I took a day trip to the park last Saturday. I fished the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek.  Fishing and weather was great, but the catching was a bit slow. I caught only one cutthroat all day. Got a few nice rainbows and cuttbows, too.

I wanted to write up a nice report, but things changed with one phone call on Sunday morning.

Today, the San Diego Police Department with the US Marine Corps held a memorial service more a friend and fellow Marine in my unit, Jeremy Henwood.


http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Thousands-attend-Slain-San-Diego-Police-Officer/t5U-ixwdj0enJQvQgasYRw.cspx

Rest In Peace, Friend.

Eight hours of driving for ten hours of fishing...coming right up!

I'm going for it this Saturday. I'm doing what I call the "out-n-back" day to Lamar River. Drive up Saturday morning, arrive by 9:30am to fish the Lamar River from 10:00am - 8:00pm, and then drive to get home around midnight. This is not the preferred option, but given the circumstances, it's what I'll be doing.

I didn't get to fish at all in June because we didn't take our normal trip up there in June.

I fished only about two hours on the Gibbon River in mid-July and an hour on the Gardner River. Nothing on the Lamar or Yellowstone or Slough Creek or Soda Butte Creek.

I might get to fish in the park over Labor Day. I'll get one day on Sept 17th. That is not alot of fishing for the year. That's all the fishing that's planned for the rest of the year.

Therefore, I'll be getting up early and going to bed late. BUT....I'll get to stand in the Lamar River this Saturday, and it will all be worth it.

I did this trip once last year for the mid-September day in the Lamar River. The day was INCREDIBLY AWESOME until 7:45pm when I cut the last fly off my line for that year. My heart sunk. "Man, that's it for this year." I thought. The sun dipped quickly behind the ridgeline, and it was immediately very dark, such that all I could focus on was getting through the park at night safely. I stopped in West Yellowstone for gas and said goodbye to the park for the year.

The fishing stayed on my brain a bit more throughout the winter than it normally does. And, the big snowpack had two impacts on me: 1) it kept the rivers blown out longer than normal and 2) I was really bummed about not getting much backcountry skiing in during a huge snow year because of the newborn baby in early March (yes, I have my priorities correct and Baby Noah certainly is more important than a few missed turns on the hills).

Anyway, I'm really excited. The 4:30am alarm on Saturday can't get here soon enough!! Who's coming with me?

Backcountry Training for the little guy.

We didn’t go fishing today like I had planned. Instead, it was a fun day hiking up City Creek close to home. But it was sooo much more than that! This was training Paul for things he’ll be doing a few years down the road (next year even?!?!). It was a lot of fun. Alas, it didn’t wear him out, though, and he didn’t take a nap, and we ended up looking at camp trailers as a distraction during some afternoon errands.


How to recon the water and find a fishing spot.


Wet-wading practice. He’s a tough little dude, walking on those sharp rocks with no shoes on!



Lunch on the trail is the best!


Drink water!

Good set of maps and books

The Yellowstone Association has a really good price on the maps set for Yellowstone National Park at
http://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/store/product.aspx?productId=1154&categoryId=31




I also recommend getting the two books below, one for general fishing guidance and one for trails and campsite guidance.

  

Kids’ Camelback “Scout” Review

After Paul did so well on our little introductory hikes last week in Yellowstone, I knew it was time to get him a backpack. He’s a HUGE fan of the Camelback hose and drinking out of them (actually, most kids love it). And I’m tired of carrying around all of his stuff…Soooo, welcome to the real world, kid, now it’s time to carry your own stuff (!) 

We checked out the bags available at the local sporting goods store that is locally owned and operated, and we found the Camelback “Scout” to be the best option for us. As far as Paul is concerned, as long as it had a hose he could drink out of, it was good to go. I wanted it to be able to carry some stuff, too! Eventually, Paul came around to liking the idea of being able to carry his own stuff, too. I knew he liked this one because he wore it around in the store for thirty minutes.

We haven’t done any hikes with this backpack yet, but Paul likes hit. He has been wearing it nearly all waking hours since we bought it. He keeps it handy to drink out of, which is also very good right now as we are in full-on POTTY TRAINING mode, and constantly drinking water has made success on the potty an easy thing to do. So, this purchase is already a big check in the win column.

As for size, it is admittedly a bit bigger than I wanted. But this was the smallest version that had any cargo capacity. Paul is 35 pounds and about 38-40" tall, and the backpack works ok for now, and he'll grow into it. I wanted him to carry a couple diapers, a change of clothes, and some snacks. This carries all that and has more than enough room without getting too heavy. I think Paul will be wearing this backpack for at least three or four years before it gets too small.

Fifty ounces of water is a lot for a little kid to carry around. If a gallon of water is 64 ounces and weighs nearly ten pounds, then this 50 ounces comes in at around eight pounds. Paul weighs 35 pounds, so that water is nearly 25% of his body weight and would be equivalent of me at 180 pounds carrying 45 pounds or 4.5 gallons of water. That’s A LOT! It looks like he can handle it, and he doesn’t seem to mind too much, but I’m only filling it about 2/3 full for him until he grows some more.

