Day 2
I am not sure if I was excited or overly exhausted, but I did not get as much sleep as I had hoped for. Tight quarters, sore muscles, and everything nylon kept me awake most of the night. I was the first one out of the tent. I needed to get up and stretch a bit before we climbed the mountain. Today we would have an arduous hike to a lake that was situated at 10,700 feet above seas level. After a Cliff Bar and some water for breakfast, my abbreviated back pack was ready for the journey up the mountain.
The trail was steep and slow as we navigated the dead fall and switch backs along the way. The scenery was once again spectacular as we climbed in and out of the trees. The sounds of long waterfalls echoed through the valleys and the smells of fresh wildflowers filled the air. It was a wonderful climb that rested at Lake Nakoni.
Lake Nokoni is barren. There are no fish in this lake and it befuddles Steve. It is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It is nestled at the base of a sheer rock cliff and it is hard to tell where the cliff begins and the water ends. After a brief visit with the lake and with water bottles refreshed, we continued our climb to Lake Nanita. We had to trudge through melting snow as we crested the saddle and began our decent into the shallow valley that hid this gem. Once again, around every corner things were more spectacular.
The lake was calm and perfect. I grabbed a quick bite of peanut butter and water and was soon rigged up and ready to fish. There were trout rising all over this lake. I have never seen a lake so full of feeding fish. I was content to sit and watch as both Wes and Steve quickly caught fish. It was truly a place I will never forget.
Finally, I was ready to fish. A size 14 black ant would be the ticket for this lake. The trout were eager to sip the small fly from the surface film. I am not sure how many fish I caught in my two hours there, but it had to be close to thirty. I went one direction while Wes and Steve went the other way. After catching several fish, I returned for a snack and to see how those two were doing. On my way I found the lake’s outlet. There was a no fishing sign and I wondered why. After inspecting the outlet, I found out why. This is where the fish were spawning, thousands of fish. I have only seen things like this in a hatchery. There seemed to be over a thousand fish stacked in an area less than fifty yards long. It was truly an amazing thing to see in the wild.
Soon I was fishing the same bay as Wes and Steve and on several occasions we all had trout hooked up at the same time. Doubles and triples would be the norm for the day. After a short conversation, Steve implored us to make the hike back to Nakoni and then over the steep saddle to fish Pettingell Lake. Wes was having some knee issues and told us to go. We set a time to meet back at Nakoni and soon we were humping it back over the ridge.
The hike to Pettingell Lake was one of the toughest and most beautiful of the entire trip. We hiked from 10, 500 to 11,200 and it was steep enough to need my hands at times. However, the view from the top of that saddle is one that will remain with me until the day I die. I could have sworn that I heard Julie Andrews singing in the distance.
The hike down the other side was a little hairy. It was nothing more than a rock field in the woods. The idea of fishing for big, hungry, and dumb fish was enough to get me down there. After scrambling to make it to the lake, we quickly rigged up and immediately we were into fish. We had forty-five minutes to fish to make it back in time. In that time I caught twelve trout on a 16 parachute adams and lost a few more. It was amazing to think that I was one of only a few people to ever fish this lake. I was elated and humbled at the same time. It saddened me to think that I would probably never return.
The hike out was hard and fast. I could feel my heart beating in my ears. We made it back to meet Wes in plenty of time. We each told stories of the fish we caught and the hike we had. I soaked my feet in the gin clear waters of Lake Nokoni and smiled with the delight of knowing I had lived a true back country fly fishing adventure.
The hike down the mountain was both spectacular and tedious. I was whipped and I looked forward to food, a cold bath, and a warm sleeping bag. I found all three. Although the cardboard stew left a little to be desired. It was chicken, but it sure tasted like cardboard! Before I found sleep, the camp was once again invaded by another moose. This time it would be a very, very large bull. It was too dark for a good picture, but trust me it was impressive.
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