Gone Fishin'

The day first day of the trip started out early, around 6:30am when I woke up, double checked everything I packed and ate breakfast. Shortly after that my roommate Mia drove me up to the overflow lot on campus where I met up with the rest of the group. We loaded up the trailer, waited for a few stragglers and hopped into the Van Terra. It was a long, bumpy ride to Utah filled with conversations, card games, sleep, and even a trip through the Green Glass Door. Somewhere between Craig and Utah I hit the power button on my phone, making the weekend an escape from technology. Once we arrived at our camp site we set up our tents and grouped up so John could brief us on the necessities for the day. We then grabbed the gear we neglected to pack and headed to the Flaming Gorge on the Green River for some fishin'.

I learned quickly that fly-fishing is quite the complicated science. Believe it or not one of the first things I learned is that in order to catch a fish you actually need to see them. This may seem like common sense to some people, but I'm used to the type of fishing where you put some bait on a hook, cast it out and wait for something to bite. In order to fly-fish you need to understand the fish you are trying to catch and their eating habits. When you look in the water you need to look at what type of eating they are doing. You then choose an appropriate fly to match those habits. Essentially you are trying to trick the fish into believing that what you are offering them is real food. And that's just the thinking part. Once you've figured all of that out you need to learn the proper technique for catching a fish.

On the second day of class we woke up around 7:30, ate some delicious breakfast burritos if I do say so myself, packed up our gear and headed back to the river. Since we had a full day ahead of us we were given three options. Our first was to go back to Little Hole, where we had gone the first day and fish. The second was the get dropped off at Little Hole and hike the gradual seven mile up hill hike to the dam throughout the day. And the third option was to get dropped off at the dam and fish there for ten hours. After much debate, my group decided to skip hiking and hang out around the dam for the day. Since Bruce, John and Tim (the teachers) decided they wanted to hike we were left with very little aid. We had to rely on our minimal knowledge of the sport in hopes of catching a fish. Needless to say, no one in our group caught anything that day. My friend Ryan got a bite but that was about the extent of our excitement. We watched fish swim up to our flies, check them out then blatantly reject them as if they were only putting on a show to get our hopes up.

After losing four or five flies without even so much as a bite, my spirits were down. I had pretty much given up hope for catching anything. I attempted a few more flies before we hiked back up to the vans and waited for everyone to regroup.

On day three it was time to leave. We packed up camp and then headed to the river for one final attempt at fishing. Although I never caught anything on the trip I did manage to get a bite. It was difficult watching a kid posted about fifteen feet up the river catch a fish but it was also really exciting to watch. Overall it was a very relaxing trip. I learned more about fly-fishing than I could have ever imagined and had a great time in the process! Oh, and did I mention it counted for one of my mandatory physical education credits?

Welcome Back

Classes have officially started.

On Monday I was not so excited about this because I felt like my summer ended too soon. I guess that's what happens when you decide to take summer classes, so I can't blame anyone but myself. As I attended class after class my excitement began to build as I realized how interesting my course schedule is this semester. I'm taking 18 credits which include Astronomy 1, Masterpieces of Literature, Intro to Political Science, General Psychology, Ethics, Intro to Fly-fishing, and Avalanche Safety 1.

You may have noticed I am not taking any Ski Business related classes this semester. This is because I'm trying to knock out my most difficult classes in attempt to get my AA degree. Hopefully I'll be able to take a lighter course load next semester and enjoy the winter a little more. Many of these classes are requirements for the AA degree and can be used as electives for my Ski Business degree.

I'm most excited for Ethics with Pam Burwell. This will be her first time teaching it so it should be interesting. I had her as a professor for Philosophy during the Spring semester last year and loved it. She is a great teacher because she can put really difficult concepts into prospective and always has great stories to tell. I also think this class will help me decide if I want to major in Ethics at a four year University once I'm done with CMC.

I'm also stoked about Fly-fishing. It's a one credit class that includes two lecture classes and three days of camping and fishing. I'm excited to once again be trying something new. It's something completely random that I would have never seen myself doing before I moved out here. And the best part is I can skip the yoga and pilates because it helps fill my physical eduation requirements!

The class I am most nervous about is Astronomy 1. Everyone I've talked to says it's a very difficult class. Apparently it's a lot more work than most classes offered here, but everyone that's made it through claims it was worth it. I've heard Jimmy Westlake is a great teacher. Astronomy truly is his passion so I know I'll be learning from the best. He even has an column in the Steamboat Pilot!

All in all it should be a great semester. I'll be sure to get back to everyone who reads this about fly-fishing sometime next week because the trip is this weekend!

King Salomon's

As my summer job as a Conference Assistant came to an end I began a new job at the Steaming Bean Coffee Shop. Working two jobs and trying to finish summer classes made the last couple of weeks very hectic, and I'm relieved to be done with both Summer Classes and Conference Assisting. However it now seems as though summer is coming to a screeching halt as classes start up again this Monday. In a last ditch effort to enjoy these final days before a full class load and work begins, my friends and I went to King Salomon's Waterfall. I had seen pictures from previous trips that my friends had taken but never went there myself. I was completely unsure of what to expect. My friend Tello described the area as "A little hidden treasure of Colorado".

He was right. After driving down seemingly unused dirt roads then hiking up a narrow path for quite some time, we found our way to King Salomon's Creek. From there went bouldering for about another half mile where the creek opened up into a beautiful little canyon. Before I could even figure out how to cross the creek, my adventure seeking friends were already jumping off the thirty foot cliff into a pool of ice cold water below.

My fear of heights and falling made me quite hesitant at first, but with my friends at my side I eventually jumped. Of course I screamed bloody murder the whole way down but I was able to put my fears aside and enjoy the rush of free falling through the air.

After most of the crew jumped a few kids decided to go further up the creek to try and find the second waterfall. Since I was the only one who decided to wear flip flops rather than sneakers I chose to stay back and enjoy the sun. A few of the others stayed with me and we explored our surroundings. Although we didn't come across any unusual wild life we did find an awfully cute chipmunk that kept running away and coming back as if he were playing a game with us.

Overall I wouldn't describe the day as relaxing, but it was a fun adventure!

Hairless Fox

The other day while walking to the bus stop I came across an incredibly rare animal: the Hairless Fox. I've heard all about them living in Steamboat, and only Steamboat, but haven't seen one since I moved here exactly one year ago. Apparently they are the same species as regular fox, but they have a disease that causes them to lose their hair. They are said to be no more of a danger than any other wild animals in the area. Unfortunately, it's difficult for them to stay warm so they have to eat a lot more than regular foxes in order to survive. It's believed that they can regrow their hair to help them survive through the winter. Regardless of how ugly they are I was very excited to see one and have the opportunity to take a picture!

This is the picture I took

Here is a close up shot I found online