Laboring

[rbphoto]

"You can fish up here?" he asked with that quizzical gaze of a fellow fly-fisherman.  His truck was the only other parked nearby and the graphic in the window worried me that I had been beaten to a spot I haven't fished in forever.

"You're asking the wrong question." I responded.  He and his wife were just out for a hike, which brightened my spirits.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I've never even considered bringing a rod up here.  I thought it was impossible to access the water from here." His tone admitted shame and self-loathing for never considering a backcountry trip that involved serious bushwhacking to get to the creek.  "What's in there?  Are there wild fish up here?"

Better questions, which made me antsy and ready to keep hiking, not really answering his questions clearly.

"It's different, for sure.  Below is fun, but not what I'm after today."  He wanted more, especially access points. "It's mostly digging through elevations and mapwork, looking for the way-show-ers. Takes some effort to figure it out.  Enjoy your hike out. The last half mile is all anaerobic, for sure."  I headed off without divulging anything he couldn't figure out with some research.

It's been an interminably long, hot, dry summer. The ferns are mostly brown and dry, despite a couple of weeks of on-again, off-again cooler weather and some rain.  The path is dotted with quartz and roots and the 65 degree morning air makes the walk enjoyable.  There are a few flowers, almost no fungi, and eerily absent of birdsong.  The insects trilled quietly with the predominant sound the crunching of the path under my boots and an occasional tree-top breeze that brought droplets from last night's rain to the forest floor.  The brown, yellow and red leaves of late summer's heat litter the darkened path.

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New growth is evident, most of which seem to be tulip poplars, rhododendron, and mountain laurel.

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Very few others seem to be thriving through the heat.  There are a few.

Purple dewdrop
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Woodland sunflower (?)
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I keep walking, thinking about a story that should be written down and reflecting back on why I packed so little to drink and eat for an 8+ mile round trip.  I really need to purchase a Lifestraw or something similar for days like these. 

I am interrupted, twice, by black bear cubs.  Thankfully, they are going away from me in a hurry.  I figured it was good to make a bit more human-like noise, so I started thinking out loud the story I want to write down.

I have my travel rod for the little creek.  It's overkill at 3wt, but short and perfect for slogging through rhododendron choked plunge pools and packs into a 20" tube. 

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It takes a bit more than an hour to get here:
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Let the fishing begin.

Gin clear, even after the evening rain.  But at this elevation there's not much to drain so I'm not surprised.  Clouds rolled in and out.  A few tiny insects were hatching, so I went with a size 18 caddis emerger.  Suddenly, this single huge mayfly lifts off from the surface of the pool in which I am standing, making me think I may need to entice the brookies with something more appetizing and worth their efforts.

Sure enough.  I was rewarded.

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I fished about a mile-ish of water, hitting a dozen or so plunge pools.  The only ways back to the trail are uphill or back down the way I came.  I fished my way back down and caught what I believe is the exact same fish as the first one to close down my water time.

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Next time I will bring a daypack instead of the sling so I can walk out in a pair of dry shoes.

It's the first time in a long while my Labor Day has been this sort of laboring.  I'll remember that for the future.

Raymond

[troutboy_II]

Well spoken/worded!  Thanks for sharing. I'm about convinced that it will take a helo to get me back in there. Maybe next round.



TB

[hcrum87hc]

If you're going to labor on Labor Day, that's the way to do it.  My last time out, there was a Subaru parked where I parked with fishing stickers on it.  It made me nervous, but the guy ended up just being out for a jaunt with his dog and kiddo.

[Phil]

Verrry nice report, short story, and photos.