Tierra Del Fuego (42 days)

I have had incredible experiences all over the world- in Europe, Africa and Australia....but Argentina, Tierra Del Fuego, the Land of Fire, what could be more appropriate for me- I am indeed blessed. It has been almost 4 months and I can just now talk about it or think about it where it is not so close that I miss it too much and it is not so far away that I can't wait. I signed up for the following year my first day on the water and I had only caught a 10 pounder- see picture on the right !

Some of you might be thinking, seriously?!?!? Almost 19 hours of travel time, three planes, questionable food for a 10lb fish but there's more....There are the gorgeous Argentinian men (see left, holding Sandra) who are the most handsome guides, besides Gino of course, speaking of Gino- I did finally make it steelheading right before Christmas on the Trinity (zero fish but D-loop acquired) and then again on my birthday weekend in January. I had to cancel the two trips in October for two Texas family weddings, yes I know, my Mother got married and HAD to have me there despite my need to prepare for Argentina :) So before Argentina, I am in Oregon and my fishing buddy had to cancel so I get Gino, Alex and John- ALL three are helping me prep for spey casting, as in learn the basics and it wasn't always pretty. A Spey rod is a double-handed rod that is totally different from the usual single-handed rod. It is used for large fast water and allows you to cast big flies very far in what turns out to be very high winds. This trip on the Rogue in Oregon ended up being one month before Argentina where I was going to need to cast over 100ft with 15ft of T14, a 12ft leader and half pound flies. OKOKOK, the flies weren't really that heavy but they FEEL that heavy when you heft a 'Paul Miller' into the back of your head or the side of your neck. O wait, I didn't HAVE any 'Paul Millers' but I digress. Anyway, I couldn't imagine how I was going to cast in Fuego but I was lucky enough to catch 2 chromies on the Rouge with Gino (in the blue on the right) and had enough energy to laugh about it over dinner with the Confluence Outfitter crew and Janet- the most funny and kind guide-wife I have ever met- plus she's a red-head, you can't go wrong with those :P


So we are in Argentina, the guides are hot, the weather is hot and the fishing- well there is a Father and Son team who brought single-handed rods and the son caught a 16lber on a 6wt just about his first cast- so we're feeling lucky. And then there are the Fly Girls (below) who are a RIOT. I mean literally- it's "The Women" meet "River Runs through It" where Genaro (on the left) plays Brad Pitt, you can't go wrong with these classy broads !! The 'Fly Girls' fish with pearls and diamonds. Honey- let me tell you- they out-fished us ALL !! They are dressed and I mean NYC dressed- very glamorous ! Sadly I was not even SF dressed, I was more Tenderloin (or the TL as the local SF folks call it) dressed, but I know for next year I need to BRING. IT. Anna-lena is the softspoken and regal blonde on the far right- you can easily imagine her a Duchess of something. Sandra in the middle is the former New Yorker living the dream of all who live in big cities- she fled to Cabo with her kindle ! Sandra is a mix between Rosalind Russell but with a hint of Joan Crawford- endlessly entertaining. Then there is Beth- very sweet and giving, she writes the script for the big contest including the rap and finds time to talk with everyone every single day.

Then there is my fishing partner- Xav (below) of the California Fly Shop- who was mostly a gentleman....except when offering to come open my shower door with me IN IT. The door got stuck one night thankfully BEFORE I got in ! Then there was the night he helped carry me across the deep water and I lost my legs, they of course wrapped around him before I could get my kneecap back in place- but Xav just chuckled as I struggled to get my legs down.

Xav was a gracious host, to hear he and the 'Scottish Highlander' Doug (a TRUE warrior who was there for 3 weeks I think, or at least 2) go at it, well it's entertainment unto itself. Xav took water that was at times up to his chest although I suspect it had to do more with the fish and less with me being a girl. And as one would expect from a fishing partner/trip host, when I didn't have the right flies, he said I could borrow- he said it before the trip, on our way down and again at the Lodge. Although once we were on the water- he refused to hand one over- typical fisherman. Next year me and the Redding fly shop are gonna do some business- two of every Paul Miller ever made !! Oh yeah, and when I caught my 20.5lb-er, he had to say on our walk back to the car- "mine was bigger" which I can respect because a 'half pound' is a 'half pound' and next year when I catch one bigger than his, you bet your ass I am gonna say the same damn thing !!!

