First Fish Camp - Part 2

After a few days on the Manistee River we decided we would hike in the Betsie River and see what we could scare up.  It is about 30 minutes from my house and is behind the Crystal Mountain ski area.  We parked along the road and hiked in about 1/2 mile and crossed over the stream.  This was the first time I had been to the Betsie in the spring.  The water was higher and the crossing was a little interesting.

I found a nice hole and started to swing flies.  The water was a little dark from the overnight rain. I kept casting and working my way downstream towards Tim.  Stan was fishing a hole above me.  We fished for several hours and didn't get anything.  Stan had a big steelhead on and had it right to his feet when he lost it.

The next day we did a float trip with my drift boat from Tippy Dam to High Bridge.

The small pictures are from another camera and get blurry when I tried to enlarge it.

Tim is casting to the banks and off the gravel bars.  We caught rainbows and browns.

Stan was changing flies, looking for the hot fly.  We all took turns manning the oars as we drifted down the river stopping at each hole or run.

Here was a small brown that fell to my white streamer.

Another fish comes to the net.  Now where are the large steelhead?

We spent 4 hour drifting the first 3/4 mile and it was 6 more miles to our take-out point.  We had to speed things up.  We drifted down stream and had our lunch on the way down. 

We had a nice turkey sandwich and cole slaw and some cookies.

The weather warmed up and we relaxed.

We didn't do well in the lower river and the wind came up.  It was blowing us back up stream so we had to use the oars for the last 2 hours!!

After we got off the river we decided to cook outside over the grill.  I had two large filets of lake trout for dinner

It was nice to eat outside for the first time in mid-April.

Shirt sleeves in mid-April doesn't happen every year.  It was a nice ending to a great day.

The next day we decided to fish Bear Creek.  We drove to a new location.  It would be the first time hiking in to this spot on the creek.  We parked and hiked over to the edge of a huge cliff above the river.  It was quite a scramble getting down to the stream.

Stan is about half way down the trail.  The stream looks great and nobody else is in sight.  Yea, we have the stream to ourselves.

I get a native rainbow and think I am going to have a great day here.

The stream is small but beautiful.  Tim crosses over to the other side and Stan and I play leap frog from hole to hole.

Tim got into the fish and caught a nice brookie and 4 rainbows.  Stan got a brown so we covered all the bases on the trout , except the steelhead had moved way up stream!

Sometimes you just have to relax and enjoy the sites and sights.

Stan has one on.  I grab the camera so I can get a shot of the fish.

A nice brownie from Bear Creek.

There was an angler here with a sense of humor.  What do you think?

I think the same angler was at this spot.  What is that shape on the tree?   Tim is just fishing a nice hole.

We fish for a couple of hours and ended up way up stream.  We decide to head back and then we realized that we have that huge cliff to hike back up!  It was steeper this time!

Next day we went back to the Manistee River to fish.  It was another nice day but we found a drift boat in our favorite spot.  They were fishing the other side so we just waded out and fished on this side of the boat.

Tim hooked a large steelhead but couldn't get it in.  As he finally got closer he realized it had a stringer attached and Tim hooked the fish and stringer!

A fitting farewell to a week of Fish Camp. Tim was headed to downstate to visit his Mother and Stan was off to Virginia. Another great Fish Camp.

The guys left around 10:00 am and Fish Camp ll was due to start at 2:00 pm.  Stay tuned for Fish Camp ll .

First Fish Camp of 2010 - Part 1

It was finally time for Fish Camp 2010.  The first Fish Camp was April 11-18th.  Cousin, Tim, drove over from New Jersey and his college roommate, Stan, came up from Virginia.  The weather started out warm in the 70's and turned colder later in the week.

The guys arrived Sunday afternoon and were ready to hit the stream. We decided to fish the Manistee River across from the Handicap Pier on the south side of the river.

On the way through the woods, we could see the river.  Yup, the river had lots of fishermen after the Spring Steelhead.  We waded out to the gravel bars and started floating flies.  Small black nymphs and egg patterns were used.  We saw lots of fisherman on the north bend, up by the boat launch, catching fish every half hour but the fish were moving where we were.                                                                                                     

This is Stan and He is using his spinning rod to float flies under his 3-way swivel and sinker.  You can see the handicap Pier on the other side.  The water was pale green and the temperature was in the 60's.                    

