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Troop 24 - The High Adventure Troop
Bridger or Bust
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Troop 24 - The High Adventure Troop
Bridger or Bust
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Our seventh day on the trail was a layover day and we would spend another night a Lower Cook Lake. Most of the crew would stay in camp for a rest day but Bill P., Greg, Brian, Jason, Adam, Andrew, Kyle and myself went on a day hike to Wall Lake.
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As Wall Lake was reported to have golden trout, we took our fishing gear in hopes of catching the illusive fish. The trail follows the stream from Lower Cook Lake to Upper Cook Lake. A crossing near the upper lake is made on convenient boulders.
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Just beyond the stream crossing the trail skirts a cove where the view above across Upper Cook Lake to the falls from Wall Lake greets the hiker. Just beyond the trail enters the woods and climbs up a granite ribbed shoulder and drops alongside a narrow inlet projecting from the west side of the lake.
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The trail parallels the western shore of the lake and peters out in a grassy meadow at the south end of the lake. The photo above taken on our return is looking north. We find the tread again and follow it as it goes around the south end and back up the east side. The trail climbs up over a little hill and descends to a wide meadow with a slow moving meandering stream. Without tread now we follow up the stream bearing for a rocky ridge to the north.
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Leaving the meadow behind, we find ourselves climbing over a granite outcropping past a small pond at the top. Just beyond we can see the dark blue waters of Wall Lake. The view above is looking south towards Baldy Mountain.
"No Strikes Here" |
There aren't many places to get down to the edge of the water. The shoreline is granite cliffs about 15 to 20 feet above the water. Bill and Brian head west towards the outlet. Jason, Kyle, Greg and Adam head east towards the inlet. Andrew and I try our luck on the southern shore. The lake is deep here. If you cast out as far as you can and let your lure sink as much as you can, when you retrieve it, it seems to come straight up the bank. After many casts it is obvious that it will be hard work to get any fish here as we get no strikes or even see any fish. In a while, we see Bill and Brian on the north shore working their way along the lake. They don't seem to be having any luck either. Andrew and I are sitting on a rock watching Bill and Brian when Kyle wanders back. He hasn't had any strikes as well. We decide to go back down to Upper Cook Lake to try our luck there. |
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Jason took this picture of the falls at the upper end of Wall Lake. He worked his way all around the lake and didn't have a strike or see a fish following his lure.
From Outlet of Wall Lake |
When Jason made it to the outlet above the falls down to Upper Cook, he took the photo above which shows the path of the stream from Upper Cook to Lower Cook. The inlet projecting from the lake is also visible. Kyle, Andrew, and I fished our way down the eastern shore and didn't have any strikes the whole way down. At the south end of the lake there is a sandy bottom. Kyle and Andrew decided to do a little wading in the shallow water so I went over to a rocky peninsula jutting out into the lake to try a few casts. I had a little better luck here, getting a few brook trout to take my lure. When we got back to the stream between the lakes, we saw three fisherman working the stream. One of them was flyfishing and I stopped a few moments to admire his casting. We saw him catch a small one.
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Back in camp everyone was in good spirits. We cooked over the fire again and had a good meal and campfire. As dusk fell we watched Brian and Jason try their hands at fly fishing. Jason learned the hard way that you don't cast a fly when there is a tree behind you. After it got dark, Kyle got out his glow in the dark lure he has been trying for years to catch a fish on and he finally succeeded.
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With no rain on the previous two days, it looked like our luck would hold as it was another sunny morning. Where we were camped on the north side of the lake, we got the first rays of the sun as it climbed over the peaks along the continental divide. We were finishing breakfast when the "fishermen" we had seen the previous day came by our campsite on their way out. They were a father and his sons from the midwest. It wasn't long until we were packed and on the trail backtracking back down the trail to the junction with the Highline Trail. At the trail junction we turned south on the Highline up and over a small hill down to our first crossing of Pole Creek. The trail fords the river at a wide slow moving section. We make it over in fine form and are soon trudging back up the trail.
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Just up from the crossing is a trail junction. The trail heading to the right is the Highline as it follows Pole Creek down to Pole Creek Lake. The trail going on is the Fremont Trail which starts at the junction. We head out on the Fremont passing another junction in a couple of hundred feet. This trail is a lateral to the south side of the Cook Lakes.
