Greetings from Basecamp in Ennis, Montana!
Today was a long, but exciting day. With guides coming in from Ireland, Seattle, New Jersey, and everywhere in between, there were plenty of delays and layovers to contend with, but everyone made it and the trip has begun! The drive from Bozeman to Ennis is one of those stretches of road that reminds you exactly why you signed up for a summer in Montana. An hour through some of the most beautiful country in the West has a way of making you forget about a long travel day pretty quickly.
Burgers were waiting when we pulled into Basecamp, exactly what we needed after a day of airports and airlines. Once everyone had eaten and unpacked, the rods came out and the group made their way down to the Madison for a quick evening session. A few fish came to hand before the light faded, which was a great way to shake off the travel and get a first taste of what the week has in store.
Back at camp, we gathered to walk through the trip itinerary and sat down with Will Lillard for a knot clinic before calling it a night. The guys just headed out to their tents, tired but in good spirits after a long day.
Tomorrow we'll spend the day working through our Wilderness First Responder course, and then it's all hands on deck to prep boats, gear, and food before heading to the Missouri River early Tuesday morning..
This is a genuinely exciting group to have here. They're experienced anglers, but are clearly open to learning and growing, and there's already a great energy forming between guys who are excited to get to know each other. We couldn't be more fired up to get on the water with them.
More to come soon,
The Guides and the Guys