I have had plenty of days in my short fishing career with not a-lot 'o fish so it's my first time there and I am STOKED the first morning because I lose a sea-run brown trout because I didn't know brown trout, I mean like over 10lb trout, JUMP like rainbows. No one told me, they assumed I knew, so I just slacked the line in shock, I stared, and he got off but I was ready. Ready and waiting the next evening and man, its July the 4th today and I can tell you I felt like what Paul Revere must have felt telling the British that the....oh wait, that's not my story, but worth it just for 'ole Doug to throw a bit 'o Palin in :) and it was the most thrilling moment of my entire little life, I hooked into a 20.5lb lady who STOLE my heart.

The morning my life changed, we had fished hard and Xav caught a 21lb-er while I learned bad words and phrases of the gauchos (like a cowboy but not) from Genaro. It was a relaxed atmosphere and I was casting well, mostly, and fighting the current and wind as best I could but nothing doing for me. We make our way back to the lodge in high spirits since at this point in my short fishing career- I am still thrilled when ANYONE catches a big fish, or really any fish, its just still exciting. Then we spot a dead guanaco and a site I will never forget- a flock of Andean condors. The picture doesn't do justice to the condors- I could barely get about 7 of the 20+ birds with 10ft wingspans circling the area. The condor sighting makes us late for lunch but we had a great time telling the tale and get ready for the epic evening although you really never know which is going to be the epic one, you just know there will be one ! Genaro swears he has never seen a flock before, there were almost 20 of them which was a site to behold. Rumor has it they fly hundreds of miles everyday back and forth from the mountains to the ocean. They sure looked big enough so who is to say. The real story is about the guanacos who run for hours and hours literally trying to bite the balls off each other, which is funny but even more funny is watching two dudes watch the guanacos for hours instead of fishing- helllooooooo !! But what do you expect from a man who.....



