Dad's Yosemite

"I used to always wonder if I'd ever get back to Yosemite," my dad told me a few months ago. "I'm pretty sure now that I won't."

Dad was right.

I told him goodbye Thursday night, having arrived at the hospital an hour after he died of complications from pneumonia following a long battle with an ever-growing list of medical problems.

Dad didn't make it back to Yosemite, but he left me with a love for the valley and the remarkable

natural features that tower over it. This summer I got to share some of those wonders with Asher, my 10-year-old son, when we traveled west to fish for trout. Dad anticipated Asher and me traveling west to see so many grand places, including Yosemite, and I think he liked knowing about it when we were in the park. I spoke to him by phone from an overview of Mount Shasta the day before we visited Yosemite, and my sister Laura shared pictures I had sent her or had posted online when she visited him a couple of days later. I also got to share pictures from the whole western trip after I got home.

Dad and I actually first entered Yosemite Valley together on a family vacation when I was somewhere around Asher's age. Dad had studied the park's cliffs and waterfalls so thoroughly, though, that he was able to introduce me and the rest of the family to El Capitan, Half Dome, and Vernal, Nevada, Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls is if they were old friends. He also knew exactly where we needed to drive to and where to hike in order to get the best views of each and how to make the most out of our first visit to the park.

Yosemite immediately became Dad's favorite place to visit and he returned many times over the years. He even took me there for a week as a college graduation gift. Each day of that trip brought a different and well planned adventure: hiking the 4-Mile Trail (Dad's favorite), ascending the back of half dome on a guided mule-back trip, seeing the giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, hiking from the top of Nevada Falls to the base of Vernal Falls, exploring the high Sierras. Laura said that when she visited after Asher and I were in the park, Dad talked a lot about the trip he and I had taken together.

I like thinking about Yosemite travels because they remind me of my dad's awe over natural wonders, which he passed along to me at Boy Scout campouts, family trips and walks to our front yard to look into the night skies at constellations, the moon and the planets. Dad was quite the astronomer and always could tell me what I was looking at as I peered upward.

Dad seemed to find the greatest wonder in extra big things, like heavenly bodies, sequoia trees, high mountains and waterfalls. Even his favorite animals were elephants. I suppose my special area of wonder is over anything that relates to a stream. I'm fascinated by all things related to God's creation, though, and it's my privilege now to pass along those things to my children.

A Few More Favorite Things

Yesterday, I blogged about a few of my favorite things from the Rebel Trout Trek. Specifically, I shared my favorite wildlife sighting, forest, mountain range and fish from the trip. I'd like to jump in where I left off and continue with trip favorites for one more day.

Favorite Fish I Caught
Although my favorite fish of the trip were a couple of fat rainbows that Asher caught, I also had a clear favorite fish of my own. Oddly, I'm not positive what species it was. I initially dubbed the big trout I caught from one of the Delaney Butte Lakes as a rainbow, but from closer examination of the colors and looking at reference photos, I sort of think it was Snake River cutthroat. Whatever the species, it was a whopper that hammered a Rebel Wee-Craw, fought hard, and barely fit in the net.

Favorite Landscape

In terms of overall scenery in a single place, nowhere comes close to Yosemite Valley in my mind. From El Capitan (highest sheer cliff in the world) to Half Dome to all of the waterfalls, everything is just so grand. In truth, everything towers so far above the valley that it's hard to grasp how big any of it is. Our visit was too brief, and visiting such a popular national park during a weekend probably wasn't the best strategy. Nevertheless, seeing the valley again and fishing between the cliffs still ranked as one of my favorite overall trip experiences.

Favorite River
I should say "favorite rivers," I suppose, because this one remains a tie in my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed fishing the Madison River in Montana and the Provo River in Utah, and both left me longing to have more days to explore other river sections. Both produced really good action from quality trout and offered outstanding public access. Also, at both rivers, Asher and I were pretty much the only anglers who were not fly fishing, which to me spells opportunity for showing the trout something different.


Favorite Lure
Asher and I caught fish on a bunch of different Rebel Lures and at times stream size or conditions dictates using some specific lure. Rebel Tracdown Ghost Minnows were the top producers, though, and the lures we ended up using the most frequently. A Ghost Minnow's slender profile makes it look like an easy meal to most fish, and reeling steadily causes a tight wiggle that's fairly subtle. That said, the weighting of this bait helps it handle fairly strong currents nicely, and twitching the rod tip makes the action much more erratic and prompts reaction strikes.
 

Favorite Fishing Accessory
Asher and I were repeatedly impressed by the design of the Cabela's Burl-Handle Landing Net that we used throughout the trip. The handle itself is comfortable in hand and doesn't slip when it's wet. Plus, the netting is rubberized, which make it easier on fish, and makes the hooks less likely to get caught in the net. The best feature, though, is a stretchy lanyard with a magnetized break-away design. I could hang the net out of my way from a vest or pack loop, but it was still in easy reach, and if Asher needed it or I wanted to go beyond the stretch range to land a fish or hold it in the water for photos, we could simply separate the magnet from the metal.