Colorado 2013 - Rocky Mountain National Park Backcountry

Earlier this year I received an amazing invitation from a fellow backcountry blogger. Keith is a resident of Colorado and maintains the blog Colorado Alpine Angler. He sent me an invitation I couldn't possibly turn down - a long weekend in the RMNP backcounry.

I've fished all over the park but I've never taken the time (as Keith did) to secure a backcountry campsite permit, so I was all over this opportunity! In addition, our location is known as one of the best greenback cutthroat fisheries in the park.

I got a message a few weeks before the trip date that he had his other party members back out and he asked if I knew of anybody that was interested - and capable. I have only two friends here in the east that have the highcountry experience to pull off a 10-mile backpack trip to 11,000 feet. One declined and the other received the trip from his wife as a surprise birthday gift. My traveling partner would be my annual Brookiebum partner and a 2008 "Colorado Cuttslam" partner, Phil.

Now we were set, the plan was to hike part way in the first day, get acclimated, then finish off the remaining distance (and altitude gain) the second day. The trailhead sits at ~7,600 feet and the first three miles, to night one camp was uneventful with only 1,000 feet of elevation gain in three miles.

We set up camp in the Comanche Peaks Wilderness Area.

It is nice when your host, and experienced backcountry adventurer, pulls out the exact same tent - MSR Zoid. All three of us were packing the same model tent, although Phil's is a 2-man version. It's a shame these are no longer manufactured.

Having been up since 5:00 AM (EST), it was an early night - before sunset. We also had seven miles and nearly 2,000 feet of elevation gain waiting on us the next morning.

As typical on my backcountry adventures, when it starts getting light out, I'm up. I had "breakfast", packed up camp, and was ready to roll by 6:30 AM.

The first couple of miles went by easily but when we entered the park and made it to this campsite, reality started to sink in. Only halfway through the elevation gain?!

It's a good thing we were following the North Fork of the Big Thompson to take my mind off the climb. I would have loved to drop my pack and wet a line.

 

I didn't break my camera out for any more of the journey and I'm ashamed to admit it took me five hours to hike that seven miles...note to self: get in shape!

We finally made it to our destination and I gladly dropped my pack. I recovered for probably thirty minutes before I even thought about setting up camp.

I quickly recovered from my fatigue (probably 80% mental) as I set up camp and thought: this is the view from my front porch for the next three nights.

With camp set up, it was time to get down to business...chasing greenbacks!

Phil landed the first greenback of the trip from directly in front of camp.

I soon landed my first greenback of the trip on a big fuzzy yellow caddis...

...I could tell this was going to be an above average trip - no average 6" stream resident greenbacks here!

There were fish rising everywhere! I quickly landed three greenbacks that all probably average 12"! Unfortunately, as quick as the "catching" started, it ended the same way. With the fishing slowing down, it was time to relax in camp and make dinner.

It was a nice relaxing evening in camp, talking fishing and backcountry locations. Keith is quite a reference for these Colorado adventures. I could listen to his trip reports for days - I am green with envy of some of his trips.

I was in the tent before dark again and up again early with anticipation of my favorite high country event. I love the alpenglow! There is nothing more amazing than the colors you see on the high peaks before the sun hits them directly.

Pictures don't do the reality justice, these high peaks were glowing with an orange hue!

The plan for day two was a hike to the lake in the extreme head of the watershed. It was about a mile from camp with additional elevation gain. Our destination was over the ridge and to the back of the cirque in the above photo. We were headed to the edge of treeline and a lake that was supposed to hold larger than average greenbacks.

The initial climb wasn't too bad. I had obviously fully recovered from the hike in - I had also dropped my 50-pound pack! As we climbed toward our destination the view back toward camp was very nice.

As we crested the final ridge, we caught a first glimpse of the lake - BEAUTIFUL!

As we stood on the ridge, something caught my eye below us. Something big and black...

 

I quickly dropped my day pack to dig out my telephoto lens.



Even though he had to be 400 yards away, we had him spooked and this very nice bull moose was making tracks.