A nice 14" trout hit the white streamer.  We caught some nice browns and a few rainbows but the steelhead were interested in reproduction at the moment.      We caught lots of  medium sized trout but the steelies were tougher to get right now.                                                                                    

Stan gets into another fish.  This one is heavy.  After a few minutes, he can't move the fish.  I have a feeling I know what it is.  The Prized Red Horse Sucker!  Stan managed to get a few every day of camp!                

Here you can see the bend south of the launch area.  It was loaded with guys.  The fish were on the gravel beds in front of them.                                                                                                                               

The first day and we all caught some fish.  I had two steelhead on my 5/6 weight fly rod on small egg patterns and managed to get a good fight out of them but didn't land them.  It was good to be out on the stream and tomorrow we will fish the Betsie River.                                                                                                        

Utah Skiing

I have always wanted to go skiing somewhere west where you have long downhill runs.  It was on my Bucket List.  My friend, Robb, called and invited me on a ski trip to the Salt Lake City area for a 5 day trip.  There would be 5 guys in the 30's  and old, retired me.  One person was from VT, 3 of us from MI and 2 from IN.  We all flew into Salt lake City and Scott and Robb got the cars.

We had a Chevy SUV and a Ford  Taurus and they were loaded with gear.  It was amazing to be in t-shirts at the airport and look up to see the snow mountains surrounding SLC.

The mountains all had snow but the east facing side had the skiing!  We drove about one hour up to Eden, UT and the narrow canyon road had lots of snow.

We stayed at the Wolf Lodge Condos. The unit only had two Queen beds but the couch had a pull-out bed and the futon couch/bed in the loft. Nothing fancy but well equipped for us. The guys complained about the beds but we were usually tired so we got by.


After we unpacked, we went down to the grocery store for food.  We got food for breakfast, things for sandwiches on the slope, and some good beer.  We decided to eat at the local Shooting Star bar that served anything you wanted as long as it was hambuger!  They had nice, juicy bugers with chips and a beer for $6!  We talked to a few guys at the bar about snow conditions and decided to hit Powder Mountain for the first day of skiing.

Next morning we were up and out by 9:00 am as it was only 20 minutes to this resort.  We had a great egg breakfast and packed our lunches so we could stay until closing.  Everyone got out their hydration pacs and I realized that I didn't have mine along.  I found a 16 oz. water bottle that would fit in my jacket.  I was warned that you have to drink lots of water as the high elevation and exertion will get you dehydrated fast.




http://www.powdermountain.com/

Pow Mow has 7000 skiable acres with 2500 vertical height and 134 runs.  This was my first big mountain and it was high!  We got our lift tickets - around $56 for the day.  We took the quad chair lift to the top and it was 8,900 ft. elevation.  A warm-up run down a 3 mile run started out easy and then turned into rough ice from the frozen grooming. It was fast and rough to ski.  The afternoon sun would soften things up....we hoped! 

If you have never been out west to ski, it is breath-taking  It is so beautiful up high and very scary.  The runs that have close to 3000 vertical feet demand good skiing.  I was soon to realize that I was adrift in a group of really good skiers!  I should have picked up on the fact that they all had had lots of surgery and broken bones!  Nothing scared these guys.  As for me, I carefully picked my routes down the mountain.  It was so exciting to be on a big hill.  The guys always led the way and stopped and waited for me to catch up.  It was nice to take short breaks on the long runs.  You had to do so much turning that your thigh muscles started to scream after a few runs.  It really does take strong legs to ski from opening to closing! Robb had been running for several weeks, I climbed the stairs twice!

The next run was to go down 3 mile run and the group was looking for some softer snow. We started down and then we came to a spot.

Here are Robb, Jeff, Ryan, Scott W, and Scott waiting for me to head down.  They got down the run and suddenly went off trail to some moguls in deeper snow.  Just like in the Olympics.....I watched and then said ..."Why not?"    A few seconds later, I fell and struggled to get up.  I started again and fell.  It looks so easy on TV!  After the third fall in a very short distance, I tried to walk over to the run.  The snow was very deep and I struggled to get to the guys.  They decided to ski over to the run...I tried to walk.  I was at 8000+ feet and breathing heavy.  I couldn't get my breath.  I waited for 15 minutes and started down the run only to stop for another breather.  My heart was racing.  Two guys stayed with me and the other three skiied to the lift to call the Ski Patrol.  In 15 minutes  a guy from the ski patrol came over and checked on me.  I was feeling better and ready to ski down to the lift when the snowmobile arrived.  It was decided that I should ride up to the 1st Aid Hut and get oxygen.  I climbed on the snowmobile and had to carry my skis and poles across my lap as the snowmobile shot off across the hill on a diagonal.  This was my first snowmobile ride.  And it was going fast across the mountain and slightly uphill.  I couldn't hang on to anything with the skis in my hands so I clamped my legs tight to the seat and prayed.  When we arrived at the 1st Aid Hut they checked my vitals.  My heart rate was up and my blood pressure was high. I drank water and had about a half an hour rest with oxygen.

