Spot Pack Flyfishing

SPOT PACK FLY FISHING: RIDING HORSES

An excerpt from the book Spot Pack Fly fishing

Horses add a whole new dimension to the backcountry experience making it feel like a true adventure.  Riding allows you to look around and soak in the beauty on your way to your destination while the horse does all the work.

Imagine yourself putting one foot into a stirrup, pushing on that leg while swinging your other over the back of a horse.  Your horse starts to shift around while you settle in and try to get comfortable.  The wrangler is the real deal, with a cowboy hat, flannel shirt, blue jeans, chaps, boots, and perhaps even a revolver.  He or she is helping you, making sure the horse you’re riding for the next four or five hours will be a good match for you.  The wrangler will make sure your stirrups are set at the correct length and the cinch is tightened properly.  Next, he or she will show you how to hold the reigns and to direct the horse if you’re not familiar with riding.  As your horse continues to shift around and chew on its bit, you realize you’re now sitting on a living, breathing, animal that’s about to carry you deep into the wilderness. Now that you’re on your horse, you watch as all the other members of your party get onto theirs.  You’re all in this together and you realize this is something special. There is a sense of thrill and anticipation of what will follow and the country you’re about to see.

The wrangler leads off, followed by a couple of packhorses trailing on a lead rope.  Finally, it’s your close friends, or perhaps your father, son, or daughter, trailing behind in single file.  The wrangler leads the group through a shallow stream, then begins to switchback up a mountain on the other side.  You begin to thank the Good Lord that you have a horse carrying you up the trail instead of trudging up the mountain yourself.  The trail is like this for quite a while as you gain about 2,500 feet in elevation.  Finally, you break out of the trees as you ascend above timberline.  The scene is classic, like something out of Hollywood western, as you see the wrangler leading the group in single file over the tundra with a backdrop of vertical mountains pocketed with glaciers.  It’s an image you’ll never forget.  You may even begin to daydream a little, having fun imagining that you’re Clint Eastwood, wearing a poncho, squinting, with a cigar in your mouth, as you take in the classic western scene.  Those of you over the age of forty know what I’m talking about.

All right, back to reality.  The horses are breathing heavily, so the wrangler advises the group to hop down and walk for a few minutes.  This gives the members of your party the chance to stretch their legs, which will help to not be too sore later.  The horses also have a chance to catch their breath from the climb.  The top of the pass is near, and you can feel the wind picking up as you get closer and closer to the top.  Once there, your group comes to a halt, and you stop for a photo.  In the distance, on the other side of the pass, you can see a valley still five or six miles away holding a string of glacier-fed lakes.  You realize that’s your destination, the goal of all your planning.  The excitement is building, but it’s a time to be quiet and to take in the scenery.  It’s humbling as you realize how small you actually are in comparison to the vast wilderness that is spread out before you.

After a quick lunch you and your group hop back on the horses and begin your descent down the other side of the pass.  The trail gets steep as you re-enter the trees and the wrangler tells the group to lean back and stand up in the stirrups.  Meanwhile, you’re thinking to yourself that in five days you’ll be hiking up and over this on your way out.  Maybe even questioning if you made the right choice to hike out on your own rather than having the outfitter pack you out.  The group will be able to do it though, after the hard work and training that they put in over the last six months.  It will be a great challenge and a physical test.

After another hour you enter the drainage where you’ll be camping and fishing for the next four days.  The stream emptying the higher alpine lakes is now running alongside the trail and you begin to scout it.  Now the excitement really begins to build as you see pocket after pocket, run after run, that you know will hold fish.  This deep into the backcountry fish are, in general, everywhere they’re supposed to be.  One last climb and you top out into a basin with the lake you’ll be camping on.  As it comes into view, you’re tired from the ride but ready to walk and stretch your legs.  You’re also overflowing with excitement because you’ve finally arrived.  You realize with clarity that the horses were worth it because you’re physically still fresh.  A little sore, but not ready to drop like you would have been if you hiked up and over the pass carrying your own pack.  You’re ready to get your fly rod out and fish!

The wrangler begins to take your gear off the packhorses and your group begins to scout for where to set up tents.  After firmly shaking the wrangler’s hand you nonchalantly give the wrangler his tip, and part ways with a friendly wave.  The riding part of the trip is now complete.

Spot Pack Fly Fishing is made up of four parts, its Table of Contents listed below:

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