I wake before the sun, then pack and break down my tent. It is going to be a long day, so breakfast is easy, Pop-tarts and instant coffee. We stick Lara bars in our pockets to help through the climbs. We are on the trail by 7:30 am, not exactly a blistering start. As we climb, views of the jagged saw-like ridge near Cramer point makes it all worth while. We hike through vast talus fields with extremely well-groomed switchbacks. Kevin and Brian are up ahead. I want pictures, so I have to to beg them to stop. It is clear photographs will not do this justice, but we pose, smile, and take them anyway.

We rest on the saddle then head down the other side. The views back are far less spectacular. Clockwise is clearly the right direction to loop. We easily find Hidden Lake and wonder about its name. Along its shore, a parade of fish taunted us, but we keep moving. We are heading towards Virginia and Edna lakes.

On the way we speak to guy a carrying a fishing rod. We ask which lakes offer the best fishing. Without hesitation he says, “Bull.” This is interesting news. I had studied the lakes before coming, but I am not familiar with that one. I inquire further and he pulls out a map to show me. After studying the map he says, “Oh, I meant Vernon.” The confusion is understandable, with Bull and Vernon sharing so many consonants and vowels. Latter we meet three fishermen and ask them the same question. They also reply “Vernon,” but provide credibility establishing additional details. “The lake has 15 inch-ers,” one said. “They are biting mostly on black rooster tails, but not so much on the shinny spinners,” another one adds.  We try to hide our shame of caring only Mepps shinny spinners. Remaining optimistic, we set our sights on lunch at Vernon Lake. We are so excited about all the lunkers we are bound to catch, that we start considering changes to our route. Maybe we need to spend more time there?

When we arrive at Vernon, Brian and I quickly throw our shinny Mepps spinners all along the shore, while the others rest. Granted noon is a terrible time to fish, but sadly we only see one large trout. I practically rake it with my lure, but it shows no interest. We are beginning to understand why he called Vernon, Bull. Skunked, we decide to keep our original plan and press on towards Rock Slide Lake. Between us and our goal, however, are several more passes to several more lakes. We pass Ardeth, Spangler, and eventually Igenborg.

Now over our final pass, we crush down to Rock Slide Lake. The lake is small but cozy, with rock islands and great rock shelves. Kevin races to get his rod and within minutes has a fish. It does not fight as much as expected, but it is our first decent sized one. I quickly follow up with two more, though we all agreed Kevin’s is slightly larger. (Oh the things fathers do to make their sons feel good.) Tony manages to get one on his line, but loses it pulling it on shore. Frankly, with all the couscous and Daniel’s freeze dried asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower, three decent fish were more than we could manage. Brian cleans all the fish, while I light the stove for our veggies and couscous. I also light the silly pie pan fire for our fish. Kevin cooks the foil-wrapped fish which turn out wonderful. This time we have way more than 6 small bites to share.