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| Top Photo: Landslide Lake in all its glory. |
Last summer, I was determined to embark on an epic outdoor adventure that combined my passion for fly-fishing with a backpacking trip. I have fond memories of backpacking to Landslide Lake with my dad as a kid. Back then, we would take two days to hike to the lake and then catch cutthroat trout with a fly tied to a branch.
With only a three-day weekend available, the hike would have to be done in one day... definitely a challenge to those who hadn’t backpacked in years! I decided that Landslide Lake was the perfect destination for an adventure and I was joined by my husband, Blair, and our friends, Emma and Bill.
Blair and I brushed off the dust from our backpacks, learned how to dehydrate food and tied several boxes of dry flies and nymphs for the trip. We bought hiking boots, a water filtration pump, and even a new lightweight stove. After several large fires in our garage, we even figured out how to light the stove without having the neighbours call the fire department! We decided to take our waders. Then we weighed our bags and took the waders out. Blair made the big sacrifice and agreed to carry up a flask of whiskey for the campfire. We were clearly ready for our adventure.
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| View of the valley on the way up. |
The first half of the hike was through the Cline River Valley. Besides one steep section, we zoomed through the flat terrain and stopped to check out the river along the way. Although we didn’t see many other hikers, helicopters were constantly flying up and down the valley to drop anglers off at remote lakes in the area. I started imagining that Landslide Lake was going to be teaming with anglers, elbow-to-elbow on the banks with a few belly-boaters bobbing in the lake. Lawn chairs and beer kegs would litter the shoreline. Blair reassured me that most were probably heading to Michelle Lake to chase golden trout, but visions of a backcountry metropolis plagued me for the rest of the hike.
We were introduced to elevation gain after the turn off to the lake. Although the arrow on the sign to Landslide Lake pointed in a northern direction, we all soon agreed that it should have just been honest and pointed straight up.
As we trekked up the mountain, I started brainstorming all of the ways we could have cut the weight in our packs. Maybe cardboard tubes would have been enough to protect our fly rods. Did I really need two packages of instant oatmeal for breakfast? Can’t a husband and wife share one toothbrush?
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| (left to right) Jess, Emma, Blair and Bill... The arrow on the sign should have pointed straight up! |
We finally arrived at the giant boulder field that is evidence of the historic rock slide that created Landslide Lake. The scenery was unique and breathtaking. A small waterfall erupted out of the side of the cliff and gushed down into moss-covered boulders, some the size of a house. After one more steep ‘grunt’, the trees parted and the lake appeared. It was glacial blue and absolutely clear, just as I had remembered. The view was more beautiful than any picture could capture. Although I am an angler first, the climb was worth it even if we caught no fish. Better yet, there were no other people—perhaps the helicopters were heading to Michelle Lake after all!
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| The first view of Landslide Lake. |
That first night at the lake, we did some exploratory angling and Blair caught a nice size cutthroat on a golden nymph. We didn’t have any more luck and couldn’t see any fish rising, so we decided to make it an early night.
The next day, we walked and fished the entire perimeter of the lake. We targeted the small inlet streams we knew were bringing in insects and fished around submerged boulders that would provide cover to fish cruising the shoreline. We could see large cutthroat following in our flies, and Blair managed to land a big one! Emma caught one too, but it came off the hook before we could snap the picture. Always the devoted angler, she even tried diving in after the fish to grab it! Great enthusiasm, but all she got was wet! Because of her efforts, we will all confirm that she did indeed catch a big fish, although there is no photographic evidence.
Besides a few large fish, we weren’t having much luck and decided to split up to cover more ground. Right before dusk, Blair noticed that Emma and Bill were shouting and waving to us from the other side of the lake. We reeled in and made our way to the small bay where they were fishing. With our polarized glasses on, we could see that the water was boiling with small cutthroat! We surrounded the bay and almost every cast caught a fish, and quadruple-headers were common. Several times I caught two fish at once, one on my dry fly and one on my dropper nymph. We caught so many that we started to experiment with what these fish would go after. They would hit flower petals, even bits of wood and grass attached to bare hooks! Hungry fish! Most of them were very small, but it was still an exciting evening.
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| Blair’s big cutthroat! |
Landslide Lake now holds a very special place in our hearts. It is a wonderful spot to visit if you are an angler looking for a physical challenge, or a backpacker who dabbles in fishing. The view itself is a great reward for those willing to take the trip.
As next summer rolls around, Bill, Emma, and Blair are all starting to wonder what my next crazy idea will be? Whatever adventure we decide on, I think I’ll still bring along my own toothbrush! ■
For previous Reader Stories click here.
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