Just past the junction, the trail enters forest and begins climbing up towards Bald Mtn. Basin. The trail levels out through a small meadow and follows a stream coming from the basin above.
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When the trail levels off again, we cross the stream we've been following and take a break at the spot shown in the picture above. Angel Peak and Angel pass seem very close. The trail continues to follow the stream and after a short climb enters Bald Mtn. Basin near two lakes that flank the trail.
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We keep on the trail as it goes past the lake. Just before the trail swings to the right side of another good sized pond, we head off the trail to the left over a small hill and go down to the shore of Lake 10450'. Although the lake appears to be pretty shallow, we can see fish jumping. Some of us decide to hike over to Spider Lake and try our luck there. Most of the group decide to stay at Lake 10450'. It is pretty easy to find the way to Spider Lake. There are bits of tread here and there, so it must be a popular destination. It isn't long before we are at the lake. Before too long, I hear Jason and Brian shouting that they've got one on. Spider lake is supposed to have golden trout, but when I finally get on on, I am a little disappointed to find that it is a brook trout, albeit a little larger than the average size of the ones we had been catching before. When everyone gets back to the Lake 10450', we have lunch and watch a solitary hiker making his way down from Baldy pass. We shoulder our packs and head up the slope to connect with the trail. The B.S.'rs streak up the hill and are soon at the trail and out of sight. It's a really hard climb for me as we are going straight up the slope. I don't have much left as we finally get to the trail and climb up to the pass. |
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From the pass we get a good view of where we have come from. Looking back, Lester Mountain dominates the skyline and Lester Pass seems far away. We can see the blue glint of the Cook Lakes far away.
While I'm catching my breath at the pass, the boys climb to a high vantage point on each side of the pass and exchange yells with one another. I can't remember ever having that much energy.
Heading out down from the pass we say good bye to Angel Peak and Pass which have been our dominant landmark the past three days since coming over Lester Pass. The trail drops about 400 feet in .4 mile to a basin and the junction with the Baldy Lakes trail. The Fremont trail continues up to a pass above. We go on down the Baldy Lakes trail.
The Baldy Lakes Basin opens up and we can see the lake ahead. We pass up a camp spot near the upper end of the lake and continue on. Near the lower end we find a nice camp in a meadow with a big rock face for a campfire spot. Tents are pitched in another "tent city". Charlie opts for a site up the hill to get away from the snorers (Bill M. & Greg). Some of the boys get their fishing gear out and head out to try their luck, while the others head down to the shore to take a bath.
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After a while, I get my fishing gear out and head around the outlet of the lake. Most of the guys aren't having much luck. The lake is pretty shallow and it is easy to get snagged. Bill and Kyle have gotten some fish. Roger hooks and loses a big one and then after a few more casts hooks another big one. Bill P. tells him not to horse it in. Roger, already counting his pool money, brings the fish in, lays his rod down and grabs the line with two hands and tries to lift the fish onto the bank.
Of course, the line breaks and the fish goes flopping away back into the water. Bill is trying hard not to laugh. No fish, so no pool is in the offing for Roger, who seems to have bad luck with fish (See Pasayten Hike-June '98).
Austin comes down and casts off the same rock that Roger had been fishing off of. He hooks and lands a nice trout. It turns out to be a cutthroat - very pale with a faint red tinge to its sides. The fish is long but very thin. When we measure on the rope, it is about 3 inches short in total length and girth as compared to Bill P.'s fish from Section Corner Lake.
Back in camp not much had happened except that a wind gust had taken Kyle and Andrew's tent and gotten it completly airborne. The guys ribbed Roger about his "Big One". When he lost the fish he also lost his lure and it was the last one of that type that he had. Roger was desperate and made a deal with Kyle to buy a similar lure from Kyle for $7.50.
We retired for the night after a big fire. Jon found a big log and chopped up a bunch of firewood and we made good use of it. The card players got another game going. We cooked the fish in foil for an after dinner snack. It had been another perfect day with no rain, and we retired for the night in good spirits.