The moose at 11,000' was an added bonus but that's not what we were after. We quickly dropped down to the lake, slogged through the outlet to make our way around to the deep side of the lake. I've only fished an alpine lake one other time so I was following Keith's lead.

Keith picked out a promising looking spot and I dropped my pack to rig up my rod. I'm usually pretty quick at getting rigged up and getting a fly on the water but I couldn't help but notice all of the cruising greenbacks in front of me.

 

While I was busy snapping off photos of cruising greenbacks, Keith was busy landing them. He caught three before I ever got a line on the water - including this beauty!



It started off on fire and it never slowed down! The average size fish was about 14" and at times it was every cast! Here are a few of the many...

 

 

...and finally this guy. I've caught California Golden trout in their native watershed and I've seen photos of lake goldens introduced to Wyoming. This guy looks as if he had some lake golden in him - although I knew he didn't. Regardless, another beautiful specimen!

 

 

I sometimes get bored with catching fish and I sometimes found myself just sitting on a rock, taking in the amazing scenery and watching my partners land fish after fish. This lake is now in the top 5 adventures I've had chasing native salmonids.

 

We fished to mid-afternoon when we made the decision to fish another lake on the way back to camp. Lake number three of the trip:



 

As with the first lake of the day, Keith was on fish quickly. We didn't fish long at this lake but I had to work hard for my one greenback from this lake.

 

After landing greenbacks in both lakes, it was time for the hike back down to camp for dinner and a little resting of the casting arm. I used a 9' 4wt rod that I hadn't used in years and when you're accustomed to throwing a 1wt bamboo of a 000wt graphite rod, this was like casting a telephone pole. You also have to like it when your arm is tired from catching fish!

 

As with previous nights, it was early to bed and early to rise. Again I was up in time to catch the  alpenglow.







 

Day three would put us back in my comfort zone, small stream brookie fishing. We hiked downstream on the North Fork and jumped in at a nice meadow section. The fishing was tight and tough in the early morning...

 



 

...then the sun came up and the water temps rose just enough.

 

The stream eventually picked up gradient and it was pocket water fishing at it's best - my favorite type of small stream fishing.



 

 

When you are fishing small streams with a partner (or two), you take your turn. As I gave up the lead I was able to catch Phil doing what he does best - photography and videography.

 

It has been a couple of weeks since I have returned from this trip and Phil has had time to put together a nice little video.

 

There were even a few surprises as we fished the North Fork, from brook trout in the 10"-12" class to the occasional greenback.



 

We fished our way upstream, through a high gradient small canyon, to the point we were parallel to camp. We decided if we continued upstream further, the bushwhack back to trail would only get longer, so we called it a day on the small stream. 

 

When we made it back to camp, we had a quick lunch, then relaxed on the rocks along the lake until afternoon storms drove us into the tents. I had forgotten the sound of thunder in the high altitude. Phil was with my brother and I the first time I got caught above 10,000' during a thunderstorm and I'll never forget the feeling of the thunder when you are that close to it's origin. You can actually feel the thunder in your chest and I'm just glad the storm passed to the north of us, behind the mountain that was our camp backdrop.

 

The storm soon passed and we were back out and fishing the lake in front of camp again. The fishing was slow (for some of us) and I caught my last greenback of the trip.

 

 Phil and I decided to relax on the rocks again while Keith moved down to the lake inlet where he had very good luck. As we watched, Keith landed the biggest greenback of the trip - a very nice 18" fish!

 

Keith didn't stop there. Shortly after Phil and I returned to our rock, Keith's rod was bent again. I commented that he was fighting this fish for a long time, then he got out his net (he only did this on large fish). After he landed it, he looked our way, I gave him a "thumbs up", and he gave us an urgent arm wave to get down there NOW!

 

In this lake where we had landed several greenbacks, Keith had enticed this leviathan up to a dry fly.

 

This was the largest wild brook trout I have ever seen, a true 20" male with a very impressive lower jaw - as if the entire fish wasn't impressive enough. Keith agreed this was the perfect fish to end this adventure on.

