Nate O Taylor

Food, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventures

South Fork Pt. 1: The Death Ray

July 17, 2018 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

We were all warned of the death ray. Not by the outfitter packing in our gear, not by those that had come before us, but by one of our own.

He knew of its powers, and urged us to leave early on our supposed 18 mile journey that morning. We left early, but perhaps not early enough.

18 Miles?

We began in the forest, hidden from the death ray and it’s powers, unsuspecting of what lay in front of us. Soon after the summit of Pyramid Pass we found what would eventually become known as “The Valley of 1000 Souls”. The area was devastated by the Rice Ridge fire last year, and its destruction was awesome in its scope. For over 13 miles we walked through a barren wasteland covered in several inches of ash. If I were planning on going to the moon, this is where I would be training.

The Death Ray Emerges


A Final Look Back


Valley of 1000 Souls


Go America

There were moments of elation in the valley of 1000 souls, for one, the Morel mushrooms were the largest I had ever seen and we did have several water crossings that allowed us to cool our dying bodies.

Morel Mushroom


Rest and Relaxation


So let me lay this out for you. We walked a total of about 23 miles that day, arriving at the pre determined location around 6pm expecting to see our mule train shortly. We had waited several hours at a creek crossing hoping to run into our pack train. We were told not to take any clothes, to leave our sleeping gear and extras with them because “they would pass us on the trail”. So its getting later and later, no mules, and mutiny starts encircling our crew. We had dressed light for the trek, and wisely so. However, as the sun began to set, the reality that they wouldn’t show up was starting to descend upon us all.

An overview of the assets in posession:
1. 2 fishing rods
2. 10 flies
3. 3 handguns
4. Young’s Creek
5. A forest service cabin

We dispatched some of our party to hit magic hour on Young’s Creek and catch some dinner, the rest of us gathered some water and examined the forest service cabin. While the door was locked tight and reinforced to resist entrance by large critters, our federal workers were gracious enough to forget to lock the bear proof window.

Hahn’s Creek Cabin


Entry Point


Send Me the Bill


Welcome Home


Great Success


We cooked the fish and the Morel’s we had picked earlier in the day, hoping the mules would walk up any minute. As the sun set we gathered around the fire, and gradually started filing into the cabin through the window. Some of us held out hope that the packer would arrive at some point during the night, and stood watch until all hope had been lost around 2:30am. Eventually we all shared the bunk beds and the floor to escape the bugs and the biting cold of July in the rockies.

A Final Holdout


We eventually all got some sleep, eager to learn if our packer would ever show up, and what stories he would have to tell us.

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Floating, Montana, South Fork Flathead, The Bob, Wilderness

The Bob

July 1, 2018 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

Bob Marshall.jpgThe Bob Marshall wilderness complex is a protected area encompassing over 1 million acres in northwestern Montana. “The Bob” as it is affectionately called is named after, you guessed it Bob Marshall.

Bob Marshall was an early explorer and adventurer who began his outdoor career in the Adirondacks, establishing his love for the outdoors. The man was a complete animal with dozen of hikes of over 70 miles in a day, all while writing and sharing with the world his experiences. He wrote some articles and books but what is most important about ole’ Bob is that he was the reason and the impetus for the eventual pass of the Wilderness Act of 1964. See below…

Bob started his career in 1925 as a forester for the U.S. Forest Service and made several expeditions to Alaska, Montana, and throughout the Adirondacks. He was one of the founding members of the Wilderness Society and held several high level government posts in the FDR administration, all centered around forestry and the outdoors. His Wilderness Society defined wilderness as an environmental and social ideal, something that was unheard of at the time. It was this Wilderness Society that eventually lead to the passage of the aforementioned Wilderness Act of 1964 (9 million acres under protection currently). Despite his premature death at the age of 38 in 1939, he made a lasting mark on the way we think about the outdoors and how we look at conservation. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Death Valley Wilderness, Denali Wilderness, Bob Marshall Wilderness, and dozens more all exist today on account of his activism and efforts.

Now that we’ve established who this guy is I’m sure you’re wondering why anyone would care at this moment in time. Part of any trip is the journey of getting there, and perhaps no place requires a greater journey than a float trip through the South Fork of the Flathead in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area of Montana. I’ll be doing that in one week.

Plotting a Course

This is the culmination of over a year of planning and preparation, the majority of which was done in June of 2017 and then in the last several weeks. Arranging drop float logistics requires advanced planning and thought. The hike in to the confluence of Young’s and Dahaner Creek is over 20 miles and the hike out at the other end of this adventure is about 5 miles. You need animals and help on both ends and those dates book up quickly because there aren’t a lot of people providing those services. Even after you’ve gotten your people lined up and deposits paid you are still at the mercy of the snowpack, even in a normal year your window is only a few short weeks to get a boat down the river. Our start date is July 7 and we will be the first group taken in by our outfitter for the season.

3 Boats

8 People

7 Days

__ Bull Trout

 

Bull Trout Legality

Gear For Packing

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: South Fork Flathead, The Bob, Wilderness

Late Summer Day in the Gorge Pt. 2

August 29, 2017 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

Sunrise from Camp

We awoke around 0830 to this view from our kitchen. No one was on the river yet and we packed up and began the second half of our journey. The lower part of the canyon has significantly more technical water and rapids to navigate. At late summer flows it hardly resembles the rapids during higher water but nonetheless it can be somewhat demanding on the oarsman to make a few moves throughout the day.

We did actually do some fishing on this trip, and hoppers were on the menu, big ones. We threw the biggest stuff we had, single dry, right on the bank and had a few great takes. We didn’t break any records, (well maybe just a record for most 7″ fish in a day) but we caught a few average ones as well.

Hopper

More Hopper

The first section that most stop to give notice to is Boulder Garden, which has significantly changed over the years and in my opinion is much easier now. Even so, its worth mentioning because the campsite there is nice, and for me it marks the start of the lower part of the canyon.

Just Upstream of Boulder Garden

Boulder Garden

After this point you are met with a quick succession of rapids that demand in the very least some attention to your surroundings. Cable and Squeeze both require the oarsman to slide through some narrow slots, both on river right (as of this writing at 1000CFS).

Interspersed between these features are vertical walls of basement rocks that are approximately 1.7 billion years old. While the Geology of the area is fascinating, archeology sites along the Gunnison Gorge have yielded discoveries of petroglyphs, baskets, arrowheads, and tools, some of which are up to 14,000 years old. Point being, don’t forget to look up, you are peering back in time like you can only do in a few places on the planet.

Old Rocks

As you come to the Grand Finale rapid the canyon closes down to its tightest corridor yet, the calm waters signaling that you have made it out in on piece.

Dad Bod

The last few miles are a prototypical trout stream accentuated by endless runs and riffles before we pulled out. Fishing through here was excellent even as we began to pass those along the bank that had hiked up several miles to fish the mouth of the canyon.

Last Few Miles

All the information I have gathered and find useful for a trip can be found here.

Get some…

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Floating, Gunnison Gorge, Gunnison River, Hoppers, Overnight

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