The battle begins, its Tuesday evening, I am with Genaro (pictured above and below- he looks like Antonio Banderas but a much better version) at Minota and I am learning the ropes. I am mending and casting and it's just not working for me, I am struggling every cast. I am not really in the rhythm, it is not going well. I stop, I breathe, just like Gino told me and Genaro comes over. What's going on- and I reply "I don't know," so what are you thinking, "I don't know" and on it goes, about 5 questions and 5 "I don't knows" and I am so out of my body and upset and...I don't know. But then I notice the moon is out for the first time, its sunset, I breathe and cast. Xav said he knew when he saw this cast, and of course as always in Fuego, it was the "last cast" about 5 casts before the one where she "climbs on" as they say in "swinging." They call it swinging when you're spey casting and letting the fly swing in an arc through the current. And I start shaking, like a leaf, because the initial tug is subtle but then she jumps and the size of her tail is what I notice, it is like the size of my thigh. I shake so badly that Genaro has to hold me, by the back of my jacket because I am standing on approximately one foot of slick mud, I have no left knee and well, I have a very large fish on. In the next 5 minutes this lovely lady fish jumps 5 times, at least, and we're amazed because usually a fish that large does not jump that many times- they are too big. All of a sudden my Abel reel is making a noise I have never heard in my life, I mean it's zipping at a high pitch because this lady fish is pissed off and is heading for the freaking OCEAN and FAST. So Genaro points his headlamp at my reel, we see the backing, he throws me up a 4ft bank, and he tells me to RUN, like fast, and REEL, as fast as I can. So of course I am FREAKING OUT. I can't run, I can barely walk, my knee is shot but I have to run. I will NOT let my boys down, Gino wanted me to dazzle them and who am I to look like a rookie. I run and I reel and I am praying that I can outrun this fish and get her to shore. My heart, my soul, every fiber of my being is focused, like I have NEVER focused in my life and it happens. All of a sudden about 1.5 miles down I see Genaro in the water, he's found her and what a miracle, total and absolute GRACE that I fight and land this fish into his net. At any moment the 12lb test can break, the hook on the fly can break, she can dislodge the fly by shaking her head, a MILLION things can and often do go wrong. I am NOT an expert at fighting big fish- as Dax and Dennis will tell you, I have lost some heartbreaking fights but not this time.Her dimensions are 35 length, 21 girth and 20.5lbs- numbers that will be tattooed on my body at some point. The moment he has her in the net, I collapse to my knees from the exhaustion. This is the most exhausted and present I have ever been and I remember the entire evening like it just happened while I am writing this, my heart is racing. It was epic. She was a fresh "sea-run brown trout" - chrome instead of brown with bright orange spots because she is just in from the salt-water ocean. Only fresh ones fight this long and jump that many times. I worked on getting this picture onto Facebook that night over a "1" bps (Moses with stone tablets would have been faster than uploading from Fuego) connection at the lodge so my friends could see my new crack. Spiritual people find their joy everyday but the land of fire seared my heart. I have had many many moments of joy and will have more but I am not sure any will be as good as my first 20lb-er. She was so big I couldn't hold her by myself for the closing shot !!
I didn't expect anything else from the trip after my 20lb-er, the people, the fish, it is endless how amazing it was. Every day, to be on the water and cheer everyone on over lunch and dinner. Everyone caught big fish and the camaraderie was like none I have encountered at other lodge's or on the water, of course neither was the food. I have to say the food was the most awful I have had to choke down, as in a fast food anything would have been welcomed- so I must include a picture of the "chips and egg" which is native to nowhere and was the low point of the chef debacle but you can't have it all. Not even the Salsa Huichol (see left with Bob) from Sandra could save this dish. Next year there will be a revolt and we will storm the kitchen. I will be bringing Tabasco as the Cajun representative. I have so many magical moments to ponder, so many hearty laughs and most importantly, so many beautiful fish. Despite the food and temperature- it was hot and the fishing was "off" because of the heat, added with the heated flooring- well we also had a heater revolt...but the beds were very comfortable, the staff were accommodating and overall Estancia Maria Behety is definitely a spectacular place to stay.

Here are Anna-Lena, Doug and Sandra on the left- where's Beth, oh right, she's with Ricky. Beth and Ricky (right) during the contest presentation- what a HOOT !! The rap video dedicated to the Squid Row fly.

The girls put on a contest where we all fish for a morning session with the same fly, the "winner" and the "winning guide" get cash and then some....most of us weren't too sore about not winning and it couldn't have gone to a better woman, oh wait, is that a man !!
Nate (picture on the left, far left) was a great sport, a promising Dentist who for graduation his father and he went on this trip- solid people with good values.








Sandra (picture on the right) and my future ex-husband Catcho (spelling? help), oh yeah- and behind the happy couple is Alejandro Menendez- the legendary family representative of the lodge and a Murray sighting- all in one shot !! (shot on the right)


Speaking of Murray- here he is on the right with his very disappointing 19lb trout- ONLY Murray and ONLY in Tierra Del Fuego would the word disappointing be in the same sentence as 19lb trout ! And why the dark glasses Murray, didn't want to be recognized with your small fish?!?!?




This is John (left), I woke up one afternoon to hearing a British accent "Hallo Mum" really loud, he was such a sweet man with a wild past, great stories and a great smile !! I don't have his pictures because he doesn't have email, I know, right !?!?!?!






Due to a non-existent room shortage- Jack- who is bending the tail (not sure why) of his fish and giving her a smack, was almost my roomie except in the Landry way, I firmly insisted this was not acceptable.







