This trip, into the Bob Marshall wilderness of northwestern Montana, was certainly the climax of my life as a dry fly fisherman. It was the result of many years spent dreaming of a place where time existed on a simpler level. Where nothing exists that doesn't belong. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to wander through such a place. Anyways, of course we took a whole shit load of pictures along the way but here are just a few.....
^Holland Lake. This was the starting point of what would be the most agonizing 3.5 days of hiking I have ever experienced. But the rewards, aahhh the rewards!
^We skipped a couple a stones before we left. We embarked on the 30 mile hike the next day
^here we are, after 7 miles of uphill climbing entering the bob. Keep in mind our packs were like 100lbs for good reason, we were packing with fishing boats.
^"The BOB"
^Neil and dutch enjoying the fresh flowers...
^and the fresh views
^Oh fuckin Rights! only 20 miles to go!
^The fire is always burning somewhere in the bob
^Here, we have finally reached the waters of the South Fork of the Flathead river. What a glorious feeling it was to throw down my pack for the final time after a 3 and a half day slog. It was all down stream from here on out. All we had to do was kick back and float down a river for 5 days. Time to reap the fruits of our labor!!
^At the confluence, and finally heading downstream on day 4, yah this should be nice.
^on the first few days, we spent alot more time fishing than just about anything else.
^what we came for, westslope cutthroat, and lots of em.
^The Crew (Neil, myself, dutch)
^the rigs (www.bigskyinflatables.com)
^a beautiful run
^dutch basically slept for 5 days
^one of many camps next to the river
^the I
^the I's bredren
^entering berry land
^big salmon lake
^first of all, these were the best berries I have ever had in my life. Some huckleberries. Like foraging bears we took to the slopes and picked these purple fruits for hours. We had enough to last us for the next 3 days. You don't know how stoked we were.
^perfectly ripe for the pick'n. Im sure the bears were pumped on this years yield as well.
^more floatin...
^and fishin...
^and catchin
^crystal clear
^another day, another camp, time to go.
^another looooong riffle
^taking a nap
^taking a swim
^nice country up there i'd say
^fishing at dusk was unbelievable
^dutch was the head of security, keeping lions and bears at bay.
^3 and a half foot long bull trout, need I say more
^epic shit right there
^neil sees some fish
^looks like he did see one.
back at the truck somewhere. boy were we excited to eat some delicious food after more than a week in the wilderness, only eating nuts and berries. Ha! actually our food was alright on the trip but the berries really did help.
Well, that was the coolest thing I have ever done and I can't wait to do it again. Next summer maybe a new river, or state, or country who knows. This trip to the south fork however marked the beginning of a new era for me, floating unfamiliar wilderness rivers on my water master.
Give thanks for Life! Peace.
