9 days in the Winds

[golden beetle]

Here's a good lesson on how to prepare trout for eating when in a survival situation.

Man vs. Wild: Bear Grylls Eats a Fish - YouTube

 

[Oliver10]

Here's a good lesson on how to prepare trout for eating when in a survival situation.

Man vs. Wild: Bear Grylls Eats a Fish - YouTube

The first really good post in a while and you try to hijack it with this crap.....I would like to see a homemade video of you eating a live trout.

 

[golden beetle]

Predictions?

This is great stuff, looking forward to more.

 

[sunsignarcher]

[/URL][/IMG]

Day 6: Baptiste Creek to Grave Lake




Sooo, irresponsible dad that I am we side step our way down the east side and into the promise land.


Yae though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Hooker I shall fear no trail. I don't think thats how it goes but thats the prayer I went with and it worked.





We started this trek on the west side of the divide because it's known for its easier terrain, well marked trails, high traffic and relative safety. You could easily go the 10 mi. to Pyramid from Big Sandy with no map, no compass and no GPS and be fine. I wouldn't do that, but you'd be fine. It's a great place for beginners like us to get their feet wet.


The east side however is the road less traveled. Lots of switch backs, sketchy trails and much less traffic. This is not where you want to start your first time in. All of my research however pointed to the east side being were you needed to be if fly fishing was going to be your focus and especially if you hoped to come across the highly coveted golden trout.


That said we came down off the pass and IMMEDIATELY we were lost. Trail? Whats a trail? Out in front of us was a huge expanse of marsh that supposedly had Baptiste creek flowing through it and one of the only man made structures in the Winds going over it. The book I read that in was quite old though so I really didn't expect to see a bridge but something better than elk tracks and scat would've been nice. Looks like no ones used "Death on a Stick" pass in a while…I wonder why.

 

[sunsignarcher]

We skirted the marsh and headed south along Baptiste creek hoping to run into Grave lake at some point and find a good spot to camp. That plan ended abruptly when Baptiste tumbled of a cliff into an abyss taking the terrain on our side of the creek with it.


We needed to find that crossing and get to the trails that were supposed to be on the other side.


At the point where the terrain got to steep and Baptiste became a waterfall there was an old fire ring and a decent spot to pitch a tent. We dropped our gear and the kids collapsed, in all likelihood we'd be spending the night here because if we walked another step to find Grave we'd wind up in our graves instead.



Man down
[/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

Walking along Baptiste creek I couldn't help but notice that it looked FREAGIN AWESOME!!


We were parked next to a particularly sweet looking run so I rigged up the nymphing rod and crept over to the waters edge with the Chief in tow.


First drop in BAM, saaaweeet little cutty!
Second drop in BAM, saaaweeet little cutty!

[/URL][/IMG]








I turn to the chief and said; "Go get your brother"


As my little one comes stumbling over with that fish gleam in his eyes I turn and hand the rod to the Chief.






The Chief drops in.






We all hold our breath.






The holy grails bead glistens under the surface.






A strange color flashes below and...






BAM!!

 

[lightenup]

We skirted the marsh and headed south along Baptiste creek hoping to run into Grave lake at some point and find a good spot to camp. That plan ended abruptly when Baptiste tumbled of a cliff into an abyss taking the terrain on our side of the creek with it.


We needed to find that crossing and get to the trails that were supposed to be on the other side.


At the point where the terrain got to steep and Baptiste became a waterfall there was an old fire ring and a decent spot to pitch a tent. We dropped our gear and the kids collapsed, in all likelihood we'd be spending the night here because if we walked another step to find Grave we'd wind up in our graves instead.



Man down
[/IMG]

Dude...keep an eye out for the CPS....
one day, when they are big enough, they will beat yer ass, then thank you...

 

[sunsignarcher]

...GOLDEN.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

Only hours ago we were headed home. Beaten. Deafeated.


That somehow turned into a harrowing 1000ft climb/decent over the continental divide to put us here on this perfect body of water holding a trout that only exists one other place in the world??


No kid has ever done more in a day to earn a fish and no father could be prouder of two sons.

 

[lightenup]

Only hours ago we were headed home. Beaten. Deafeated.


That somehow turned into a harrowing 1000ft climb/decent over the continental divide to put us here on this perfect body of water holding a trout that only exists one other place in the world??


No kid has ever done more in a day to earn a fish and no father could be prouder of two sons.

Nothing but awesome......:applaudit
Can't wait to hear about the return voyage....

 

[tomfly]

SSC you are the quintessential model of what a father should be. My father was that way with my brother and I. That is a rare quality today. Your sons might not know now. Some day they are going to see how lucky and fortunate they are.

