RMNP, July 20, 2013

My buddy from work came out to Grand Lake for a long weekend with some of his fraternity buddies.  He asked that I find a nice hike and fishing spot to take them and show them around a bit.  We got up early on Saturday, 5:45am early and I had them out of their cabin and into the park by about 6:15am.  We saw tons of animals right off, including 5 moose and lots of elk near the Grand Lake side.  We travelled the whole length of Trail Ridge Road - from the GL side to the Estes Side.  We stopped multiple times for photos and so the guys could awe at the views.

Over the top of the passes we saw 6 or 7 of the big boy elks, with the huge racks.  Amazing sight to see.  I'll have to get those pics - I don't think I took a picture.

We finally made it to the trailhead at around 7:45am and met Steffan there.  We suited up and hiked in the 1 mile.  The river has changed quite a bit.  The water seemed faster and there were not as many pockets or pools as there seemed to be 4 years ago.  Maybe I'm wrong.  There were also a lot less fish up there.  we all ended up catching fish, but the numbers were very small.

These are really the only pics I got.  As I said, the fishing was so-so.  I managed 2 fish, both were large and feisty and about 11 inches long.  That was about it.

We were back down the hill at 2:30pm and back over the mountain and in GL at 4pm.  It was a good trip and these guys really enjoyed themselves - I just wish the fishing was better.

Thanks Steffan for playing guide for the day - I appreciate you helping me out.

One more long weekend left of vacation - I hope to fish almost every day next weekend.