Sunday Night in the Spanish Peaks

My buddy Ryan and I took the dogs up to Deer Lake on the 17th. It was my first backpacking trip with my new dog... Zeus, and the same went for his Yellow Lab puppy, Pony. It started off a bit cold, but nice enough for the 5 1/2 miles up to where we camped near Deer Creek. Ryan was trying to get an elk with his bow, and my goal was to catch a trout or two up in either Moon Lake or Deer Lake.

We got up there in time for Ryan to take an evening hunt, so I lounged around the campsite for awhile and kept the dogs entertained. Actually, vice versa. Zeus wasn't sure what to make of the camp we had set up, so he just continued to circle it like a curious wolf. Ry didn't end up having any luck that night, so we just filled up on dehydrated Spaghetti, Beef Stroganoff, then topped it off with some Blueberry Cheesecake. Not bad for re-constituted cheese cake, it even had some graham cracker crumbs to throw on top.

We were pretty beat from the hike, so we hit the hay early. Ryan got up to hunt, so I piled the dogs into my tent to keep warm and "slept in".... meaning I was probably up at 7:30 or so. After some oatmeal and some Java Juice Coffee Extract. (This stuff is money... no coffee grinds, no need to boil water, no press.. just tear open the pouch and pour it into warm or cold water) I'm really not one to shamelessly plug a product, but Ryan and I used it, and it's great, so I'll tell people about it.


I cruised up the trail another mile or so to Moon Lake witht he dogs, where I quickly hooked into a little rainbow on a brown wooly bugger. First cast... I was pumped, thinking I'd be railing 'em all day. Then of course I broke off my bugger and had no more browns in the limited bug selection I brought with me.

They wouldn't eat grey. Damn. They wouldn't eat green. Damn damn! Oh well, at least I caught one. (right)

Ry came up about that time and we hiked up to Deer Lake... It's a beautiful spot, and where we saw some fresh bear tracks near the shore. They couldn't have been there long, since there was only an inch or two of snow on the ground and it was melting pretty quickly. It was approaching 60 and blue bird at this point... mid afternoon. Gorgeous day.


I ended up catching a grayling on a dry, which was my first one in over 4 years... so that made me feel better about flailing on the trout in the other lake. We ended up elkless, but we definitely had a great time with dogs and being out in the cool Montana autumn air.

Change is definitely in the air up here under the Big Sky... I took a new friend to an old fishing hole the other day. It's a 'not so secret' spot on the Gallatin River where I used to take my late mutt Porterhouse. I definitely used to get there quicker, pass fewer restaurant chains, and less road construction. "Progress"...I reckon. I'm no Montana Native, so you won't hear me complaining. It's just different.One nice surprise was showing up to the river with Zeus and being the only ones there. Very nice. It was September 8 and I definitely felt old man winter yawning, waking up, and remembering that he has a job to do pretty soon. It was nice though, I got a chance to let the new dog run around, and eventually trick a whitefish into eating a nymph. No trout. No surprise either.In any event... changes are occurring, progress is being made, and growth is eminent in all aspects of life around powderfin. And it feels pretty good.

About the Blog

The Powderfin.com blog is a place to discuss, with your participation, what makes the outdoors the “Great Outdoors”. We want to hear your stories about the best place to fish in Chile, the best camping spot in Yellowstone, an unforgettable river trip, etc., we’ll tell you a few of ours.

We plan to have frequent guest writers, and we’ll also be posting your replies, or discussions with us. If you have something to share, especially if you have pictures to add to the scenery around here, we may ask you to write it up and send it to us, we’ll post it as long as it makes some sense and is of reasonable taste. It's a chance to interact with like-minded people, share your experiences, and hopefully learn a few things.

With that said, here are a few pictures of a recent trip to Jasper and Banff National Parks. It is an incredible place; full of the most amazing scenery and wildlife I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t been, you need to go. Because they are very popular parks, it is a good idea to get up early (around 6:00am) and get to the places you want to see ahead of the crowds. We planned our routine to see the famous/touristy spots early, then retreat on a long hike around 10 or 11. On most hikes over 5 miles, you manage to get away from hordes of people and see incredible places with very few other hikers, if any. Also, going in the spring or fall drastically reduces the amount of people as well. If you have any questions about where to go or what to do while you’re there, drop us an email at www.powderfin.com.

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Powderfin.com is for anyone who has ever taken a moment to pause at work and think about the river they’d rather be fishing, the big mountain line they’d rather be skiing, or the fresh air they’d rather be breathing. If you’ve ever had a beer around a campfire with friends, carved turns in the backcountry, or wondered what the view would be like from the top of a mountain or the depths of a canyon, we’re your people. We’ve shared your vision, earned our turns and wanted more, we’ve kayaked the river then feasted on the fish we’ve caught from it, and we want to go back.

The idea is to provide quality service from people who understand, at a decent price. We’re still in the fledgling stages and we listen to everything you have to say. Not seeing what you want? Not getting the answer you need? Have a great fish tale to tell? Let us know! We’re about getting you outside with the gear you want. If you don’t know what to get that special someone, call us, we’ve gotten ties when we wanted flies, and comfy sweaters when we wanted a comfy tent to call home for the weekend… we have ideas and solutions.

Powderfin.com was started by 3 average “outdoorsy type” guys from Montana with varied backgrounds. Skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing, hiking, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, backcountry camping… you get the idea. We’re in the Rockies and we love every second of it. The idea of Powderfin came about over some Black Butte Porter (delicious) and bluegrass tunes heavy on the banjo… you know, the kinds of things that make you think about what you really want out of life… we want to be happy, keep our families happy, get people outside, and ultimately give back by helping to protect our wild places!

Just think about the guy/girl in some big city who has never seen a mountain over 10,000 ft or smelled a forest of pine trees in the spring. Break free! If you are that person, you may need our help. Call us, email us, or go to www.powderfin.com.