Hey families! We can’t believe our two weeks are already up! The past couple of days after the Bob have been a blast. We’ve been fishing, floating, tubing, and regrouping after our wonderful adventure.
On the night of the 9th, with sore muscles and huge appetites, we camped at Willow Creek Reservoir near Augusta, Montana. The girls got stuck in some mud, ate ramen, and swapped stories from the previous days. It was the perfect night to share our gratitude and awe for the Bob Marshall.
On the 10th, we made our way to Bozeman after stopping at the girls’ favorite Montana shop—the Augusta General Store. After eating oatmeal breakfasts for five days straight, everyone was ecstatic to have bagel sandwiches and yogurt… and maybe a slice of cheesecake for some. After a slow morning, we drove to Bozeman and set up camp at the Bozeman Hot Springs Campground. Everyone took their first shower in over five days, then floated through the pools—truly the best feeling after all their hard work. That evening, we strolled through downtown Bozeman, enjoying celebratory pizza and ice cream in Cooper Park, relishing the feel of grass that wasn’t itchy.
On the 11th, we started the day with a morning dip in the pool before heading out to find snazzy outfits for our banquet dinner—think thrifted blazers and ties. Back at basecamp, we began unloading and cleaning. Ennis gave us one of its signature sunsets, so the girls hiked to a nearby ridge to take it all in. The evening turned playful, with Sloan and the girls pulling pranks on Ellen. For the record, mayonnaise, ketchup, buffalo sauce, and pepper do not go well with cheesecake—and mouse-pattern flies look surprisingly like the real thing! On one of our longer hiking days in the Bob, we had promised to watch The Parent Trap on the projector at basecamp, and the group movie night did not disappoint.
On the 12th, the girls floated the Madison River from McAtee to Varney Bridge. Despite hot temperatures and tough conditions, they persevered and kept their prank streak alive. Ness managed to speak in a British accent all day, while Vera caught the first—and largest—brown trout of the trip. Back at camp, we cooled off in the river before enjoying our last night of camping with burgers and some stunning sunset fishing. The girls cowboy camped in a nearby field until rain woke them at 2 a.m.—a valiant effort nonetheless!
On the 13th, we packed up camp for the final time and headed to Valley Garden to work with the Salmon Fly Project. We helped collect samples to send to their lab in Missoula, learning about the declining salmon fly population and its vital role in a healthy river ecosystem. Will showed everyone how to collect and identify the bugs. In the afternoon, we went tubing and fishing at the Ruby Dam. Madison tubed for the first time, Sloan nailed a backflip off the tube, and after hours of running the same stretch, we returned to basecamp for our “fine dining” banquet dinner of spaghetti, meatballs, and key lime pie. Dressed in our dapper blazers and ties, we wrapped up the night with beautiful group photos to close out our last moments of camp.
Saying goodbye to this group was bittersweet. This trip meant the world to all of us leaders. Seeing a group of young women so independent and confident in their fly fishing skills is powerful and inspiring. We feel lucky and grateful to have been part of their journey. Cordy, Vera, Ness, and Maddie were the best possible campers—and now expert anglers. We can’t wait to see how they continue to grow and expand their skills in fishing and all things outdoors. They are the future!
Until next time (and we hope that's soon!),
Ellen, Chloe, & Sloan
