Hello Families!
Oh my goodness, where do we begin!! The past five days in the Bob Marshall Wilderness have been a whirlwind. These girls are absolute rockstars.
The drive into the Bob was absolutely beautiful, full of cows and trees and excited nerves. We arrived at the South Fork of the Sun trailhead/campsite the night of the fifth. Surrounded by tall pines and horse corrals, we woke up the next morning early and ready to go. We loaded onto the trail with full packs. These packs were full to the brim, and the girls absolutely crushed it. The first day, we did seven miles through dense wilderness and creek crossings. Their ability to keep up with one another and stay on track was so impressive. We also ran into two female Park Rangers on horseback who told us all about their powerful and impactful jobs!
We arrived at Pretty Prairie campground, exhausted but ready to fish. We were surrounded by horse outfitters and had beautiful views of the herd running through the nearby field. We set up camp, rods, and then set out on our first adventure!
After a couple of spots with no luck, again the girls were resilient and patient. Their optimistic and happy attitude was genuinely the heart of this trip and made it so special. The girls will mention our experiences with the bear bag hangs… each food pack was about 15 pounds, with one per girl, and each night was an adventure hoisting up those bags. After lots of laughter at our many attempts at getting our food up high we settled in for our first night in the backcountry!
On day two we decided to hike again, about five miles to explore the water closer to the confluence. Halfway through, we took a lunch break and rigged up one rod.
What a good decision that was. Madeline casted into a beautiful run and excited screams filled the air!!! The first fish of the trip!!!! Everyone ran over and gathered around, Ellen hopped into the water with her tennis shoes on to net it, and we have never seen Madeline smile so big!! And then one after another each girl caught one or two cutthroat trout out of this one run. The stoke was unbelievably high, we are sure everyone else in the valley heard us shouting with joy.
After the fishing slowed, we ventured on. Satisfied and eager for more fish. We arrived at our second campsite, a beautiful little meadow right next to the river. We threw some casts and did some swimming. After an interesting dinner that left the girls laughing at our cooking skills, we all settled down for our second night in the Bob!
By the third day, the girls could set up and take down their tents in under 5 minutes, start a whisper light stove, pump water from the river, and pack up everything faster than we could. They took every task in stride and were confident in their backcountry skills from the start. It was such a joy to watch them become independent with remembering their bear spray, cooking, exploring the area, and all the other tasks that you learn in the backcountry.
We set out on the trail again for a couple of miles to reach water just above the confluence. We arrived at another absolutely beautiful campsite, and marveled at the re-growth of the trees and flora that have bounced back after fires ravaged through the Bob over the past couple of years.
We set out on the river again and WOW!!!! Ness and Cordy caught the first couple of fish in this dark blue, clear pool about 50 feet from our campsite.
Watching Madeline, Vera, Ness, and Cordy grow in their angling skills has been mind-blowing. Their casts are perfect, and they are mending and setting like masters.
The fourth day was one of the most special days of all of our lives! We woke up at 6:30, caught a glimpse of the sunrise, and then set out on a 0.5-mile hike to the confluence.
There are no words to describe the breathtaking terrain and water we experienced! The confluence was full of huge light blue pools…. And we caught at least 7 fish each. It was one after another of beautiful casts and a reward of beautiful cutthroat trout. Streamers, pmds, peanuts, a variety of nymphs, and even some bright orange rubber legs were all on the menu for these fish. A highlight of our time was when we had three girls all on fish at the same time, right next to each other!! We fished for hours, until we were able to break away from the fish!!!! We checked out a couple more pools, caught a couple more fish, and headed out on our final hike out of the Bob. We hiked seven miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes - maybe it was the weight that left our packs or just the growing backpacking skills that these girls have, but compared to that first day, we crushed!!!!
The friendship and bonds the girls formed with each other during this trip were truly beautiful to witness. They uplifted each other, helped net each others fish, laughed and giggled all night long, and truly had such a fun time with one another.
When we were hiking back on the last day, Cordy and Madeline looked back at us and said they had never seen a place as beautiful as this. Each of the girls spoke about how this trip has made them so grateful for their families and lives, and how they feel tough and capable. Hearing them speak about all of the lessons they have learned through this, makes us so unbelievably happy and grateful.
Again, there are no words to totally encompass how wonderful and wild our experience was, but hopefully this does it some justice. Thank you so much for sending your smart and strong girls! Talk to you soon.