 

We packed up our rods for the day and I boiled water for my final freeze-dried meal. Just as the water came to a boil, the storms rolled in again and I was forced to have my final dinner in the tent.

 

The storms forced us into the tents twice that last day and I ended up taking a couple of cat naps. Those naps made for a very long night. I don't know if it was the naps or the thought of the 10-mile hike out the next morning but it made for a very restless night.

 

I finally crawled out of my tent as it was getting light and walked to the edge of the lake. Phil had also gotten up by then, he walked toward the lake, then quickly ran back to the camp. My first thought was bear (we had to carry bear canisters in the park), but I soon found out we had other visitors in camp to see us off.

 

 We watched from the edge of the trees as this young moose nursed. That is something you don't see every day.

 

I hated to break camp, it's one of the most beautiful places I have ever pitched a tent.







As with all good things, they must come to an end, and by 7:30 AM we were on the trail with a 10-mile hike ahead of us.

During the hike down, and out, it was easy to see why I struggled on the way in - it was a steep climb. When you are not struggling, it's easier to snap off a few more shots of the trail.

 

We made it out in 4:45, quicker than the final seven miles going in, but it was a relief (again) to drop that pack!

 

We went straight from the trailhead to Estes Park for some real food. The pizza was some of the best I have ever had, but after four days of freeze-dried meals anything would have hit the spot.

 

This was one of the best backcountry adventures I have had, I hope Keith and I get an opportunity to do it again some day.

 

Chris

 

 

West Virginia Trout Bummin - Rain, Rain, Rain

The final leg of my West Virginia Trout Bummin Adventure would conclude on the upper Williams watershed in a USFS campground.

After finishing up my first leg, I made a short stop on a trib of the Slatyfork section of the Elk. I had fished this stream (stream #11) a few years earlier and landed several small brookies. I had since received reports of wild rainbows in this stream and I had t find out for myself.

I made the short hike in during the heat of the day but I knew this little trib had a good canopy, so I wasn't concerned about the high mid-day sun.

This stream was as I remembered it but it had been hit hard by the heavy snow of Superstorm Sandy - there were downed trees everywhere. However, it didn't affect the brookies, as I caught brookies of a couple of different age classes.

 

 

I didn't catch any wild rainbows, but it was nice to see the brookies still doing well.

From here it was on to the USFS campground and as opposed to another freeze-dried dinner, I drove into town and had a nice hot meal at a local restaurant/hotel, then it was back to the tent - just in time for the rain.

This night the rain would not let up and my coffee would be prepared in the tent vestibule before throwing on the rain gear and heading out.

I had three tribs on the upper Williams on my list for this day - the last three tribs on the main Williams.

The first trib (stream #12) was slightly off-color, which brought out the wild browns.

 

I also caught several brookies out of this trib but with the rain I  didn't take the camera out. I like to have digital proof of my catches when I'm exploring, but not at the risk of my camera.

 

After fishing the first trib for a short distance, I headed back down to the mouth for the hike upstream to the two tribs that make up the Williams proper.

 

It had been raining all  night and all morning, so by the time I made it to the junction the two tribs were chocolate milk!

 

You can see the current from the second trib coming in on the right - the beginning of the Williams River.

 

 

I was surprised that the upper Williams, and the two headwater tribs were meadow streams - I didn't imagine that when I planned this trip.

 

I did fish up the trib to the right (stream #13) but it was no use fishing in the heavily stained water, I will be back when conditions are better.

 

After a wet hike out, it was back downstream for lunch. The rain held up long enough for lunch, the it was back on to stay. Another freeze-dried dinner but this evening I would have company with a friend from Morgantown who was also in camp for the Bucket Brigade. I stayed up past sunset this day but it was another early morning...in the rain again!

 

I had a couple of streams downstream on my list for this day. I made the short drive downstream and the ran seemed to let off - until I parked. When I grabbed my rod, I also had to grab my rain jacket again.

