Day 38 – Aquatic Ape
July 30, 2012
Start: Brooks Lake Campground
Finish: Brooks Lake Campground
Today’s miles: 0
Total miles: 1111.7
Splats: 0
Divide crossings: 0
Wildlife: trout, bald eagle with trout
A bald eagle is perched atop the tree in front of my tent right now. It is munching on a trout that I watched it catch as I floated out on Brooks Lake at sunset. That’s right, I’m on a boat and still at Brooks Lake.
I had much difficulty exiting my sleeping bag this morning. Temperatures in the thirties are not conducive to early starts. I finally got rolling at 9:30. Seeing my weariness, the campground host suggested I stay another night. I won’t lie; the thought had already crossed my mind, but I had to push on, so I rode off.
When I got to the end of the campground (maybe 100 yards), I looked back at the lake and remembered that I have always wanted to take a zero day next to a lake and paddle around on a canoe; I have great memories of the few times I was able to hop on a canoe while hiking the Appalachian Trail. I backtracked to the campground host to ask if canoes were available and was told there was a duckie (inflatable kayak) I could use courtesy of the host’s sister-in-law and a hidden campsite down on the lake with a spectacular view of the Absaroka Range. I was sold. I would be an aquatic ape for a day.
I pitched my tent, then hit the water, watching the fish as I paddled about. When I returned, I ate lunch and then took a nap. After the nap, it was time for a hike. I hiked about 2 miles up to another smaller, higher lake, where I had a snack as I watched more fish. As I returned, I kind of wished I were hiking the CDT rather than unicycling the GDR. Hiking up in the mountains, I felt more natural and connected with the surroundings than rolling and winding my way between them.
After dinner, I headed out for a sunset paddle. While I floated, I watched the bald eagle catch its dinner, then fly up to the tree in my campsite. As I lie in my tent, I can look out over the lake and to a silhouette of the jagged mountains beyond. There are sounds of water splashing as hundreds of trout leap for their dinner. Hundreds of little rings are out on the lake where the trout are rising. Above some of those rings, fly trout. It’s an amazing sight.