This is in the hut.  They checked each other's blood pressure and decided the gauge wasn't working right.  I also got several chocolate covered cookies.  Mountain Sickness or High Elevation Sickness, they said was probably the problem.

Just imagine me in the jacket with the oxygen attached.  In 30-45 minutes, my friends checked in on me and I was ready to go back skiing.  I had to leave the oxygen tank behind......darn!  There weren't many people and we had most of the runs to our selves.

The guys are making fun of my skiing...I'm taking the picture!

After a great day of skiing we headed back about 5:00 pm for our condo.  The guys got their swim suits on and headed out for the hot tub.  Nobody told me to pack mine!   I needed to relax and rest anyway!   Robb and Ryan cooked up steaks, garlic potatoes, grilled vegetables for supper.  Then the plans for the next day were discussed.  They all wanted a bigger mountain and powder!  The next day was to be Snowbasin.



Snowbasin has 2,959 vertical feet of elevation, 3,300 acres and over 400" of snow per year. Lift tickets were $65.  I, of course, got the Senior Discount at each place and saved $15-20 at each place.  I didn't even have to ask for it!!

http://www.snowbasin.com/


If you check on the Trail Maps you can see where we skied.     This was the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics!!!


Wow!  The mountains were getting taller.  Snowbasin has peaks at 9570 ft.  Off to the right  was the Men's and Women's Super G start. When they say Double Black Diamond, they mean it!!

This hill had a gondola ride up that just kept going....up....up....up!  Just as we would crest a hill, another larger hill was behind it.  Excuse me...I mean another mountain, not a hill!

So many new experiences.  It was nice to ski with great skiers.  They all took turns keeping an eye on the old man.  We took the Needles Express Gondola up and skied down Strawberry Traverse to Dan's Run to Bear's Run and then School Hill to the bottom.  This was my best day.  I didn't fall once and skied nice long runs all day.

The guys were doing great and found interesting runs to do.

Here I am standing right in front of a cliff that they ski.  I think you can see that there is a sharp edge or downhill right behing me.  Notice that I am not facing the downhill but pointed towards the edge where a gentler slope awaits me.  I pride myself in my selection of runs that I think I can manage.  Actually, I just try to decide if a fall will only hurt me as opposed to breaking bones if I fall.  This keeps the decision  making much easier!

This is Snowbasin Trail Map.  If you click on it, you can see an enlarged picture.  Off to the right side is the Black Diamond Runs.  Yes, the boys did those...while I took a break.

After another great day, we headed back to the condo.  Time to watch some basketball games.

It was decided that we would hit our last resort on Saturday.  I guess they were saving the best for last. 

Snowbird Resort is a very popular place.

http://www.snowbird.com/index.html

The World Freeskiing Tour was going on.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vimeo.com%2F10337947&h=90922f610d81000842794fd6883d1c36

We got here about 8:30 am on Saturday and got our tickets.  Snowbird is about one and a half hours south of where we were staying.  It has 11,000+ ft high peaks.  3240 vertical feet in 2500 skiable acres.   Snowbird has 85 runs and Chip's Run is 2.5 miles long.  They also have a 125 person Tram and 4 quads and 6 doubles.

When we got on the Tram and headed up I wondered what the day would be like.   We went up to Hidden Peak.

That is 11,000 feet elevation.  You can see SLC down in the distance.

We skiied across the top and went down the other side of the mountain to Mineral Basin.  Beautiful snow and lots of choices.

Here is the bottom of Mineral Basin.  This was nice because the guys could ski Black Diamond runs and chutes and I could go down easier Blue and Green Runs and meet at the same ending place.  The snow was finally softening up and the skiing was great.

I like these big, wide runs!  I felt comfortable skiing down by myself on these runs.  My thighs and calves were getting tighter.

The guys had to do the Mogul Chute down a Black Diamond Route.  Here is Scottie W coming down with Jeff and Robb right behind him.  I would love to be able to ski like those guys.  No Fear.