 

I had to wade across the main Williams to get to the first trib, but it was worth it. This trib (stream #14) would be the most beautiful of the trip - even in the rain. It was very high gradient and lined with rhododendron.

 

It also contained brookies! You can tell by the darkness of the photo how dark it was on this stream, between the dark skies and the heavy rhododendron, it felt like I was fishing at twilight.

 

 

There were a couple of nicer brookies landed in the plunge pools.

 

 

I had to leave the stream a couple of times to navigate upstream. When I had to make a decision at another impassable section, I decided to call it quits on this stream.

 

 

From here I drove further downstream with two more tribs on my list. By the time I reached my next destination it was raining much harder, but I was here to fish.

 

I wandered through the woods trying to find a trail while navigating with my GPS in the driving rain, when I glanced down and saw the screen fading on my GPS, I decided I had had enough. There will be other times to explore and I had to protect my gear - I never leave the vehicle without my GPS and the accompanying SPOT emergency satellite communicator.

 

I drove back to camp, grabbed some clothing and headed into town for a (dry) motel. First stop though was the local grocery store for a bag of white rice to dry my GPS unit.

 

I met up with some good friends at the hotel and it was nice to sleep without the sound of rain on the tent.

 

The next morning it was back to the campground to break camp for the end of my adventure. It started raining again as I started breaking down my tent - quite fitting for the final leg of my West Virginia Trout Bummin Adventure.

 

The rains did stop in time for the annual Bucket Brigade, which was another successful year. We had over 100 volunteers, more than half were Walmart employees. We moved another 6-7 tons of limestone sand into the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Williams. I didn't stick around long enough for a group photo, I had to be back in town to pick somebody up at the airport...but as I drove down the road I mentally summarized my adventure.

 

Five watersheds, 14 streams, brook trout in 11 streams (10 new), rainbows in four streams (all new), and brown trout in two streams (both new). That's quite an adventure!

 

Chris









West Virginia Trout Bummin - Back to the Beginning

I had planned to hit a few more tribs while using Spruce as a base camp, but with the water/fuel issue, I had to change my plans.

A short distance below Spruce is where the remediation work begins. There was quite a bit of heavy work completed in the main stem but a couple of the tribs had some heavy work done too. This was quite an impressive fish ladder and a fish-friendly culvert.

The next stream on my agenda (stream #6) was approximately two mile below Spruce. I stashed my backpack and went in search of the mouth of this trib. It was not easy to find - the stream didn't register on my GPS so I had to follow the topo lines to find it.

I found the mouth and shortly thereafter I had added another brookie trib to the trip.

 

The brookies would eventually get bigger, but not much. Maybe the bigger brookies were in the main stem??

 

 

I didn't catch any brookies of size but I did land another wild rainbow.

 

 

I fished a little further upstream than I had planned - after the little rainbow, I was hoping for another WV slam in this stream. I didn't land a brown but I did land the biggest brookie from this beautiful little tributary.

 

 

Once back on the tracks with my pack strapped on, I passed several man-made structures that will hopefully enhance the main stem fishery.

 

 

 

Just above this structure, I saw "people" for the first time in a couple of days. With the work done on the stream, the WVU fishery students were doing an electro-shocking survey. This section of the watershed has probably had the most data collected than any other trout stream in the state.

 

 

With the thought that this watershed is only going to improve, what a feeling that is! A main stem that could potentially be a thermal refuge when the tribs start to dry up, that would be a huge improvement.

 

So, on to my adventure...the next trib (stream #7) holds a special place in my heart. This is where my obsession with brook trout started. I caught my first native West Virginia brook trout in this trib in 1999.

 

On that day, my partner and I easily landed triple digits between us! We returned four years later and found 4-wheeler tracks everywhere and a significant reduction in numbers. However, my partner did land a very nice little fat brown trout.

 

What would it be like now?

 

I stored my pack again and headed upstream from the mouth. Again, it didn't take long to get into the healthy brookies.

 

 

This is the largest of the tribs (stream #7) I would fish on this adventure and the average fish is larger too.

