Old Gringo and I decided to hang a bit longer then the other were able to stay for following the hike. We both were able to keep our schedules flexible and decided a few more nights in the mountains would be a good thing.
Once the other guys had packed up and hit the road I was ready for a bacon cheese burger so we set out to get one at the small restaurant down the hwy that we had visited before the hike. From there we went back to camp so I could get my hammock re-strung in the campground and enjoy some quiet. As evening approached we took a small drive over the hill to another lake to try the fishing. The road was better suited to a monster truck rather than my little Nissan Versa, but I was able to get us within a quarter mile of the lake. We strolled along the path till we found the lake. I tried my hand at fishing despite the shallow edges that extended out farther than my cast was able to reach. I decided to move on and turned around to find OG had faded back amongst the trees. With nothing more than a faint hint of cigar smoke in the air he had disappeared from sight. A short ways down the trail I found him again. I fished a little more but the wind had picked up on the lake and nothing was paying attention to my fly's. I decided it was best to head back with the sun fading towards the ridge and I did not want to try to drive the rough road in the dark. We stopped for a moment to try the outlet stream. I headed out onto a log to see if I could reach what looked like it might be a small hole at the bottom of a little rapid. I had no luck there and hoped from the log though a grassy patch and back onto the trail. I again was not able to spot OG and began to wonder if he had headed up the trial towards the car. Though he denies it there are rumors that he is part Indian.
We headed back to camp for a dinner of venison and potatoes.In the morning we broke camp and again headed for the small restaurant for one final meal, the breakfast we had been denied days before by the power outage. We drove the few miles up to Stanley for some supplies and worms to fish the Salmon River with. We stopped and tried one spot with no luck.
Several miles further down the road we found a great spot along the river, lined with bolder on the bank and a deep hole below some swifter rapids. In short order we both pulled out some small but still fun to catch Rainbows.
We continued to fish along the river for a number of hours, stopped to enjoy a nice day, OG hung up an eno for a bit of a lounge.
We decided to head back into the Sawtooth valley for our final night. I knew a spot that would be easy to get to and had trees for us to hang. OG cooked up a pan of ground venison sloppy joes and we sat around a small fire till the pull of a comfortable hammock pulled us away. OG was up before the sun to watch the stars fade and the sky grow light over the ridge of the White Cloud Mountains.
We packed up the last of the gear and and hit the road as the sun crested the ridge.
This was one of the best trips I have ever been able to do. The memory's of the time I got to spend in camp, along the river, and on the trail with the 4 guys that made the trip to Idaho will be with me for a very long time. I can not say thank you enough to Dave, Joe, Scott and Keith for coming, for sharing your time and lots of laughs together. Thank You all
Can't wait till next year!
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