The first night of the trip we stayed at a campsite called Stillwater, which is near Granby, CO. As is tradition, we cooked a delicious meal of cheeseburgers and beans for our first dinner. The second day we drove into Rocky Mountain National Park and fished the headwaters of the Colorado River. Although it was challenging due to the amount of water, many of the camper still managed to land fish.
Day 3 we hiked into the backcountry near Grand Lake, CO. The hike was a little over six miles, and by the time everyone arrived at camp it was almost time to eat. We made pita pizzas, and got ready for another big hike the following day. The next day we ventured up a small side creek and waterfalls, to a wondrous hanging alpine valley. We found some fish up there, which happened to be native Colorado River Cutthroat trout, but not as many as we were expecting. Still, everyone was blown away by the surrounding landscape and that made the tough fishing easier.
Our next day hike involved a steep hike to access a remote lake, and the fishing made it worth it. Every camper landed a fish that day, with the average size of the cutthroats at our target lake being around 15". That night we made pulled pork burritos and sat around the campfire sharing stories from the amazing day. Yesterday we hiked out of the backcountry for some much needed showers, laundry, and non-iodine treated water.
Today (Day 7) is our one day off between backcountries, and we will be spending it by first making breakfast burritos and then fishing a couple of nearby spots. Tonight we get ready for another 4 day adventure into the backcountry. We will again be hiking into the backcountry near Grand Lake, CO, but up a much different drainage this time. There are some beautiful lakes up there with hungry Brook Trout that will be waiting for us. Wish us luck!
Jack Seiver
Trip Director
