It’s been almost a year since I last went camping, and it’s been driving me a little bit crazy. Some people enjoy the outdoors, but to them getting away means driving thirty minutes into the mountains, and then sleeping in the local Motel 6.
My buddy Mike and I decided to take a chance, and head to our favorite mountain lake to do some fishing. We contacted several places to get an idea of whether or not the ice had come off yet, but because of this lakes remoteness, no one could give us a straight answer.
We embarked on the three and a half hour drive through the mountains of Northern Colorado with non stop talk of all the giant fish we were going to catch, and our excitement only escalated as we drove by lake after lake with open water. Of course upon arrival we found our lake to be frozen solid with no signs of opening up anytime soon. The ice itself was at least two feet thick.
You can imagine our disappointment and frustration when we saw the lake, and we both started brainstorming ideas for a plan B. We decided we would drive down to our campsite and cook some food while we talked it over. Luckily, while I was cooking lunch for us, Mike was busy catching fish out of the river that flows right by our camp. We decided we would spend the rest of the day fishing the river, and then drive to some other spots the next morning.
Notice Mike looking noticeably comfortable without a Winter coat? Although you would never guess it by looking at this picture, it was in the low 70′s that day. Mike was extremely focused on catching fish, and he trumped me in numbers and size.
Later in the afternoon we had a group of Antelope run by. Antelope are a common site here, but it was interesting to watch them as they came to the crest of each hill. They would bunch up just before the crest, and then sprint through the low points. It was interesting to watch.
That evening we cooked some great food over the fire, and then retired to our respective tents hoping for more fish the following morning. The next day’s sunrise greeted us with heavy snow flakes and 40 mph winds, reminding us that Winter had still not left. We decided it was best to get on the road and head back home before the roads became impassable.
Nick
