Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Trout Camping

At left, a fellow on adventure with his wall tent. Gentleman is Mr. James Willard Schultz in an undated photograph shared on wikicommons by Montana State University's library system for the mere price of attribution. Thanks, folks!

My favorite trout dash lies about three hours from my door. This isn't bad; but, when the fishing is in the evening it can make for a haul to get home.

Thus, I am increasingly drawn to trout camping.

I like tents. I like them a great deal. There is something very wrong with me.

I like everything about camping even the occasional wet socks ( in the days when my self-crafted tarp footprints extended beyond the boarder of my tent).

I've found a nice 3-man tent that is light enough to pack for as long as I'll pack gear these days  which is about 5 miles, really. My days of  heavy hauling for distances are long gone. I'd rather camp and dash off with a small bug-out day-bag than pack the whole pile of accouterments for very far.

Luckily, there is some wonderful gear available. The chance to dash in an early afternoon, fish the evening, have a little late night supper, and sleep for a few hours before heading home in the morning really appeals to me.

I'll let you know how it goes. A solo stove, a Marmot 3P Tungsten tent, a mossy coleman bag, the small cooler soft-side lunch-bag, a five gallon mini-bull of water slung on a stick.

I'll even drink instant starbucks in the field.

Who am I kidding?

I like cowboy coffee just fine and make a damn fine cup of it.

That sound you hear is not a bear. It's a contented fly fisherman snoring under the stars on a trout dash.

It's summer. Don't waste it.

There aren't too many left.

3 comments:

  1. Spike, you might have mentioned the funky, existential groove one hits about a week into a good session of tenting while trouting. You come home with a seven-mile-stare that inspires people to cross the street to avoid you. Nothin like it.

    ~Steve

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  2. I've often thought the character Nick Adams came about from the days in fish camp rather than going to fish camp as a result of his war return. I'm a better watcher after days in the field. Nick was a watcher.

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  3. Observation, letting go, touching the elements, that's the game. A compatriot calls it 'deep play'. Agree with you about Nick.

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