And I'll do it again

When I was young and full of myself there were a number of things I did that I swore I’d never quit. They were too cool, too unique, too fun.

I couldn’t imagine a spring without horn hunting or a fall without chasing elk. I promised myself I’d drive over the Beartooth Pass every summer, and I’d never miss the Mothers’ Day caddis hatch on the Yellowstone River.

Time has a way of breaking promises, however, and that list of things I’d never quit has dwindled to a scant few. One of them is coming up this weekend. Like I have nearly every year for the past 49, I’m headed into Yellowstone Park to fish the canyon.

I guided a horseback trip there in 1971 for a Cooke City outfitter, and claimed the spot as my own ever since.

It used to offer outstanding fishing. Forty fish days were the norm. A Joe’s Hopper was all you needed. I’d try to make a single fly last all day.

The river was full of cutthroat and the most difficult thing about catching them was simply getting there.

And getting back.

While the walk in has always been a breeze, anticipation and excitement making the miles pass quickly, the climb out has always been a chore.

My friend Steve and I used to race out of the canyon, the loser paying for beer at Roosevelt Lodge. Now Steve wisely stays home, and I down half a jar of pickle juice at the end of the hike to ward off cramps.

It would be easy to quit. After all, the fishing isn’t anything like what it used to be. I caught my age in trout there on my 55th birthday and it’s gone steadily downhill ever since. Last year I caught three fish. I blame the otters.

But it’s not so much about the fishing any longer as it is about the going. I’m joined on the trip by a handful of good friends, (all younger in case I need to be packed out) who relish the challenge of fishing the canyon as much as I do.

The pandemic has changed the logistics a bit, but I’m still planning to meet my friends at the trailhead, drop into the canyon and catch a few fish. God willing and the crick don’t rise, I’ll return in one piece at the end of the day and do it again next year.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected].