Greetings from the Colorado High Country! Our first full day in Colorado is now under our belt and it feels good. We drove over the Continental Divide yesterday and descended upon the wonderful town of Crested Butte. After this winter’s solid snow pack, the mountains here are brimming with wildflowers and the streams are full of hungry trout. We set up camp this morning at the Oh Be Joyful campground on the Slate River just northwest of Crested Butte. With fishing licenses in hand we eagerly set about catching brook and brown trout while surrounded by the majestic West Elk mountains. Most of the guys bagged their first fish of the trip today, some before our delicious pasta dinner, and some just before sunset.
The whole group is very excited for the next portion of our trip. Bright and early tomorrow morning we will leave the comfort and crowds of the front-country behind as we head even higher and deeper into the West Elks in pursuit of wild native cutthroats! We will be hiking into high alpine valleys full of flowers where we will stalk cutthroats in the Crystal River above the town of Marble and the ghost town of Crystal. Not only will we be catching some of the most beautiful trout of the whole trip, but we will also get to hike through one of the most stunning mountain ranges of Colorado Rockies.
Now it is time to go and catch fish, so we must bid adieu. Look for our next update on Friday the 11th as we exit the backcountry to clean up and resupply before starting our service projects for the week. We are looking forward to sharing some photos of our haul, so until then, tight lines!
Charlie Parr