And as always, some gratuitous fish porn, mostly mine because I didn't get everyone's pictures ! Needless to say, the trip of a lifetime and I hope to have many many lifetimes !!
Jack (above) and one of his many many many big fish- I am pretty sure he had Paul Millers (apparently the ONLY fly to use other than Doug's green meanie fly which of course looked NOTHING like my green meanies) !! Xav the "Boz" (below) with one of his many many fish



My 19lb-er (above) which I couldn't hold and no fishing buddy to take the shot, so the guide caught the action ! Xav (below) loves his Hatch reel !!



The Guide trucks (above) and house in the rear view mirror. Best part of the day - the guide trucks rolling in (below)




Doug's real green meanies on the left !

My green meanies on the right ! Needless to say I didn't have much luck with mine although Xav swears they are the same...I am sure this was my fault because I lost something or I don't need it or.....



Hardest part of the trip- last day, sunset, me (below), last cast- I could barely move my arms much less cast worth a crap, but still you soldier on knowing you'll be dreaming of this every night until the next year!


And some knee porn, this was me several weeks later, three incisions, two houses, about 15 helpers and all I have to say is THANKGOD I postponed my surgery, needless to say I would NOT have made it to Argentina if I had surgery in Nov or Dec !


And for those still hanging on, here is an article written about the fishing, the lodge, the guanacos, etc...from 2003 but has a great overview of things I don't cover about the area and fishing...Departures by Andrew Powell

Trout Season Finale (33 days)

Trout season finale(s) happened some time before the official last weekend but of course more fishing will be had before it is all said and done. Both of my last two trips were incredibly beautiful fall weekends, so although a puppy leg emergency left me in SF for the official last weekend, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful scenery. I forgot my camera for the Feather river (which I have to say is officially my new favorite water for the season) but the Sonora and Yosemite pass translates some of the amazing fall foliage we have right here in the Sierra's. I don't really have much to say that can enhance these pictures- armed with an electric blanket for sleeping in Joe, the camping was uneventful. The Sonora pass closed the Sunday we went back through yosemite- so our timing was perfect and since most of the campgrounds were closed- we were mostly alone. Looking forward to some Steelheading this winter and plan to hit the Upper Sac area for trout in the coming months. Here on the right I am contemplating a good day of fishing on the East Walker from a view on the Pacific Crest Trail right off the Sonora pass.

Here is Hilary Lorenz of NYC who was game for a weekend camping, and yes- a whole day fishing. She was a great camper partner and loved the Sierra's. This is a picture from Tioga pass with Half-dome in the background. Although the first part of the pass was crowded with cars and people- the valley floor was even more crowded- note to self, hike near the Eastern entrance !








Here is a view from the Yosemite Vernal
Falls trail- looking up it seems like a big tree





And then you start looking down from the top of the falls and it's a tiny stump...






























View of the Owens river valley (below center) where the Fall colors are spectacular for the Morning sunrise.


Finale shot of the big boss- El Cap (El Capitan) from the valley floor- you may can see it but someone is camping about half-way up- a tiny dot on the far left- not sure they made it to the top before the storms hit.


And of course, some gratitious fish porn- a nice Brown from the East Walker




Sunset over the Sierra's

RMNP (Rocky Mountains) 31 days

I must confess first that I have been fishing since July, although not as much as I would have liked. Knee brace wait time per dr's office- 1-2wks, actual wait time for said brace- 6-7 weeks. Finally received the brace in time for the trip to Denver, more specifically Rocky Mountain National Park (or RNMP as locals call it) but not in time for my trip to Caples Creek off the Silver Fork (below) of the American river or the John Nutting memorial Stanislaus disaster trip.