The pack has 763 cubic inches of storage space, which is pretty big. The adult version of a M.U.L.E. has only 439 cubic inches. The bag currently has three diapers, a little container of wipes, several cereal bars, a couple of small cars, and a few small books, and it’s only about half full. Of course, with the weight of these items and a 2/3 full bladder, it’s at the edge of being too heavy for him.

The main “competition” I saw when deciding what to buy was another Camelback called the “mini-mule.” I have an adult M.U.L.E. from many years ago that I still use and love, but this kid’s version has almost no cargo capacity (listed at 153 cubic inches) and certainly nowhere near what the “Scout” has.

All in all, I think this was a great purchase for $50, and I can’t wait to get Paul out on the trail with it!


Paul drinks from the hose. He loves his Camelback hose!


Side-view of the pack shows it comes to just below his waist. This hasn’t interfered with his walking yet. It is a bit big on him, but he’ll grow into it quickly. There is a side pocket for other items, too.


Front-view shows see-thru window for identification/contact cards for the kids. Or you could put your map in it.


Another see-thru window in the main compartment. I guess I’ll put a backup identification card in here.

From Amazon...

Product Description

Amazon.com

The Scout from Camelbak is a kid's specific hydration pack ideal for young explorers who want to head out on the trail with cargo and hydration. The 50-ounce Antidote Reservoir with Quick Link System keeps kids hydrating without reminders, while 763 cubic inches of capacity carry the kid essentials without bulk. Equipped with a lightweight air mesh harness and a diamond mesh back panel, the Scout provides seamless support and comfort in kid-specific sizing.

Antidote Reservoir with Quick Link System.

Pack Specifications:

• Hydration Capacity: 50 ounces (1.5 liters)
• Cargo Capacity: 763 cubic inches (12.5 liters)
• Torso Length: 14 inches (36 centimeters)
• Pack Weight: 13.4 ounces (380 grams)

Pack Features:

• Diamond mesh back panel
• Air mesh harness
• Large main pocket for layers
• Organizer pocket for trail map, sunglasses
• Carries: extra layers, food, trail maps, sunglasses

Antidote Reservoir with Quick Link System

• Low-profile design for unmatched stability
• Air-light fillport cuts weight
• HydroGuard technology to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and prolong reservoir life
• PureFlow tube
• Patented Big Bite Valve for easy drinking
• Easy-to-clean wide-mouth opening
• Quick-seal cap tightens in just a quarter turn

Product Description

The ideal pack for the young explorer who wants to head out on the trail with cargo and hydration.

The Backcountry Bucket List is now available on Kindle.

The Backcountry Bucket List  is now available on Kindle. It's also available at www.smashwords.com and in the near future on iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and other e-book reader stores.

"Things you GOTTA do in the backcountry before you die. I took the idea of the "bucket list" and applied to my favorite things to do in the backcountry. If you don't know, a "bucket list" is a list of things to do before you die. In this case, it's things you need to do in the backcountry. This book provides a nice list of cool things to do if you often get bored in the backcountry. Most of these things will rock you out of your rut and make you FEEL ALIVE! Plan your trips with these bucket list things in mind. There is more to the backcountry than summiting popular mountain-tops."

Also available is Yellowstone's Backcountry Cutthroats.

"The basic how-to for planning your backcountry river fishing adventure in Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry. When and where to go. How to setup your trip to make sure you have a place to put your tent (legally!) because you can’t just put down for the night anywhere you want. This guide gives you an overview of the process to reserve a campsite and the major areas to fish for each time of the year. You’ll also find the websites and other resources for current detailed information. Sorry, but this guide won’t give you the secret holes with trophy fish or any type of fishing techniques to catch that trophy fish, and it doesn’t tell you how to backpack. This book focuses on fishing the rivers in the backcountry. You also get a top-secret review of the easy way to get to the upper Yellowstone River, above the lake!"

Gear Info: SPOT Connect

I don't have a SPOT Connect, but it sure looks cool. It is satellite positioning with a text capability.

Imagine you are on a solo trek into the backcountry, and extended fishing trip in grizzly country or the Appalachian Trail or the John Muir Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. Or you are out on an extended backcountry skiing tour with plans to set up a tent in the middle of the winter. Turn this thing on and it reports your position on a map that your family, friends, and all your blog readers can read. You can also send very simple text messages to just say your o.k. so those same people can stop worrying if you froze to death, broke a leg, or became grizzly lunch. And yeah, you can update Twitter and Facebook.

A few years back, I took a Globalstar satellite phone on the John Muir Trail with me just so I could tell family that I was ok. That brick and some extra batteries weighed about five pounds. That combined with my other then-amateur backpacking skills put my pack weight over the top such that I wasn't able to do the whole thing.

This SPOT connect weighs 4.9 oz (with batteries!) and connects to your smartphone via bluetooth. Of course, you'll have a small solar power device for your phone, so no extra weight there.

$169.99 for the blue-tooth device.

$269.98 for the stand-alone device and a year of service.

