Greetings from the Yellowstone Adventure where we have completed our first backcountry expedition. The trip is off to a great start with a great group of kids and excellent Co-Leaders in Andrew and Logan, Leader-in-Training, Henry. We even had a photographer, Matteo, join us in the backcountry. Given our strong start, we are looking forward to a great time during the remainder.
We started the trip off by camping in the shadow of the Grand Tetons along the bank of the Gros Ventre River. The first night was a great opportunity to build some strong bonds among a great batch of young outdoorsmen from across the country. As everyone arrived, we went through the basics of casting, knot tying, reading water, and insect identification. We also worked on a number of skills we would need as we ventured into Yellowstone.
Day two featured an incredible drive through both the Grand Teton-Bridger National Park and Yellowstone National Park. On the drive, we were treated to incredible views of snow-capped mountains, beautiful rivers, geysers and hot springs, and abundant wildlife, including bison, pronghorns, moose, elk, and among many others. We spent the night camping along the famous Madison River caught a number of rainbow and brown trout. We rounded the night off with by preparing for our first backcountry trip and a surprise trip into town for some ice cream.
The following morning, we strapped on our packs and began our hike into the backcountry along the Pebble Creek. The round trip over the course of three days we hiked around 13 miles, and it is safe to say that we were stronger hikers when we finished than when we started, something that is sure to serve us well in the days ahead. On Pebble Creek, the fishing was incredible, with our full group landing around 300 beautiful Yellowstone cutthroat trout. The scenery, fishing, and camaraderie were so great that one fellow proclaimed that he had just enjoyed “the greatest day of my entire life.”
During the days ahead, we’ll see if we can even top our incredible days in Pebble Creek. We’ll have a chance to fish in the Gardner River, hanging out in Mammoth Hot Springs, and then heading into Slough Creek for our second backcountry adventure. Given the success of the first trip and the great group of guys, I am sure that we are looking at a couple of absolutely incredible days.
