Pennsylvania Camping Trip - October 2011

It was a tough year to schedule a mountain trip out west, so we settled on a nice long weekend in central Pennsylvania, specifically the Hammersley Wild Area of the Susquehannock State Forest.  Pete just took a job in Phoenix, so it was up to Mark, Mike and I to keep the streak going.  I flew in to Cleveland on Wednesday night and stayed with Mark at his parents house.  We left bright and early and linked up with Mike in Renovo, it being so small that Mike was able to find us easily at one of two eateries in town without tactical communication.  Last stop was at Phil's tackle shop.  Phil didn't want to sell us anything - I had to practically beg him to pull out a tray of flies.  He did inform us that there was "a lot of water up there", that it was never cloudy, and that we'd have to hike a long ways (1-2 whole miles) to get off the beaten track.  We suspect "Phil" is in the witness protection program.

Unloading the gear



First map check - still within sight of the cars



Negotiating the water obstacle.  Mike was soon to lose his water bottle here.

Mark and Mike laughing in the face of obvious danger

 

Jugs being Jugs



We tied one on the first night...

 

Mike checking his Blackberry

 

Nothing but a little burn-off



 

It was a little nippy in the morning



Mark rocked the shorts though



Nothing beats eggs and Spam



Despite Phil's pronouncement, the water was shallow, and deep pools were rare.  Definitely pretty though.

Mark with a nice brookie

Becks hauled one in too

Dave's fish count...

Breakfast in Ole Bull.  The proprietors of this general store/diner filled us in on all the history of the area.  Pretty cool.



Mike's bottle takes a spill

Meta Lake Lodge - Canada

Took the boys up to Canada for a fly-in fishing trip. We broke the trip up by driving to Duluth Thursday night and staying at Grandma's house. We were out the door by 8 on Friday and at the border a little after noon.
From the border, we drove 5 hours deep into Ontario, to the small town of Nakina. Our accommodations are a post in and of themselves. Suffice it to say we didn't get much sleep, particularly since we had to be at the seaplane base by 5 am EDT (4 am for us).

Here Sam supervises the loading of our gear.
The sun was just beginning to peek up as we boarded and readied for take-off.
The boys had never flown before, so they didn't quite know what to expect. I don't think I've ever been in a float plane.




23 minutes after take-off we landed on Meta Lake.
After breakfast and gearing up, we were on the lake. Within an hour of hitting the water, Sam latched on to this large pike.


Not to be outdone, Sean brought in a salad with his.


We were mainly going after walleyes though, and they did not disappoint.
We stopped for a shore lunch and a quick swim. It was kind of hazy out, but the sun was noticeable and hot.

It's not a fishing trip without a picture of Sean peeing out the side of the boat.
The first two nights provided beautiful sunsets. I happened to catch Sean here fishing into twilight just as he was trying to heave up a big northern on the dock (it got off).

Our cabin is second from left, back behind the trees. Great accommodations - electricity, running water, rustic bunk houses.
Day 2 started with a hook through my thumb. It embedded near my nail while releasing a fish, and I had to push it all the way through the meat of my thumb to get at the barb. I was not happy.

Ara Lake was absolute glass for much of the day, and we could jig without anchoring.

We caught so many fish that the boys quickly became pros at netting and releasing them.


Sam caught the largest and smallest fish of the trip.
We were allowed to bring home 4 walleye on the license, so we stalked some larger ones on Day 3. Sam did a decent job cleaning his first fish.

It finally rained a bit towards the end of our last full day and overnight. Sam got to ride in the copilot seat on the way home.

Sean was less than thrilled by that.

Nothing a video game couldn't cure - back to "civilization".

BWCA - Brule Lake 2011