 

 

 I did recall a certain "bend hole" and anticipated reaching it. When I found that hole, it was just as I had remembered it in my head. I made a few good drifts through the tail of the hole, with nothing to show.

 

When I made a good drift through the head of the hole, I landed another nice fish. This guy bull-dogged me so I knew it wasn't a brookie. When I got him to hand, I was very happy to see a beautiful wild rainbow.

 

 

I fished a short distance upstream from the bend hole, when I ran out of water in my hydration bladder, I turned back. By this time it was approaching mid-day and I didn't want to be a couple of miles from fresh water in the heat.

 

I made it back to my backpack and followed the main stem a short distance back to the tracks. This was the first structure I saw when I hiked in two days earlier and it would be the last one I saw as I hiked out. It also meant I was only two miles from the vehicle and fresh water.

 

 

 I made it back to the vehicle but I was spitting dust by the time I made it. A fresh bottle of water hit the spot!

 

I had a couple more tribs on my list for this watershed so I set up camp for the night within sight of the vehicle. I would be "car camping" for the remainder of my trout bummin adventure.

 

I set up camp with this trib (stream #8) between the tent and the car....let's see what's in this trib. The first little pocket produced this little guy.

 

 

In a little larger pool, that appeared to be the stream crossing, and directly below my vehicle, I landed the largest brookie of the trip - with an opening in the canopy and the sun high overhead.

 

 

 I landed a few more brookies in this low gradient trib but they all appeared healthy. This stream will only get better as there was a massive amount of work put in where it goes under the railroad tracks. They had build an incredible fish-friendly culvert, which will reconnect this population back to the rest of the watershed.

 

 

Day 2 summary: brook trout in 3 streams (2 new) and wild rainbows in 2 new streams.

 

I had another freeze-dried dinner, another early evening and another early morning. The difference in this night was NO RAIN and I would find out later this would be the only night of the adventure with no rain.

 

I was up early, packed up camp, had my coffee and Clif bar, then headed back out the 11-mile road to hard top.

 

On the way out, I stopped at two culverts to explore two more tribs. Just as nearly all of the tribs had done so far, the first trib (stream #9) produced brookies in short order.

 

 

Although I was glad to see brookies in another trib, I never like to see brookie "snakes". It's never good to see a brookie with a disproportionately-sized head. 

 

 

I only fished the first trib a very short distance before heading back to the car and the second trib (stream #10) of the day. This trib was tannin-stained and higher gradient than any I had fished so far but it also produced brookies in short order.

 

I landed a couple of brookies before I came to what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of cascades and rhododendron.  missed a brookie in the pool but I did not miss the opportunity for a nice photo opportunity.

 

 

 From this stream, I would hit the asphalt and head for a USFS campground in preparation for the annual Bucket Brigade on the Middle Fork of the Williams River - an annual outing for me.

 

It was a great adventure for me on this watershed! I caught brookies in seven new streams, rainbows in three new, and I visited the stream where this personal obsession started 14 years earlier...what an adventure!

 

Chris

West Virginia Trout Bummin - The Town of Spruce

This trip has been on my West Virginia bucket list for quite some time. This week was initially planned to take place in the Smokies, but when that fell through, I was searching for plan B.

A few years ago I saw a report that mentioned this section of water was one of only a few in the state that has reproducing populations of all three species (brooks, browns, and rainbows).

Then, two months before this trip we had a presentation at a monthly TU chapter meeting that showed quite a bit of remediation work being done in the area. That sealed the deal! I was headed to Spruce.

The week started off with a WVCTU State Council meeting and as soon as the motion to adjourn was agreed upon, I was headed for Spruce. This solo trip mas made up of a drive to the top of Cheat Mountain and out an 11-mile (dead end) dirt road, then I backpacked six miles up the railroad tracks to my destination.

Here is a link with more information on this abandoned logging community: SPRUCE

The tourist train makes occasional stops at this location, beyond the rail station I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see these markers throughout the area.

 

This is where I chose to set up camp for the (planned) three day adventure, along the Shavers Fork of the Cheat at the end of the concrete slab that was once the rail car repair shop.