Caples creek trip was a quick one, just Claude and I, and except for slipping on a rock (see boulders in above picture, very slippery) and spraining the already injured knee (see the note about no knee brace above) and slicing my thumb open which required about 3 hours of driving to Tahoe urgent care to get the thing glued back together) overall it was a great trip, short and sweet with 2 days of fishing for little wild rainbows and lots of action from Claude, who this trip was actually a great fishing dog- he sat on the bank, didn't run off or jump into the water and scare the fish and of course had to lick/kiss the fish I caught like the sweet baby boy hims is ! he is studiously following the fish in the water below...
Camping in the truck was easy, weather cooperated and we had two nights of camp fire which I miss sorely now...!! Stanislaus was another story, John Nutting was in town (allegedly AFTER the san bruno explosion, although at the end of the trip we decided he probably was responsible for that too) and we (Dana, Claude, John and I) decide last minute to "borrow" a friends cabin (technically I did send an email to ask but Mary was in Puerto Vallarta with no email access) in Arnold which is right off the Stanislaus. I had my new knee brace (which didn't fit) and we stocked up at whole foods (they took 40 mins, I took 5) and headed out into Bay Area traffic at 6pm on a Friday. We were supposed to arrive about 8pm but due to a hazardous spill on the freeway, we had a two HOUR delay. Needless to say the next day I needed to a) be on the water and b) catch some fish- which did happen but not without some video footage (look-it's a fish, brilliant direction and narration by John Nutting) which was right before Claude fell off a rock into a big pool of water.

We head back the next morning, leaving about 1 extra hour for John to sit at the airport only to once again get stuck in over an hour delay on the 101 because a drunk driver lady was driving the wrong way and then walking on the freeway, then a man stopped his car to try and help her and then they both got hit and killed by a limo heading to SFO. Needless to say, this was obviously all John Nuttings fault for even thinking about moving to SF- his initiation into Bay area traffic intersected with my nice fishing weekend- ce la vie...onto the real trip...

I arrived in Denver Thurs night and headed to Estes Park on Friday where Rowdy met me along the Fall River. I got great suggestions from Kirks fly shop and some great flies and tried my luck on the Big Thompson which this time of year isn't very big (nor was the Roaring river roaring) but I forgot my license in the urgency of having to get onto the water, so the second cast out I headed back to the condo. We had a great evening catching up and a very big adventure (read, unexpected very strenuous hiking up to Fern lake which ended up being about a 1k elevation change in about .5 miles) the next day where I caught some little browns and greenbacks on the Big Thompson. Unfortunately I had my floating line only, so once we got to Fern lake I had some fish on my streamer but since the fly was practically floating, no takers. The hiking was fun, the Aspens are turning already and Rowdy even casted a few in between crocheting and chain smoking on the bank while I fished.
I have to say that after having spinal cord surgery and two spinal blocks, he actually did a great job of making it literally up the mountain and not complaining- I know very few of my friends who would do this hike and not make me pay :)

The next day we enjoyed a lazy morning and I hit the Roaring River which I fell in love with, again not the time of year for Roaring water, so mostly little greenies but it was gorgeous, I saw only one person over a two day period, the views were spectacular and the hiking was much easier than the Fern lake hike.
I did see some bigger fish (bigger for RMNP which was 14-16) but was not able to catch the big guys despite having tried: every fly in my box, stealthful approach on my hands and knees, having no TIPPET (not just leader) in the water- precariously balancing the fly on the water high-sticking even the dries, getting more flies from the fly shop...so needless to say it was frustrating to get the average size fish but they fought and I had a great time....one particular large fellow that had my eye I believe lucked out only because big rain thunderstorms were headed my way from two directions, so needless to say he's the one that got away. I just couldn't fish on slippery rocks in the rain and of course a 4mile hike back downhill on a muddy terrain (after 3 days of fairly difficult hiking) my knees voted to head home early. So I called the airline, changed my flight, re-packed all my gear, showered at a gas station (ok, used some wet wipes in the bathroom) and watched the SF debacle against the Saints until the 4th quarter to end a perfect long weekend.