 

[sunsignarcher]

That said we came down off the pass and IMMEDIATELY we were lost. Trail? Whats a trail? Out in front of us was a huge expanse of marsh that supposedly had Baptiste creek flowing through it and one of the only man made structures in the Winds going over it. The book I read that in was quite old though so I really didn't expect to see a bridge but something better than elk tracks and scat would've been nice. Looks like no ones used "Death on a Stick" pass in a while…I wonder why.

I was soaring over the area on google earth just now and there is a bridge. Its on the west side of the lake over Graves outlet not inlet. Baptiste creek breaks to the north and is not a part of or go through that marsh.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Heres something I learned on this trip:


2 boys completely drained + golden trout(2cutthroats) = 2 supercharged boys


These guys went from 0 to 100 miles and hour in a blink. They were acting like someone direct injected a double shot of espresso into their brains! My little one could not wait to get into that water after seeing that golden.






My youngest son is a fishing machine. He is the king of "one more cast". To get this kid off the water somedays I need to tackle him, hold him down, take the rod away, beat him with it and drag his ass home.


In this boy I have truly created a monster.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]






I love to watch him fish, He just gets it. He went to work hitting all the right seams and probing every pocket catching fish after fish but somehow not coming up with any of the bigger cuts or a golden of his own. It wasnt for lack of trying.


We worked our way up about a half mile of stream and came across a cairn that marked our missing stream crossing and the way to the Grave and Baptiste trails. We spent some time building in up so the next people to come along wouldn't miss it like we did.

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[Matt Grobert]

SSA, great stuff and thanks for sharing. Sounds like a perfect trip with your boys that will yield a lifetime of memories.


I look forward to seeing you and the boys at the next show.

M

 

[sunsignarcher]

[/URL][/IMG]

It only took 6 days but we finally made it to Grave. We found a great campsite, pitched the tent and got the rest of the rods rigged up.


I was hoping to find a great plunge pool at Graves inlet but the falls just kind of leveled off into a flats of sorts. We picked up a couple small cuts where Baptiste was flowing into Grave but it was very skinny water so we hiked east along the shore line for a ways. We found a nice point to fish off but there was nothing going on anywhere we could see. It was prime time now and every lake we've been to thus far had at least some fish rising in the evening but Grave seemed dead tonight.


It was a beautiful place though and we were content now to just soak it all in and watch the sun set.

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

It was very different in the tent that night. No rain, no ice, no snow, no whipping winds, the only sound was the occasional rustle of a sleeping bag.


My little one slept close to me again that night and he told me the east side was protected by the divide and non of the bad stuff could reach us here. No beasties for him tonight. We were home.

 

[golden beetle]

This is the best report I've read in a long time on any forum.

It may be the best since my KLG report from last year.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Day 7: Grave to Skull


After a well earned peaceful nights sleep I crawled out of the tent at dawn to fetch the news and see what the weather would bring for the day. The paper wasn't there but the water falling out of the sky told me what I needed to know.


The weather was threatening to teach me a lesson for not respecting the divide and crossing over here so late in the game. With the threat of being stranded here for the winter literally looming over my head there was only one thing I could do. I grabbed the 6wt and hit the lake.


Grave was the first lake we'd seen with a wooded shore line. I could only roll cast here and work the rocks and ledges close to shore. I fished streamers for an hour and a half scrambling over rocks and boulders and only managed to loose one fish I didn't even get to see.

The kids would be up soon so I headed back and got breakfast going.


fly collected while washing dishes, any body got a name yet?

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]


The plan was to pack up and start hiking back toward the creek crossing fishing Baptiste creek along the way. If the weather hadn't cleared up by the time we got to the crossing we'd stage our gear there and continue fishing Baptiste creek up to Baptiste lake.

[/URL][/IMG]


The first spot we hit was where we started yesterday and caught the golden.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]


Not surprisingly the fish were a little less cooperative this time out so after catching only one cut nymphing and the boys batting zero I gave the ol adams a try. The fly touched the water drifted a half inch and a fish blew up on it flying out of the water with a triple summersault. A golden for Dad.

[/URL][/IMG]


Just before we left that spot a group of three came up out of the timber across the creek from us right at the spot we stopped yesterday. They came up through some ugly shit along that waterfall and looked beat to hell. They seemed stunned to see two kids happily fishing on a rock 14mi. in in a place that seemed to be handing them there asses. They smiled, nodded and moved on. One of them came back to ask me if they were heading towards the Baptiste lake trail. I directed him to the cairn we built up the day before where he'd find the creek crossing that would take him up to Baptiste. He thanked me and moved on. Three guys who looked like they do this shit for a living just asked a guy who aint sure he's gettin outta here alive for directions, haaaaa haaaaaaaaaa now thats funny.


