Hey families,
It’s sad to be writing our final trip update for what has shaped up to be another amazing Colorado Rocky Mountain Expedition. The past two and a half weeks have somehow felt really long and gone by in the blink of an eye. While everyone is ready to go home, get some rest, and return to loved ones, the consensus among guides and campers alike is that we’ll miss being on this trip. It’s been great to see friendships develop over the course of our time together—especially with so many of the guys hailing from the Northeast. Sometimes it feels like things aren’t going right when people aren’t catching tons of fish, or a meal doesn’t turn out as good as you’d like. But that feeling disappears pretty quickly when you see the group getting along and having a genuinely good time together.
Here’s an overview of the past couple of days since we last wrote to y’all:
July 10th
This was a pretty relaxed day, schedule-wise. We had nowhere to be but on the river fishing. We got a little extra sleep to help recover from an intense backcountry leg, then whipped up some banana French toast and sausage for breakfast—which was a big hit. After that, we hit the Colorado River, which was easy considering our campsite was literally right on the banks. Our group split up, with one half going downstream and the other heading upstream into the scenic Gore Canyon section.
The weather was great—but the fishing, not so much. The upstream group had a bit more success, landing several decent fish between the four of them, while the downstream crew -despite a hard effort and a hundred fly changes- came up dry. After a couple of hours around the campsite, we decided to drive a few miles downstream toward the State Bridge section. Our Pumphouse campsite is a rafting hotspot, so lots of traffic on the water meant more pressure on the fish, which made them a bit warier. We saw a few more fish come to the net at our new spot, but still not the lights-out day we were hoping for. We wrapped up with burgers, a frequent meal on these trips, but one that never disappoints.
July 11th
This was our float day! After two days of slower fishing, the boys were more than a little skeptical about the Colorado River. We woke up early, scarfed down some cereal, and packed up camp for our 8:00 a.m. meetup with the guides from Cutthroat Anglers out of Silverthorne.
Any doubts about the river’s potential were completely erased. These guides have decades of experience on the Colorado, and it showed. Paired with improved fishing conditions—thanks to colder water being released from upstream dams—the boys had a banner day. Lots of big fish were landed, including several personal best browns, rainbows, and even a fan-favorite whitefish or two.
After getting dropped off back at the van, we drove to our final campsite in Silverthorne, right on Dillon Reservoir. For dinner, we revisited our old friend, Chicken Alfredo, which had flopped in the backcountry. This time, with better shopping, cookware, and seasoning, we totally redeemed ourselves—and everyone was happy with how it turned out.
July 12th
Last day of the trip! There was a lot of hype around this day. We had pool time, showers, and a banquet dinner to look forward to—but first, some departure prep. We started off with chilaquiles for breakfast, then jumped into organizing the trailer, returning rented gear, and cleaning out the van. Once we wrapped that up, we hit Cutthroat Anglers for souvenirs and headed to the rec center for pool time, showers, and some highly competitive ping pong.
Later, we made our way to Frisco for our banquet dinner. The crew was still craving burgers, so we went for a laid-back bar-and-grill vibe. Over dinner, we chatted about our favorite moments from the trip and what everyone was looking forward to once they got home. We closed out the evening with arcade games and a campfire back at our site—classic.
July 13th: Airport Day
That brings us to today—departure day. We got an absurdly early start, leaving camp around 3:30 a.m. to make our 7:45 flight out of DIA. Things went smoothly at the airport, and everyone was on their flights before noon. Sad to see planes take off.
By the time you’re reading this, everyone is probably home. So they can tell you themselves—but from our perspective, this was a truly great trip.
Thanks for following along.
– Hunter, Travis, Kitchel, and the Guys
