A family reunion in Idaho meant the little man's introduction to his great grandma and lots of willing relatives hoping to hold him. Not one to waste such an opportunity, it was up in the dark and onto the trail for a three lake loop above McCall, Idaho. But before we launch into it, take a moment to commiserate with a long suffering wife who was abandoned with 50+ in-laws and an infant.
Lake Louie - One mile in and the sun was just greeting Jughandle Mountain. Lake Louie is managed for trophy cutthroat trout and they would need to be salmon sized to bring home (20+ inches). The best I managed was this 14" cutthroat, bonus points for spotting him.
However, the scenery was epic and even better I still hadn't seen anyone on the trail or fishing. A few more fish played along but I had to tear myself away to see what the next water would bring.
Boulder Lake - To reach target #2, you travel around the side of the Twin Peaks. I was a little unsure of this section as the man who sold me my license said I would need to be a mountain goat to get between Louie and Boulder. He must have gotten a kick out of spooking out of towners as he also launched into the sad story of a couple who lost their prized golden retrievers to wolves in this area.
However, the trail was in great shape and I didn't get eaten by anything larger than a skeeter so that was a plus.
Boulder Lake did not have quite the dramatic setting and the fish were a little more stubborn but I had it in my head that this trip needed to result in fish from each lake. So I was going to be camping here as long as it took.
Luckily for my marriage, I found the fish hanging out at the dam. More of the same hungry cutthroat (including three in four casts) in the 10-12" range.
If you see a cute chipmunk: congrats, you are not an engineer! If you are wondering why the dam was built with chicken wire: bad news, consult Dilbert comics for your horoscope.
Boulder Reservoir - From the dam you just tumble downhill to the last stop on our tour. It was here that I tragically encountered the first hikers on the trail but after 6.5 miles I was still hundreds of people ahead of where I would have been on a Washington hike.
The fish must have sensed my urgency at this point as a beautiful rainbow hit my first cast and the lake slam was complete!
