Back to Durango

After a long stretch in Lake City, I headed back over to Durango to fish the San Juan and do a little hiking.  Unfortunately, the water levels on the San Juan had been raised, meaning there were fewer hatches (and, therefore, slower fishing) than normal, but I kept heading back because it rained every afternoon, and the first big thunderstorm of the year is supposed to wash thousands of ants into the river and set off a crazy feeding frenzy.  Alas, the "ant hatch" never happened, and I had to really work to catch fish.

Sunset from Spring Creek Pass on my way to Durango

Spring Creek Pass

San Juan River

San Juan River

Nice San Juan Rainbow

Another nice San Juan Rainbow

Not my best camera work

Revenge Fish

The last time I fished with my friend Peter on the Lake Fork, I broke off a huge fish because I forgot to retie my flies after a fish tangled me in some rocks.  The fish that got away haunted my dreams, but today was a chance for revenge.  Peter, Mitchell, Kyle, and I were fishing the stretch where I broke off the monster the time before, and I stopped fishing about 30 minutes early just to double and triple check my flies and line and think through how I would cast to and play the monster this time.  I wasn't going to miss another chance to catch this fish.

When we got to the spot, sure enough there was a monster rainbow hanging out in the eddy along the cliff, just like the time before.  After some discussion about the best approach to cast to this monster without spooking him, I put a cast along the cliff wall and watched my flies swirl into the eddy.  "Set!" Peter yelled.  The monster rainbow had taken my nymph and the fight was on.  A few minutes later, Mitchell scooped up the bow in his net before he could take off on another powerful run. I was shaking from excitement.  There would be no more nightmares about this fish--I had exacted my revenge!

Revenge Fish

We landed some more good fish over the course of the day, and at one point Kyle, Peter, Mitchell, and I all had a fish on at the same time--talk about a productive day!

Kyle and Peter work a riffle stretch

Mitchell and Kyle work a nice run

Kyle fishes a deep channel off of some rocks

Mitchell dons his sharpest sun hat

Kyle targets some rising 'bows

Quadruple!  Yes, four fishermen, four fish.

Peter wrote an article on Fly Dreamers about my revenge fish: Revenge Fish Article.  Check it out.

Sunset on a great day of fishing

Handies Peak

One of our typical Lake City activities is to hike Handies Peak, which is over 14,000 feet high and offers amazing views of other "fourteeners" in the area.  Kyle, Allison, and I tackled Handies once again this year and were not disappointed.

Looking back down the first part of the trail early in the morning

Looking up the trail

Looking back at the ground we already covered

Sloan Lake

Sloan Lake

Handies Peak from Sloan Lake

Sloan Lake

Climbing up to the saddle

Sloan Lake

View from the saddle

Final push to the peak

Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre from the top of Handies.  You can also see Cinnamon Pass cutting across the face of the closest mountains

Looking south from Handies (Ouray and Telluride are nestled in the jagged mountains on the right)

Sloan Lake from the top of Handies

On top of Handies

Heading back down

Handies from the trail

Little waterfall in American Basin near the trailhead

Wildflowers in American Basin

Columbine, Colorado's state flower

Columbine in American Basin

American Basin

Mission accomplished