We Went Camping

We spent the last 4 days camping...well camping with almost all of the amenities of home. We had power, water, a comfy bed, barbeque grill, and a shower. Now if I have to go camping, that is the kind of camping I prefer.

We spent the time with Dave's parents and his sister and her family. We camped along the St. Joe River so everyone could get in a lot of fishing. I say everyone, but I am not part of that everyone. I took along a book so I could read in between the times I spent just watching my boys fish. I was also Carson's designated helper since his broken finger caused him some grief when trying to unhook the fish.

The highlight of the trip for me was our hike into St. Joe Lake. I think it might have been the highlight of the week for Carson as well. He must have said 10 different times that he was so glad to going on the hike because he and his dad had been talking about doing this hike for many years. It was a good thing that they were really motivated to do the hike because it was a bit of a drive to get there. From our campsite, it took us about 2 1/2 hours to drive to the trailhead. The first hour was on nice two-lane highway. Then we were on a paved single lane road for about 30 minutes. The final section of  the drive to get to the trailhead wasn't so much fun...it was 15 miles on rough, rocky, very narrow forest service road. That 15 miles took us an hour to drive. It was slow going for sure. Dave kept trying to look at the view. I kept asking him to just watch the road. Finally, at one point he just stopped so he could take in the vista. I was glad when we arrived at the trailhead.

We were the only ones parked at the trailhead so we knew it would not be crowded on the trail. I don't think I have ever done a hike where I and my hiking companions are the only ones on the trail that day. The boys were happy to see the empty parking area. They viewed it as a good omen that the fishing would be great up at the lake since it probably doesn't get much fishing pressure.

The trail was a gentle incline for the first mile and half. It followed an old road so it was pretty wide and easy to follow.

See how nice the trail looks?

There was a mushy, mucky area about a half mile in, but we were able to climb the bank a little to get around the worst of it. About a quarter mile past the swampy swamp, we came upon the first river crossing. The St. Joe river is only about 6 feet wide at this point and shin-deep so off came our shoes and socks so we could ford the stream. WOW! was that water cold. Imagine the coldest ice bath you have ever had to soak in; Dave thinks it was colder than that.

Safely across the river, we put on socks and shoes back on only to have to take them off again in another quarter mile to cross the river one more time. This time the water didn't feel so cold, probably because they were still a little numb from the first crossing. After the second crossing, the trail stayed wide and gentle slope for another quarter mile or so. Then it started turning more into a single-track trail and took a steep increase in slope. We hiked up, up, up for the next mile and half with Carson asking "what time is lunch" the whole way. At 3 miles, there was an outfitters camp that we stopped at for a quick snack break.

With Carson's belly full, it was time to move on with the last 2 mile stretch. The trail continued up at a pretty steep incline for another half mile or so. There were many fallen logs across the trail, just as there had been all along the way. This made it feel like a steeplechase trail (and cause my hip flexors to be quite tight the next day). There were also many beautiful wildflowers along the trail. Dave's favorite was the Indian Paintbrush and the bluebells. There were also many huckleberry bushes along the way, but we were too early for the berries.

Just as we were beginning to wonder if the climb would end, we left the trees and entered a mountain meadow. The meadow gave us a reprieve on the steepness for about a half mile. It also granted us a magnificent view of the waterfalls. Dave was the first to spot the waterfall.

We were glad to see the waterfall for we knew that once the waterfall was spotted, we only had a mile left of hiking. However, that last mile is all straight up. Along the way, we passed an old prospector's cabin and marveled that someone would purposely chose to live up there so far away from civilization. Next along the trail was another layer of the waterfall that couldn't be seen from the down below. Finally, the trail leveled out and after 2 hours 40 minutes of hiking, we arrived at our destination, St. Joe Lake.

The lake was amazingly clear. And by Carson's report, not as cold as the first river crossing. The mayfly hatch was going so the fish were jumping like crazy 6 inches from the shore. The boys were anxious to get to the most important part of the hike, the fishing.

And fish they did. Each one catching at least a half dozen cutthroat. It was exciting to watch the fishing. With the clarity of the lake, you could see the whole process from the fish swimming, investigating the fly, taking the fly, and then jumping and fighting after they realized they were caught. The fish were firm and their red color was the brightest the boys had ever seen.

The lake also boasts a healthy population of butterflies. There were butterflies everywhere! Some were orange, some were white, and then there were these beautiful little blue butterflies. Carson was, once again, the butterfly whisperer and got one to land on his finger.

I also had my first experience with licking honey bees. It was the strangest thing to have these bees land on my arm and then feel them licking me. They never stung me, just licked. So weird.

After the boys had their fill of fishing (about 2 1//2 hours), it was time to head back down. Some might think down would be easier then up, but I'm not so sure. Since the trail was so steep, your quads stayed engaged the whole time and your feet start to feel really hot. Needless to say, the thought of taking off our shoes to cross the river was a welcome thought. And it didn't disappoint. It felt so good to have that cold water run over my hot, swollen feet.

The boys and I agreed that the hike was another "must do".