Now the Rocky mountains are pretty cool, I did notice there was a lack of Deryls- I didn't at any time worry about my belongings in the car but there were lots of older white folks watching Elk from the side of the roads (thus impeding my progress to my much needed dinner) and the park ranger gave me about 10 minutes of crap because he didn't like the way I signed my $40 annual pass to RMNP. Now I guarantee I won't be purchasing said pass again, although I like to do so because I like to financially support the national parks. I also think in terms of spectacle, RMNP has nothing on Ansel Adams wilderness and our golden trout but there is nothing like your home waters and I am sure the fly-fisherman in RMNP feel the same way.

Gratitous fish porn

Golden Trout (21 days)

There are lots of things that I can't think of right now. The ride up to Clark's lake (9k ft) was spectacular and the ride up to Alger's (10.3k ft) lake was even better.
The ride back was worse on my knees than I thought but well worth it. This is the view from Algers lake #3 which is well above 11k, almost 12k. Air was thin and I was getting dizzy so I didn't make it all the way up- no one knew where I was so I hiked back down. The lake with all the ice is where I caught about 20 golden and golden hybrids which are golden and rainbow hybrids. Golden's are unique to the Eastern Central Sierra's and are identified by the golden color on their body and near the gills as well as the lack of spots on their body and fins. The golden trout has nothing but golden flanks with a red, horizontal band along the lateral line and 10 dark oval marks, called "parr marks", on each side. Dorsal, lateral and anal fins have white leading edges.

The Golden Trout species came into existence over 70,000 years ago when the ice age caused the Kern River system and the northern Sacramento basin system (containing Red-Band Rainbows) and the ancient ancestors of the Golden Trout, to join. The trout populations were also likely influenced by occasional influxes of Coastal Rainbows thru the San Joaquin River link. As the ice age withdrew, and tectonic plate movement and earthquakes continued to uplift the Sierra Nevada Mountains, populations of Rainbow Trout were isolated in the Kern system by naturally occurring barriers of warm sections of water and waterfalls. Over thousands of years these rainbows evolved into the current day Golden Trout. It is commonly believed the Golden Trout developed their bright red and yellow colors in response to their natural environment. The substrate of many of their native streams have granitic stones stained in light yellow and reddish hues of volcanic origin. Some speculate the goldens adapted to this background color. Another theory is that ultraviolet light may have had an influence. It seems likely that fish in the shallow, exposed, high elevation streams where goldens evolved would be more vulnerable to this solar light source than those in more shaded waters at lower elevations. Usually, goldens found in the former situation are more brilliantly colored.

Instead of writing about the trip, I think providing quick profiles (in no particular order) of my fellow horse pack gang is the route to go for this log. Here is the group shot at Clark's lake. We were smart enough this year not to wait until the last day to take the group shot. From the left- Annette, Kate, Mark, Chris and me.

Mark H- "When the mountain lion grabs my dog- don't worry about me- I am on my way to the pound. I'm not saving my dog." After I said I would fight the mountain lion to save my dog. Mark is a lawyer for Facebook and by far the most clever and funny guy on the trip. He has three kids, some of the flies he was using (and were working) were tied by his kids which was really cool. He is however very anti-Oprah Winfrey (who doesn't love Oprah, COMEON) and Al Gore but we got along anyway :p He and I spent some quality time on Clark's #2 and Algers #3- Clarks however was only fishing for brookies and the swarms of mosquito's were worse than in Port Arthur or anywhere I have ever been- they bit my face through my buff (you'll see pics below of my buff pulled up over my face for sun and bug protection. I finally gave up on Clark's #2 since brookies are abundant, eat anything you present and are over-populated in most areas. Mark was also sensitive to fat jokes although you can tell from his picture- he's not fat :D

Irene- "I have never seen anyone puke over mule shit" She said this after I was dry heaving because my mule wouldn't move and had just taken a huge crap and there was no wind, this was the first 5 minutes of the trip. She had me pegged. She was 66 years old, has lived in Long Pine her whole life and been voted "Top Chef" for back-country camp cooking. Her food was better than any food camping and better than anything in any nearby restaurants. I am that selfish that I want her again next year even though she retired technically two years ago. She also lead us (as in was the wrangler, lead the trail, got off and checked everyone's saddles, etc...) up to both campsites at Clarks and Algers. We had pancakes and bacon, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bbq ribs, lasagna, delicious salads, quesodillas, steak, corn, better eating than what I bother with even in SF. Her stories of course cannot be parallelled and she has great jokes !! I hope to be walking when I am 40 and this lady is packing trips into the back country at 66- what an inspiration for us all !!

