Hello again from the Yellowstone Expedition!
We are currently writing you from the scenic Lillard base camp in Ennis, Montana. This past week has been packed with adventure and there is a lot to report. When we last checked in, the group was gearing up for our first backcountry into the Idaho portion of Yellowstone. We spent the night before our hike near our trailhead on the Falls River. We enjoyed some awesome brook trout and rainbow trout fishing below Cave Falls, and once everyone had landed some fish, we returned to the campsite for backcountry prep and a big pasta dinner. After everyone was full, we turned in for the night in preparation for our hike.
The next morning we hit the trail early to make sure we still had plenty of time to fish after we arrived at our backcountry site. The group set up camp like a bunch of seasoned pros and quickly hit the water. It didn't take long for the kids to land our first big rainbow of the trip, and many more followed in the days to come. The big fish were incredibly spooky, but our group rose to the occasion. By the time we were ready to move camp, everyone was able to land some nice fish.
On our third day in the backcountry, we spent the morning fishing, then we packed up camp and hiked another 6 miles up to the headwaters of the Falls River. We arrived at our new site around dinner time, and everyone was excited about a nice meal of chicken quesadillas. Once everyone had filled up it was right back to fishing. We were able to get on the water just in time for an awesome caddis hatch, and the brook trout were fired up and ready to eat. After a couple of hours of fishing, everyone met back at camp, where we built a fire and shared stories about the past few days of fishing. The next morning, we were right back on the water enjoying our last day in the backcountry.
This morning everybody seemed ready for some showers and laundry. We packed up early and hit the trail and the group made the hike out look easy. Once we arrived back at the trailhead, the group piled into the bus and drove over to Base Camp. When we got to Ennis, everyone was pretty exhausted. We decided it might be fun to take a drive over to Ennis Lake for an afternoon of swimming to beat the heat. We were having so much fun we didn't leave the lake until dinner time. Once everyone filled up on dinner, the group tossed around a frisbee and prepared for laundry, showers, and some fishing on the world-famous Madison the next day.
Soon we will be making our way back into Yellowstone National park, where the group will try their luck on the Upper Yellowstone River and the Snake River backcountry. The fishing should be amazing, there is truly no better place to cast a rod than on the beautiful rivers in Yellowstone. That's it so far for the Yellowstone Expedition, but we'll be sure to keep you updated on all the good times to come!
Sincerely,
Dayton, David, and Cole