By the time we got back to the crossing the sun came out and our window was open. I wanted BADLY to stay back here one more day and see Baptiste lake and the rest of this creek but we were running outta time.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Going back over the divide we were all business, no pictures.


A few hours of baby steps and gasping for air that just didn't seem to be there and we were back on the west side. When we made it back to the hailys pass, pyramid lake split we were all high fives and back slaps.




When you stand there and look back at the pass it looks sooo far away. The realization that you not only just covered that distance but nearly TWICE that distance on the back side changes you. We truly are capable of so much more than we know.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Pics dont seem to be working, Ill try that again and break it up into different posts.

Day 7: Grave to Skull


After a well earned peaceful nights sleep I crawled out of the tent at dawn to fetch the news and see what the weather would bring for the day. The paper wasn't there but the water falling out of the sky told me what I needed to know.


The weather was threatening to teach me a lesson for not respecting the divide and crossing over here so late in the game. With the threat of being stranded here for the winter literally looming over my head there was only one thing I could do. I grabbed the 6wt and hit the lake.


Grave was the first lake we'd seen with a wooded shore line. I could only roll cast here and work the rocks and ledges close to shore. I fished streamers for an hour and a half scrambling over rocks and boulders and only managed to loose one fish I didn't even get to see.

The kids would be up soon so I headed back and got breakfast going.


fly collected while washing dishes, any body got a name yet?

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

The plan was to pack up and start hiking back toward the creek crossing fishing Baptiste creek along the way. If the weather hadn't cleared up by the time we got to the crossing we'd stage our gear there and continue fishing Baptiste creek up to Baptiste lake.

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

The first spot we hit was where we started yesterday and caught the golden.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

Not surprisingly the fish were a little less cooperative this time out so after catching only one cut nymphing and the boys batting zero I gave the ol adams a try. The fly touched the water drifted a half inch and a fish blew up on it flying out of the water with a triple summersault. A golden for Dad.

[/URL][/IMG]


Just before we left that spot a group of three came up out of the timber across the creek from us right at the spot we stopped yesterday. They came up through some ugly shit along that waterfall and looked beat to hell. They seemed stunned to see two kids happily fishing on a rock 14mi. in in a place that seemed to be handing them there asses. They smiled, nodded and moved on. One of them came back to ask me if they were heading towards the Baptiste lake trail. I directed him to the cairn we built up the day before where he'd find the creek crossing that would take him up to Baptiste. He thanked me and moved on. Three guys who looked like they do this shit for a living just asked a guy who aint sure he's gettin outta here alive for directions, haaaaa haaaaaaaaaa now thats funny.


By the time we got back to the crossing the sun came out and our window was open. I wanted BADLY to stay back here one more day and see Baptiste lake and the rest of this creek but we were running outta time.

 

[sunsignarcher]

After our high fives and back slappin we headed for Skull lake. While fishing there on day three we came across a perfect camping spot set atop a knoll overlooking the lake. We got there right around prime time and the water was BOILING with rising fish.


It had started to rain again so we got camp set up first and then headed to the water. It seemed like a fish a cast for nearly an hour until it really started pouring and the the rain put the fish down. We made for the tent got comfortable and settled in for another hellacious night of rain and plummeting temps.


It rained as hard tonight as it did on day 3 and by the time it slowed the temps were by far the coldest we'd seen. We drifted off to sleep with breath billowing from our mouths and noses frozen. I got up around one to hit the head and the walls inside the tent were solid ice! Reluctantly I climbed out of my bag and crawled over to the door. I couldn't move the zipper, it was frozen shut! I had to force it open and shower myself with ice flakes. For the first time on this trip I was looking forward to home.

 

[WBDluver]

Pee on the zipper. The warm water will thaw it. Just thought i would pass along that little camping tip.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Day 8: Skull to Dad's


We awoke on day 8 to the most spectacular day we'd seen yet. It was simply amazing.


The sun rose bright and hot and damn did it feel good.


A day you dream about.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

I got the kids up and watched them greet the day.


Sitting on rocks with groggy blinking eyes there movements began to resemble time-lapse images of plants emerging from soil.


First the outer layers comes off.


Then the long johns get put up.


The camp shoes go on.


Sleeve and pant legs get rolled up.


rising fish get noticed.


hats go on.


rods collected.


and the newly emerged lifeforms head out to fish.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[sunsignarcher]

Humpys, ausable wolf, adams irresistible, buggers, it didn't matter, they ate it all.


The fish were as beautiful as the day.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

Gotta love little brookies. Eat first, ask questions later.

Kids had a blast....Dad too.

 

[sunsignarcher]

I don't know what the problem is w/pics not sticking :crap:...'ll try them again tonight.

 

[sunsignarcher]

These belong 3 post's up:

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]