Field Notes -
Dispatch 34 – Trout Camp – Boulder Mountains, Idaho, USA
Sunday, July 30,
2017
Greetings, Fellow
Adventurers!
After concluding
our kayak tour of the Teton National Park lakes we transitioned home,
reconfigured the mountain gear, and one week ago established our
season here at Trout Camp 2017. It has been a week of
disappointment for this years freshman fishing class. As a
consequence of last winters enormousness snow fall the streams are
still high and the trout scarce to none existent. Everyday the
regions professional guides come to me for guidance and reassurance.
I tell them in a fatherly manner that the life of a true
fly-fisherman is fraught with disappointment and not only that but
sometimes there is not a thing you can do about. This is called hard
luck. I tell them that at these crossroads of life you can chose the
dark path of natural philosophy, give up fly fishing and become a
birder and perhaps study wild flowers or, as I have done, build large
camp fires each evening and, in a humble manner, prefect your own
gin and tonic recipe while gazing up at the milky way. My course of
action will not necessarily bring the trout back but it will dull the
pain. Well, at least until an burning ember falls on your nylon pants
they instantly catch on fire. My pants on fire seems to be this
summers reoccurring theme.
So life goes on as
it often does. Why the sad face. We are, after all, camped in a
wonderful forest meadow next of an trout stream reading, napping, and
eating. Life could be worse.
On the more
sophisticated side of things we have been attending the Sun Valley
Symphony. So far it has been a program of Russian composers. Now,
as you know, I am not a fan of the red commies that stole our nations
last presidential election and these composer chaps, while not being
commies, were no barrel of laughs. Apparently they composed very sad
symphonies to commemorate their impending departure to a Siberian
stalag or because their best fishing pal just committed suicide for
pretty much the same reason. Not many toe tapping tunes with that
crowd. Where is Gershwin and his American In Paris when you need a
bit of cheering up?
Well, as you can
see I am a bit down in the dumps. Wouldn’t you be if you were
contemplating going to a lake and fishing with bait just so you could
see a trout? Yes you would be. I know you. MR seems to be taking
all of this disappointment in stride, as usual, and loves the Ruskie
composers. One can only wonder when patriotism fell out of fashion.
Anyway, she is having a great time and while sympathetic toward the
freshman class she honestly believes they will get over it. It only
it were so. I am afraid we my be on the brink of losing a whole
class of fly casters if thing don’t improve soon.
Well, that is all I
the ink I can put to paper tonight. It is difficult to write through
tear filled eyes now what I am thinking of all those poor little fly
casters. It is enough to break even a Russian’s cold heart.
I hope your summer
adventures including landing more trout than mine. I will watch the
streams and keep you posted on the flow projections.
Over and out.