I don't think I'd ever buy one, but if you have a fly shop, bike shop, ski shop, white water rafting shop, or any other kind of adventure shop, I'll bet there is a good market for renting these things. I'd pay a couple bucks a day to let my wife know that I'm trotting along ok in the backcountry. I'd certainly pay up to about 75% of what a satellite phone would cost if I was using this on an extended trip...probably up to $100 for a month of backcountry time.

Re-use Huggies Wipes Container to Make a Fly-Box!

I make an effort to recycle and re-use when possible, mostly because God has demanded that we take care of what He gave us. So, when I realized last year that we have A LOT of Huggies wipes containers going into the recycle box, I thought there had to be a way to reuse it. I thought I’d try making a fly box out of it, and I was successful.

This is a really easy way to expand your carrying capacity for flies, and it is really inexpensive. Here are the steps….seriously very simple!:

1. Find empty containers of the Huggies wipes that come with a box of diapers. Ask anyone with kids! You want the thin container that comes free with a box of diapers, not the really thick box that is purchased separately.

  

2. Get a pad of fly box refills.



3. Open the empty wipe box.

4. Apply fly box refill to one side. You can try both sides, but I find that putting flies on both sides results in squashed flies. If both sides will have nymphs, then you should be able to do that with no problem.



5. Go fishing!

Gear Review: Mountainsmith Lumbar Pack

I’m a pack freak, and I’m always tempting myself by looking at new backpacks. Mountainsmith almost always ends up in my hands if I walk out of a store with something in my hands. Last week while in the local ACE Hardware store that has a nice outdoor section and some fishing flies that I was after to prep for this past trip to YNP, I sauntered over to the backpack section to tempt myself.

For the past two years, I’ve been wearing a small lumbar pack in conjunction with my Camelback while out fishing for a day. The lumbar pack holds two fly boxes, tippet, “float goop,” clipper, and hemostap. The Camelback holds bigger stuff like a rain jacket, lunch, toilet paper and shovel, camera, a couple more fly boxes, and of course a water bladder. The nice thing is that I can leave the Camelback in place most of the day, and when I need to change flies or add tippet, I just spin the lumbar pack around to the front for easy access to my stuff.

But I wanted more space in the lumbar pack, and the Mountainsmith Kinetic II Lumbar Pack is the sweet spot in size. I can now put my camera and two more fly boxes into the lumbar pack. It’s just nice to have easy access to those things,especially the camera(!).

On another note, the tag says this bag saved eight plastic bottles from the landfill. If that's really true, I guess that's one more reason to buy this bag if you're looking for something like this.

        


For $40, this thing sits nicely on my hips and carries really everything I need constant easy access to. It obviously doesn’t hold everything I need for a day in the backcountry; that’s what the camelback is for.
This lumbar pack, when combined with my Camelback, provides a perfect combination of access to my stuff during the day.

YNP trip summary July 14-17, 2011

A quick note about the trip to the park this past weekend. A great time interspersed with some trying family times that any parent of a 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old knows about.
First things first…I saw some salmon flies at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Lamar.
Yellowstone River: Wow! 9,000 cfs is A LOT of water.
Lamar River: High and muddy. We spent some time on the sandbar just about the beginning of the canyon. Paul loved hanging out on the rocks…which ones to throw?!?!
Gibbon River: Fished west side of the bridge and caught a few 8 inch brook trout. Nice day and a little bit of wind. Nice to be out fishing in the park!
Wildlife: saw more bears than normal, with grizzly sightings every day but Sunday and all of them in the northeast part of the park. Saw a few elk and of course lots of bison in the Lamar River. Didn’t see any wolves…I never get to see wolves .
So, with no fishing available, what did we do?
Thursday: drove to Roosevelt, checked in, settled in, sat on the porch.
Friday: Morning coffee on the Roosevelt Porch. Fished Gibbon River.
Saturday: Morning coffee on the Roosevelt Porch. Took Paul hiking for the day. Started the day on the rockbar on the corner just above the beginning of the canyon…lots of fun.

Morning rain and rainbow in Lamar Valley

Paul has fun on the rockbar in the Lamar River.

Lamar River is high and muddy.
Then went up the upper Soda Butte Creek area. Wow, that place is truly beautiful! We did a little one mile out and back walking along the creek (small river!).
 
Soda Butte Creek looking northeast.
Then we hiked to the confluence of the Lamar and Yellowstone, something I’ve been wanting to do for several years but simply haven’t done it.  It’s a nice and easy walk, about fifteen minutes with not terrible steepness, but there is some SIGNIFICANT exposure to a cliffside that can plunge you straight down into the river with no hopes of coming out….little kids need their hand held at a minimum or on shoulders or in backpacks for a real sense of safety.


Salmon flies out and about at the confluence of Lamar and Yellowstone River!
Sunday: Morning coffee on the Roosevelt PorchWe packed up in the morning and then headed over to Canyon because I wanted to see what 9,000 cfs looks like going over the fall. Wow! We also stopped at the Canyon Visitor Center so I could look at the terrain model that is so AWESOME. Then we headed home so I can pack to travel again first thing Monday morning for work.

That’s alotta watta!