Hello all,
Since our last update, we've been staying in the Paradise Valley for the past couple days. Lucky for us, it’s hard to find a better place to recover from lots of hiking and hard work in the backcountry. On top of that, we were lucky enough to fish the Lamar River in the Park. In order to get there, we took a short hike where we descended into the beautiful river valley, which is almost entirely hidden from sight from the main road. We opted to only fish a half day in order to allow ourselves some rest and relaxation, but we were fortunate enough to get into solid fishing despite tough conditions on the river. However, fishing wasn’t the only reason we wanted to bring the boys to the Lamar River: there is an awesome, little cliff jump too! After some hard work deciphering the trout on the river, we crossed the river as a group and headed downstream to jump off some rocks! The small hike downriver was well worth it as just about everyone participated in a much needed swim and rock jump on an incredibly hot day. After lots of swimming, we packed up to start our short hike back to the van, through the beautiful meadow and past a distant herd of hundreds of bison!
After a long day of fishing and swimming, we headed into the town of Gardiner, right on the northern gate of the park, where we took some much needed showers and did laundry. After scrubbing a couple days of backcountry grim from ourselves, we headed back to our campsite in order to prepare for our next backcountry. When we were finished distributing group gear and personal food for the next four nights, we enjoyed a hearty meal of homemade pita pizzas in preparation for the hike to come. The group will be splitting up for this coming backcountry, with half the group heading to the upper Snake River on the southern boundary of the park, and the other half heading to the block canyon of the Yellowstone. With both spots holding incredible fish and even more incredible views, the guides and kids could not be more excited for our longest backcountry yet! It’s hard to believe the trip is already approaching its end, and when we finish with this final backcountry we will be heading back to Ennis Montana, where we will float and wade the famous Madison River to cap off a great trip!
Tight Lines,
Ed, Cole, and Burke
