Snohomish River Salmon Fishing - 9/24/06

I spent a few hours casting spoons on the Snohomish River today to no avail. The only fish I saw caught was by the harbor seal that seemed to gloat every time he looked my way. Although I didn't catch anything I did enjoy standing on the sunny bank listening to the Seahawks pound the Giants while casting between passing boats.

Girl Scouts Adventure Race - 9/23/06

“You can do it!”

The young girl took a deep breath, her legs slightly shaking as she tried to find a comfortable stance at the top of the 30-foot rock wall. Her small hands gripped tightly around the nylon rope as she prepared to lower herself to her anxious teammates down below.

“Do you have any questions?” John asked as he prepared to detach her from the safety line. Her head shook side to side, as if trying to speak right now was a little more than she could muster. “On rappel,” John yelled to her teammates down below.

The first few tentative feet were awkward and slow. “Straighten your legs and sit in your harness,” John encouragingly yelled down from his perch above. She took a minute to get resituated, shuffling her feet up the vertical rock wall while her hands searched for a more secure spot on the rope. Another deep breath and she was off. At first, the rope slid through the belay device in short, sporadic bursts causing a slight bounce as she went along. However, as she hit the halfway point something changed; the rope went through a little smoother, her feet seemed a little sturdier, her hands loosened there grip and a smile began to spread across her face.

High-pitched cheers echoed in the canyon walls as soon as her feet hit solid ground. There was barely time for hugs as the girls helped her unclip from the rope so they could move onto the next event in this all-day adventure race.

As I collected the climbing gear to hand out to the next team, I watched the girls transition from this event back to their mountain bikes. “Don’t forget your helmet,” one girl reminded. “I think I have the answer to the puzzle,” another girl shouted. “Can I have a bite of your granola bar,” asked another. I was impressed as I watched these young girls work together and take care of each other to accomplish the race. Although the rappel was one of the more individual events, each girl contributed in some way or another. Whether it was being back-up safety or yelling words of encouragement or simply putting aside their own desire to do the rappel for the benefit of the rest of their team, each girl played a part in getting the team entire team across the finish line.

Watching the girls ride away, I thought “I hope these girls got as much out of doing the event as we did out of watching it.” All I know is I am looking forward to next year!

Yakima River Fly Fishing - 9/17/06

Ted and I fished the Yakima from Irene Rinhart Park to Bighorn on Sunday the 17th. We moved fish on drys along with nymphs in a variety of water. A lot of fish have moved up into the rifiles and were taking mayflys with reckless abandon. As the day wore on we started seeing small caddis along the banks so we focused our attention on the surface with Elk Hair Caddis in size 12 -16. We had nearly no wind and mostly cloudy skis, perfect for fishing. Thanks Ted.

Yakima River Fly Fishing

Yakima River Fly Fishing - 9/16/06

Tracie, Brain, and Gary joined me for a great day of fishing on the Yakima River. We floated from Irene Rinhart Park to Bighorn under mostly sunny skies with relatively light winds. We spent the early part of the float covering the basics of fly fishing tecknique then turned our attention to the BWO hatch that was heating up. We saw a lot of fish taking small nymphes like the WD-40 and Phesant tails. Not long after the nymphing got going we started trying the surface with adults and found a few fish willing to move. Tracie hooked a really nice fish around lunch and after almost five minutes of battling it came unpinned at our feet. Thanks for the float.

Yakima River Fly Fishing

Methow river fly fishing - 9/11-15/06

Adrienne and I spend a few days on the Methow river for our mini-moon fly fishing. We really spent most of our time watching moves and sleeping in but did get out and fish a few days. We say vary few fish our first evening but the wind was blowing so we didn't spend much time fighting it. Then next morning we headed to Winthrop to do some shopping then spent a few hours fishing just above Twisp. The BWO hatch was coming off pretty strong and we both ended up with quite a few fish to hand. Really fun.

Trout Fishing at Fish Lake - 9/7/06

After climbing in the Tumwater the bachelor moved on to fishing at Fish Lake. We rented a few pontoon boats and headed to the north shore. We didn't end up catching anything but a buzz.

Castle Rock Climbing in Tumwater Canyon - 9/7/06

I gathered up a bunch of friend for a morning on climbing at Castle Rock in Tumwater Canyon for my bachelor Party. We all ended up atop Jello Tower hanging out, enjoying the views and company. Maybe not your typical climbing trip but still more fun than is legal.

Climbing and Repelling at Deception Crags - 8/31/06

Amy, Randy, and I meet up on Thursday to scope out a climbing and repelling sight for a Girl Scout adventure race called The Hunt for the Golden Eaglet. I had a sight in mind and we discussed the details on the quick 10 minute or so hike in. After a little rigging and some more logistical discussion we did a little repelling then move on to the good stuff, climbing. It was a beautifully warm sunny day in the woods as we all romped our way up a local slab. Thanks for the pizza and good time guys.