I set up camp, went to the stream to pump water for my dehydrated dinner, and that's where the adventure took a negative turn. My water filter had apparently lost a seal that allowed it to pull vacuum - no filtered water! I would have to boil all of my water and I had only packed in two fuel canisters. This was going to cut y pack trip short but I would make the best of it. It was an early evening with anticipation of a smorgasbord of wild trout to come the following day.

I woke up sometime during the night to a heavy rain pounding on the tent. The rain didn't last long but I wondered what it would do to the streams.

As is usual when I'm in a tent, when the sun is up, I'm up. I had my cup of coffee and Clif bar, while boiling water for my hydration pack. I was burning a lot of fuel!

Regardless, I packed up and headed upstream about a mile to the first tributary on my list - I had several tribs on the agenda.

The water was slightly off-color from the rain but it didn't take me long to land my first brookie.

 

I didn't know what this stream had in store for me as I started picking up a few more small brookies.

 

 

There was definitely a good brook trout population and I wasn't too surprised when I landed this little guy. I thought, at first, it was a lightly-colored brookie but when I got it to hand I realized it was a small wild brown trout.

 

 

I caught a few decent-sized brookies as I fished further upstream. This guy would be my largest brookie from trib #1.

 

 

 

As I pushed upstream, I came to the largest and deepest pool in this small trib and it was still stained from the rain. I made a long cast to the head and on the first drift, I hooked this next fish. I knew this wasn't a brookie as it bull-dogged and held to the bottom.

 

When I finally got it to hand, I had completed my slam on the very first trib of the trip - and my first slam on any stream in West Virginia!

 

 

With several other streams to explore, when I completed the slam, I headed to the next stream on my list. My next stream would be in an entirely different watershed. I crossed the low gap at the railroad switch on Cass Scenic Railroad. Down the tracks is Whitaker Station, up the tracks is Bald Knob, and the spur takes you back to Spruce.

 

 

I crossed the tacks and bushwhacked into a tributary of the Greenbrier River drainage. I was on the extreme headwaters of Leatherbark Run, which empties into the Greenbrier River at the Cass rail yard.

 

It was a beautiful, high-gradient section of water but I struck out on trib #2.

 

I returned to camp for lunch. While I was taking a break, I did a little exploration of Spruce. This is the site of the old mill, with the abutments still standing.

 

 

 

Of course I didn't explore the old town without my fly rod and I landed this wild rainbow while drifting a nymph against the old mill abutments.

 

 

Near the mill were the remnants of the sand and water towers for the Shay locomotions - which are still in operation today.

 

 

I dropped back into the stream and fished the short distance back to camp. I landed this little guy in the main stem (stream #3) right below my tent. Species number two in the town of Spruce.

 

 

 The main stem had some unique in-stream structure in remnants from times gone by.

 

 

 After lunch I headed up another section of rail, into my third watershed of the day. It was a short, two mile hike up the tracks, through the Big Notch, into the Tygart Valley watershed.

 

 

As was my adventure in Leatherbark, I struck out in the extreme headwaters of the Tygart Valley River (stream #4). It was, however, nice to see the origins of the stream that I have followed many times on my adventures in The Mon.

 

When I got back to camp, I boiled more water for another freeze-dried dinner. I had used up one of the two fuel canisters. Then after dinner, I hit another trib, that dumps in right above Spruce.

 

I fished a very short distance (stream #5)but landed a few of these little gems.

 

 

The summary for day 1: 5 streams in 3 different watersheds, brookies in 3 new streams and my first WV Slam.

 

It was another early evening, another night with rain, and another morning up with the sun.With only one fuel canister remaining, I made the decision to pack up camp. I hated to leave this location but when I'm solo I always err on the safe side.

 

You can see why I hated to leave. With the early morning mist hanging low in the valley, it was beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 With those final few photos, I said goodbye to the town of Spruce. I had checked off a few more streams on my personal list and added another bucket list adventure to my list...but I will be back!

 

Chris