Later Scott and Jeff did a  backcountry traverse to ski a very steep ridge. They had to climb up s narrow stepped trail to get over to where they wanted to start.  Fresh tracks down the mountain looks so nice.  Jeff hadn't skied in 5 years but it came back quickly as he did everything!

You had to stop and take in the views that were great in every direction.  What an amazing place.  The best snow in the world they advertize.

This picture shows some of the traverse routes to take you to a less steep part of the run for some of us slower skiers.  This was great but I hated the narrow trails with steep edges and sharp switchbacks.  Of course my legs were about gone at this point.

I am coming down and the guys are going up.  I would rest every other run the last day. 

This is the large Tram that goes up the main hill.  I was thankful that Scott took me down the mountain in a gentle traverse route.  I had to pass right between the spectators and the finish line for the World Freeski Tour.  Then I came to a narrow chute with steep sides to lead down. Ug!  A couple of falls and my legs were gone.  I headed down to the main lodge.

This is my thumb.  The photo shows some of the large outdoor patio right in front of the slopes.

I am done and it is only 1:00 pm and the guys are going to ski for 3 more hours.  I think I'll have a cold beer and watch the fun in front of me.

The Freeskiing World Tour was handing out prizes for answering questions. Scott won an aluminum water bottle and compass!

This is back at the car and the last look at the mountain, at least  the front lower third you can see.

We decided to head to Park City, UT to see the resort town.  It was up-scale and quaint.  The ski area didn't look too impressive compared to Snowbird.  We walked around town and found a great Pizza place for our final dinner of the trip in Utah.  Then It was back to the condo.  We left at 7:30 am and returned by 9:30 pm! A long , great day.  We totaled up the expenses for the condo, cars, gas, food and beer.  It came to $300 per person plus about $150 for lift tickets.  A six way split helped make the 5 day trip affordable for all.

Sunday morning we were up and packing.  We finished off the eggs and toast, steak, sausage, cheese and anything else in the refrigerator.   Some left at 11:00 and the rest of us were out at 12:00pm. 
 
 
 
 
 

This was our farewell shot of SLC.  But we were flying American to Chicago and then on to GRR!

We got in to GRR at 10:20 pm tired but with great memories.  Wait, Snowbird has snow until mid - May!!!!

First River Fishing Day for 2010

I decided that ice fishing was getty iffy with the warm weather.  I had a great day (for me) and caught 29 smelt last Wednesday but packed the ice fishing gear away.

The weather was in the 50s and it was cloudy so off to the river I went.  The South side parking lot of Manistee River at Tippy Dam is only 2 miles north of my house.  When I arrived I saw about 8 cars and wondered if I could find a fishing spot I liked.  I had my waders on and just grabbed my fishing pole and headed to the steps of Cardiac Hill.

The snow was still around and a little slippery.  This is just before the dreaded steps down to the river.  See how the right side gets warm afternoon sun and the left side only gets morning sun. I am facing north.

The  top of the 140+ steps were fairly clear of snow and ice.  Down I go wondering if I didn't need the ice creepers I had on my waders.

As I got to the bottom of the steps the ice was covering the steps and slippery.  This is where you better be holding on to the railing.  Now I was glad for those ice creepers!  I had heard that the steehead are now moving in the river and from the number of cars in the parking lot, it must be true.

The scene from the lower steps shows only about 4-5 guys below the the dam.  I always enjoy this picture of the river.  It is just as I remembered from my last trip in November.  I noticed a few fish on a stringer by the larger rock in the foreground.  I'll be these guys were here early,like 7:00 am!

I moved down stream below the last guy and waded out to my knees.  The water isn't too bad and the flow is ok.  I tried to drift some wax worms on bottom but the Zebra mussels are so thick that they cut off the wax worms so I tie on a Manistee Wiggler fly and bounce it along on bottom.  After about 20-30 minutes I had a hit.  Wow, first fish of the year.  I hope I can land it.  I decide to try to get a picture while I am fighting the fish.  I may not be successful.

It is a 16" rainbow, not a steelhead, but is giving me a nice fight.  Come to Poppa!  I get out my forceps and take the hook out without touching the fish and he lives to fight another day.  I have plenty of fish in the freezer and I want to catch him some other day.  He gave me a nice fight so I released him to give someone else a good day.    Ah, fishing on the Manistee River....priceless!

It was then that I remembered that I have to go up Cardiac Hill again!