Ang (on the right) is the fly shop host and a fly-fishing fiend almost as dedicated to fishing as I am...although she has been fly-fishing for over 40 years (which is amazing since she's only 39 :p ) and is an amazing caster. She mostly assisted the folks on the trip but came close to out-fishing me our last couple of days on Hot Creek (which she hasn't fished in over 20 years) and the Owens. She worked in the outdoor industry and has the "Prada" of ALL camping gear to prove it. Although she lost a rod/reel (again, I might add) in Algers- but she also caught the largest fish (not a golden I don't think) of the trip in Alger's and had see been fishing the whole time, would have caught more fish than I did :)



Kate (right) was the swimmer/fly fishing PHd of the crew. She was often off enjoying the water and took a daily bath (which I didn't take a one, but I was busy fishing during "daylight" hours) so she was the best-looking one who had coordinated outfits and earrings, so needless to say an anomaly for the rest of the crew. An experienced horse-rider, she made me nervous when she galloped close to my slow and steady mule but more importantly she caught a lot of fish and even gave streamer fishing a try.


Annette (left) is the fly-fishing rookie of the group. She recently retired from SFPD (San Francisco police department) and was part of the mounted patrol, so she was mostly going for the scenery and horseback riding. However, she did fish quite a bit and even managed to land a couple of fish. I can't imagine going "for the scenery" but to each her own. I was very grateful when on the part of the trail where Alex (the cowboy wrangler) had to get off his horse and check the trail (because there was so much snow on a very very steep incline) that she didn't want to "try" it either, so we went a different route to the San Joaquin river. Our feeling was that if you have to "check" the trail, we did not want to be on that particular trail. The rest of the gang was disappointed but better safe than sorry !!

Speaking of cowboy's here is Mr Alex, our fantastic wrangler who probably worked as hard as Irene did. He was up every morning before sunrise(except the post-tequila one) taking care of saddling and after feeding and watering the horses and mules he was usually the last one to sleep. He also had to pack all our gear everyday and the kitchen three times to move camps.
Although only 27, he is a Kentucky trained farrier- this is a person who is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse's hoof and the placing of shoes to the horse's foot. A farrier couples a subset of the blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with a subset of veterinary medicine (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to address the care of the horse's feet. (p.s. I started just stealing from wikipedia, figured it's easier to just cut and paste than insert links to information :)) Anyway, he was super-cute, great attitude and lead us on our daily excursion to the San Joaquin river on a fairly intense trail but one that had magnificent views- below is a shot of the Minarets in the middle of the Ritter range- a camera cannot capture the beauty !!



Now, I have to be honest- this is actually a nice part of the trail so needless to say we couldn't take pictures on the really tough parts of the trail but again for the fishing- it was well worth it !!

Last but not least was Chris who was by far the quietest of the group. He works in shipping (of something I didn't really understand but it involved radioactive and other sensitive packages) and lives in Los Altos. He wasn't super-experienced fisherman but did catch some fish. He is from North Carolina and carries the accent as well as the propensity for enjoying evening festivities where he occasionally piped into the conversation. He probably thought we were all looney-toons but oh well :D


Finally, I have to add in some gratuitous fishing pictures (we call it fish porn, yes they each a different fish) and scenery pics that words can't describe. I have to admit this part of our gorgeous country makes me consider teaching school so I can go be in the Ansel Adams wilderness all summer which is exactly what Irene did, she taught school for over 30 years and about 10 of that was teaching Agg.