Dusty Lake Rodeo (Report): 3.10.2015
While the Midwest and East are still held tight in the clutches of yet another record winter, we here in North Central Washington have been given a reprieve. It seems that spring has come and is here to stay. With the river flows being less ideal for all chasing steelhead; it’s the time to shake off a little cold and hit the trail. Generally, most lake fisheries in Washington don’t open until April, but there are a few Gems’ that get an early start.
Dusty Lake outside of Quincy, Washington is just such an opportunity. It could be considered a portion of what some call the "Quincy Lakes," but is a little more removed with walk/bike/ride in access only. The ride in access is what drew my attention to this unique opportunity. The west access to Dusty lake is about a 4.5 mile is a mostly flat trail meandering through high desert coulees and canyons and what I thought a perfect way for my boys to experience their first real horseback adventure.
We left the ranch early Sunday morning with five head of horses in tow on the first ever McKee Family pack trip. The boys were excited to play cowboy and their mom was excited to put some miles on her horse in an effort to get some of the winter belly off before the barrel race season hits stride. We decided to pack her colt since she needed an outing and some exposure, and I rode my good mare Sally just in case.
Once at the trailhead, we were packed and on the trail in record time Mama the pack horse and Monte in tow and Ethan right beside me. It was a glorious day with just a breath of wind and the radiance of the sun just about making our sweaters too warm. We laughed as the boys joshed each other about who the best cowboy was and who was going to catch the biggest fish. In short order, the lake was in sight and then we were there.
This is when that mood of things are just "too good hit" as soon as we rode our horses to the lake for a quick drink before we set up our picnic spot. Once at the water the rodeo was on. Waffles, Monte’s pony, didn’t like the sounds of sticking around and was headed back to the trailer like a shot. Monte didn’t like the sounds of a solo flight and grabbed the nearest sagebrush while his brother’s horse stampeded off in hot pursuit. Ethan wasn’t going to give up so easily, and was willing to ride it out or so he informed me later. As the team was gathering up steam the vision looked mighty grim from Haley’s and my perspective. I rode out in attempt to cut of the traveling trio and not try to make matters worse. As I attempted to head off Waffles she ducked under my horse’s neck and continued to sail on down the dusty trail. Cowboy, Ethan’s mount, had rapidly closed the gap and now together they seemed to gain initiative and were gobbling up ground as fast and their midget legs could take them. As last resort, I reached for the halter rope off Ethan’s horse and as it pulled through my hand and my heart sank. By this time Ethan had had all the fun he could handle and found a soft spot to get off.
A conscientious observer (thanks Mike, if you read this) saw the goings on and stopped to see how we were. Ethan and I made our introductions then Mike took Ethan to Haley while I went to find the boys mounts. Some hikers were a little startled from seeing what they described as the two ponies of the apocalypse coming at them full bore then turning and heading out of sight. I followed the direction of their fingers and found the together at the top of a ridge. I caught them up and made the arduous walk of shame back to the lake. We’d covered the better part of a mile and by the time I made it the boys were in good spirits and back to comparing cowboy skills.
After a quick bite we put our tackle together and surveyed the scene and after seeing a couple rises near a cove I set Haley and Monte up with the Ugly Stick and a spinner while Ethan and I traversed the bank with our fly rods. Again the bad luck struck and on our way Ethan’s most cherished possession (his Echo Gecko) suffered as a result. Down to just one rod and pushing back the tears, we made our way to a little out cropping where we had seen a fish moving about. We pinched on a "Tungsten Thin Mint" and started working out some line on our second cast there he was. It was a nice sized rainbow which went a long way to restoring hurt spirits.
Our victory was short lived however when something caught the attention of the horses and spooked them. The two good horses that wouldn’t generally move a foot while hobbled had made their way about 100 yards before Haley could have them gathered. Once Ethan and I made it over to check on things the look in her eyes was clear "this is about enough." So looking at the sky we decided to be on our way.
Our trip to Dusty wasn’t what I would call a marvelous success, but it wasn’t a horrible failure it was a real experience. It allowed us to test our limitations and help us be more prepared for bigger adventures to come. It’s not often you can test these capabilities so close and still inside cell phone range. After all many of life’s joys are found in shared experiences, and how I wish I could be in Mrs. Kim’s Preschool class when those two get to recounting their experiences.
All the Best,
Luke