In Mountain and Meadow
Colorado Nature Close to Home

Life

20~August 2006

We left the trail and bushwacked a mile or so through thick spruce and fir and willows, staying east of of the river, opposite from where the trail was. I was thinking that might allow us to have the whole side of the lake to ourselves, which turned out to be the case, for the four days we were there.

It took a while to find a level campsite above the lake. I checked out one, in almost level ground behind a large tree, but decided to keep going. I found some large boulders all the way around to near a ridge, where the lake drained in highwater. I set up our tent behind one of the boulders, 100 yards up from the lake.

I got to know that country like my backyard, which is one of the great joys of backpacking. Down at the lake outlet was a heap of large fallen trees, washed there during spring runoff. I found it easier to walk on those logs when crossing to fish rather than push though the tall reedgrass (Calamagrostis). A garter snake was sunning on one of the logs when we first came.

I grabbed a big frog and showed it to Maggie. (which I later identified as a Columbia Spotted Frog, the most common frog in Western Montana) It hopped into the lake and she was fascinated by it. She spent a good 20 minutes going up and down the bank looking for the frog, revealing her border collie obsessiveness. She stuck her head into every nook and cranny of the logpile to find it, and really made me laugh.

I barely had enough food for me and the dogs, and was hoping to supplement it with some trout. I caught a couple in the lake but released one because it was to small. I wandered over to try the river that connected my lake and the next one about a half mile down valley. To my surprise I immediately hooked into a large trout. I lost it, but a few minutes later hooked another big one. This continued, and I found the river between the lakes was full of 15 to 20 inch rainbows and cuthroats. It only took a couple to have enough for dinner for me and Ben and Maggie, and was the best fishing I have had in years. High mountain trout normally don't grow that large, at least in the places I have fished.

The trout dinners were absolutely delicious. I had brought along a deep pan for cooking fish. I laid them on their backs and filled the inside with butter. I put the lid on the pot and half fried and half baked them. The meat was pink, and barely smelled like fish. I was able to pull the bones right out by the backbone. The light, steaming meat just flaked off.

You don't get meals like that in a restaurant.

It was great sport to try to catch those big trout with my ultralite spinning fear. My rod compressed into eight inches, and my reel was not much larger than a ping pong ball. I tell you, I felt like a kid going over to that river to fish every morning. Several times I got a look at huge trout exploding to the surface, before they broke off my line. Ben and Maggie watched intently, because they knew the meal that follows an hour or two after Dad brings flopping trout to the bank. I was not able to bring in the larger ones, but a couple of the fat 15 inchers were more than enough for our dinner.

I tried to cook the fish in early afternoon, so the smell would dissipate some before nightfall, and hopefully not attract bears. When I cleaned the fish I threw their innards way into the lake, which is what you do up where there could be Grizzly.

After eating I would hang our food in bearbags, high between two trees. Then me and Ben and Maggie would take a nap in the tent. After that I would spend the evening reading a novel I brought along, and enjoying the beauty and tranquility of the northern wilderness.

Well I feel damn proud of myself to have the health and the desire to make it up into the Montana backcountry, again.

I may not have everything, living alone, and I would be lying if I said I don't get lonely.

But what I do have is freedom and the peace that comes from immersing yourself in the beauty and mystery of wilderness; watching the reflection form in the lake as the wind stills, and watching the shadow slide down those ridges from the West.

I also have the companionship of the best Mountain dogs ever to have gone up those trails.

I will tell the kids and their teachers about being up there when I give nature programs this fall. They probably will be able to see how happy it makes me to go up there, and how much I love that high country. Maybe it will be a seed that encourages their interest in nature and the outdoors as they grow.

That would be allright.