Greetings from our basecamp in Ennis, Montana! Today was our arrival day and everything went smoothly and according to plan. We picked up all of our campers from Bozeman airport and drove to the beautiful Madison River valley. Driving along the world-famous Madison River always gets us pumped for some fishing. Before telling you more about what's ahead, let us quickly introduce ourselves. (Fro left to right).
Hi there! I'm Charlie Melamede. I was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and moved to Burlington, Vermont when I was 10. Near the beginning of high school I started fly fishing around Vermont and haven't stopped since. These days I spend most of my time fishing, climbing, playing guitar, and skiing in Colorado, where I'll be going into my senior year as a computer science major in the fall. A fun fact about me: I'm an uncle to five nieces and nephews, two of whom are older than me. I just got back from a semester in Patagonia and love talking about travel, climbing, and of course fishing. I'm super excited to be joining the team this summer as a co-leader and trip director!
Hello there! My name is Owen Reeve. I'm a rising senior at Colorado College studying history and have been a part of LFFE for seven years — always incredibly excited to be back. I grew up in Maryland and have been fishing for as long as I can remember. When I was 7, my grandfather from Utah introduced me to western fly fishing on the Provo River, sparking my passion for fly fishing, rivers, and backpacking. As a participant I took trips in Yellowstone, the Thorofare, and Montana, and those trips are the source of many of my favorite fishing memories. LFFE introduced me to some amazing backcountry meals like buffalo mac and backcountry Thanksgiving - excited to cook some of these on this trip! When I'm not fishing, I love playing guitar, ski touring, backpacking, and photography. This year I'll be working in the Thorofare, Montana, and Yellowstone, and I can't wait to meet everyone who comes out this season.
Hey families, Kellen Vadala here! A two-trip LFFE alum, I grew up in Colorado where I spent my summers fishing and my winters skiing. As I got older, my love of fly fishing grew alongside my interest in river conservation. In high school, I spent my summers fishing and working on conservation projects with Trout Unlimited in Oregon and Wyoming, which led me to pursue a career in environmental engineering. I'm entering my sophomore year at Montana State University, where I get to study hard and explore Montana's famous rivers at the same time. I'm also the vice president of Bozo Trout Bums, MSU's fly fishing club.My first Lillard trip was a Colorado Adventure in middle school — the trip that made me fall in love with fly fishing. My favorite backcountry meal is Pad Thai, my favorite fly is a pink Chubby Chernobyl, and my favorite fishing memory is an epic Blue Winged Olive hatch on Soda Butte Creek in Yellowstone. A few other things about me: I'm a Manchester United supporter, I've played violin for seven years, and I have never broken a bone. I'm looking forward to starry nights and dry fly eats this summer and am excited to be back at LFFE, ready to share my passion for fly fishing and conservation.
Arrival day is always a treat, getting the pre-trip jitters behind us, watching new friendships blossom, and a little frisbee always sets the tone for a great trip to come. Over the next couple days, we will get our ducks in a row and prepare for our first backcountry trip on the Bechler River.
Tonight, we will play pool, ping pong, and foosball in our barn. Weather-permitting, we'll head to the Ennis High School field for some ultimate frisbee. Everyone is getting along great, and we feel great about what is to come. We will cook up some burgers and talk through our trip plan. The guys are excited to look at some maps to see all the places we will go. After airport travel and a big van ride, everyone is ready for a good night's rest and excited for the days to come.
The Bechler is an amazing place, located in the remote southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, the Bechler remains one of the quieter areas in the park. On the way tomorrow, we will drive through Victor, Idaho, home of the huckleberry shake, and arrive at our trailhead. After some sweet treats, we will drive up to a campsite near the trailhead and fish for some beautiful Yellowstone trout. The next morning, we will hike about 5 miles to our first campsite along the river. It'll be great to start the trip with some backcountry fishing. Yellowstone park's backcountry areas offer fishing most people never get to see, and we jump at any chance we get to hike deep into the wilderness.
We will spend three nights back there and will get the chance to sleep at a couple different campsites. The backcountry is always enchanting, and this time should be no different. Scenic meadows, colorful wildflowers, and stands of pine timber are all on the sightseeing menu.
After our time on the Bechler, we will send out another update from Bridge Bay. We will be camped on Yellowstone Lake and fishing the amazing Yellowstone River drainage. Today has been incredible and we are so grateful to have everyone here. We are so glad to have such an enthusiastic group and can't wait for you all to hear about our trip!
Until next time...
The guides and the guys
