The fishing wasn't worth a damn (one tiny perch and three bites), and the ice is starting to get super sketchy around the edges...but it was a great way to end ice fishing season. Yep, I'm done with the ice and Ican't wait to get on flowing water.
So I'm not going to lie to you all, I am super fired up for spring. I am ready for warmth, camping, big fires, hiking on a dry trails, and the sheer thrill and enjoyment of some fine whitewater in the company of friends.
Anyhow, this beautiful March day makes me lament about a few previous March experiences on water that occurred on similar beautiful spring days. On a few occasions, the endings were not as happy, but I feel I must spew these stories since someone may learn something from my ignorance as a youth of March boating...
The age old saying is that there are two kinds of people, those that have flipped boats and those that will flip boats. There are also usually river features that cause the flipping or general carnage, and sometimes those features are named after you if you are idiot enough to have carnage in a place where carnage does not typically occur. On the Lochsa alone, there is Artie's rock, Heff's wave, Tripper's eddy, but the Lochsa is a manly river where anything can happen. A little known fact is that there is a rock named after me on the Blackfoot. The reason why it is so little known is because it is only really exposed in the dead of winter at the lowest of flows, which takes us back about 13 years.
So it was the spring of 1996, and Philly was learning to kayak, and he was jonesing to float anything he could. It was a beautiful March day, and he convinces me to go float the Blackfoot with him. He convinces me that we'll just go up the road as far as it will allow us and we'll launch. I have basically no experience in a canoe and very limited experience being the captain of any kind of boat, but as a good roommate, I agree to go. To try to make the best of the situation, I invite a girl that I am trying to woo. We go up the road until we get stuck and put the canoe and kayak in...I am fully outfitted in my long underwear, since that is the best I have, and the gal had the same plus a fleece coat. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, there is a large rock in the middle of the river that I and the gal bump, and the lean away...causing us to swamp the canoe. All I remember after that is Philly laughing so hard that he could only save the gal and not me as I had to swim the canoe to shore. Twas a horrible experience and I lost a Teva, but I lived to tell the tale.
On a different March day, I went and visited Josh and Philly in Sandpoint aka Sagle Idaho. We spent the day skiing up at Schweitzer, and came down and Philly was half tuned, but all excited about kayaking. So we went to some po-dunk lake and Tortoise and I piled in a canoe with our ski gear still on...Having had multi après ski beverages, we did not have the appropriate balance when Josh paddled up in his kayak and proceeded to rock us until we overcompensated and swamped the canoe. Thankfully, Josh was nice enough to tow us to shore, but at least in our hypothermic state, we flipped him over. I only wish that we pulled his skirt before we flipped him
On a happier note about 4 years ago, Walt and I went over to the Lochsa the first weekend of March with Autumn and Liesel. And although the gals had to pluck ticks off themselves, it was 70+ degrees the whole day,3500 cfs, and very few on the river.
2 years ago, over St Patty's day, we had a similar experience of beautiful weather and great water. Keith showed up late and only had 2 hours of sleep under his belt, but proved to be an excellent copilot until he lost the cap to the Jack.
I love spring! CMON Spring!
Anyhow, this beautiful March day makes me lament about a few previous March experiences on water that occurred on similar beautiful spring days. On a few occasions, the endings were not as happy, but I feel I must spew these stories since someone may learn something from my ignorance as a youth of March boating...
The age old saying is that there are two kinds of people, those that have flipped boats and those that will flip boats. There are also usually river features that cause the flipping or general carnage, and sometimes those features are named after you if you are idiot enough to have carnage in a place where carnage does not typically occur. On the Lochsa alone, there is Artie's rock, Heff's wave, Tripper's eddy, but the Lochsa is a manly river where anything can happen. A little known fact is that there is a rock named after me on the Blackfoot. The reason why it is so little known is because it is only really exposed in the dead of winter at the lowest of flows, which takes us back about 13 years.
So it was the spring of 1996, and Philly was learning to kayak, and he was jonesing to float anything he could. It was a beautiful March day, and he convinces me to go float the Blackfoot with him. He convinces me that we'll just go up the road as far as it will allow us and we'll launch. I have basically no experience in a canoe and very limited experience being the captain of any kind of boat, but as a good roommate, I agree to go. To try to make the best of the situation, I invite a girl that I am trying to woo. We go up the road until we get stuck and put the canoe and kayak in...I am fully outfitted in my long underwear, since that is the best I have, and the gal had the same plus a fleece coat. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, there is a large rock in the middle of the river that I and the gal bump, and the lean away...causing us to swamp the canoe. All I remember after that is Philly laughing so hard that he could only save the gal and not me as I had to swim the canoe to shore. Twas a horrible experience and I lost a Teva, but I lived to tell the tale.
On a different March day, I went and visited Josh and Philly in Sandpoint aka Sagle Idaho. We spent the day skiing up at Schweitzer, and came down and Philly was half tuned, but all excited about kayaking. So we went to some po-dunk lake and Tortoise and I piled in a canoe with our ski gear still on...Having had multi après ski beverages, we did not have the appropriate balance when Josh paddled up in his kayak and proceeded to rock us until we overcompensated and swamped the canoe. Thankfully, Josh was nice enough to tow us to shore, but at least in our hypothermic state, we flipped him over. I only wish that we pulled his skirt before we flipped him
On a happier note about 4 years ago, Walt and I went over to the Lochsa the first weekend of March with Autumn and Liesel. And although the gals had to pluck ticks off themselves, it was 70+ degrees the whole day,3500 cfs, and very few on the river.
2 years ago, over St Patty's day, we had a similar experience of beautiful weather and great water. Keith showed up late and only had 2 hours of sleep under his belt, but proved to be an excellent copilot until he lost the cap to the Jack.
I love spring! CMON Spring!
1 comment:
What the hell is with this fishing report!??!!? I thought they only "bite" at some ungodly hour of the morning...now you're out in mid-afternoon in the sun??? I want all my lost sleep back!
I guess the Bud Light tall boys caused this trip down memory lane??? Although I might have been the instigator in several of these stories (it was someone else)...I don't seem to recall having to twist too many arms!! Good times though for sure!!! I too am ready!!!
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