What's in Our Bags

1. Kelty Cosmic 20 Sleeping Bag -  This year we'll be spending our three weeks out West in the Durango KOA campground, specifically a tent parked on my parent's campsite. One of my favorite things about our trips to Durango is spending the night outside under the stars. My Kelty sleeping bag is perfect for three season camping! It's breathable while still keeping me warm down to 20 degrees.
2. Broner Train Station Hat - It's a hat. It keeps your head warm, keeps the sun out of your eyes, and even makes you feel just a bit more stylish!
3. Nalgene 32oz Narrow Mouth - My tried and true! I've had this water bottle for five years, after my last Nalgene, which I had since high school, was lost in the outdoors. Best part, it's virtually unbreakable! 
4. MacBook - So I can keep up with the blogging and let all you good folks know what's up!
5. Free Fly Bamboo - Jacob and I both LOVE all our Free Fly stuff! From shorts to drawers, literally the best stuff on the market for keeping you cool or warm. 
6. Patagonia Stormfront Hip Pack - Basically the best hip pack on the market! Why? Because whenever I wade in too deep, which happens quite a bit, or get caught in a rain storm, I don't have to worry about my very expensive camera staying dry.
7. Simms Women's Vaportread Boot - I can't say enough about these wading boots! They;re basically the weight of a good pair of hiking boots, plus the vapor grip
8. Osprey Mira Pack - I utilize this pack to carry my camera, computer, external hard drive, and any other necessary technical equipment I may need. Once I get to where I'm traveling this is the most amazing day pack. It comes with a hydration bladder and rain cover, plus it's large enough to handle fishing stuff, camera, rain gear and snacks for a day spent in the back country or alpine lake.
9. Sixty Meters to Anywhere - Hands down the best book I've ever read! Which makes it a must take for a long road trip or falling asleep at night in the comfort of a tent. Because believe me, it reads even better in a sleeping bag.
10. Costa Del Mar Cin Sunglasses - Better to see you with, my dear!
11. Orvis Superfine Glass Fly Rod - Just like most other anglers, I've got more fly rods than I know what to do with, but this is my ride or die! I've basically abandoned all the others and stick with this guy. I've gathered up an assortment of reels, all filled with different weight lines. I've discovered with this rod overlining or underlining changes it completely and I can manipulate it to fit almost any situation I come across.
12. Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket - Because Colorado is cold in the morning, and at night! And I enjoy being warm.
13. Force of Nature - This little bandana from R.E.I, to remind me to be a force of nature!
14. Simms Guard Socks -  These guys make wet wading a dream! Although I am taking waders, I will literally only use them if I'll die from hypothermia if I don't. Not a wader girl, but I also don't like getting gravel and sand in my boots. Hence, guard socks.
15. Chaco ZX/1 Classic - The only shoes I wear. Seriously, I had to take them off for the photo.
16. Outdoor Research Helium Pant - If I learned anything about Southwestern weather from last year is that storms pop up out of nowhere. And, unlike here, the temperature dips, a lot, and you get cold. Always remember your rain gear, or you'll end up on San Juan, in a boat, freezing your nunnies off.
17. United by Blue Avalon Tank - Just in case I feel like venturing out into town and not look like a total trout bum. Plus this tank is super comfy and breathable.
18. Moleskin Notebook - To write down all of the ideas that pop into my head while sitting on a trout stream or standing on the side of a mountain.

Who Will We Be?

Brook trout.

They're our native fish, the tiny little creature that anglers all over the East coast search out. Regardless of their small size and far off dwellings, they are the golden egg.

But, why are they so rare, why do we search them out with such fervor?

The answer is simple because they are ours.

Many of us have seen the photos from years past of men standing with stringers containing 20 - 50 brook trout, as long as your leg. We've heard the stories about just how many you could catch in a day, how easy they were to find, when brown trout and rainbows were the minority. 

But to us, those are basically just the same as stories of mythical dragons and dinosaurs.

Each year, in North Carolina, there is some new initiative to "Back the Brookie;" stream restorations, license plates, grant research, fishing shockings, etc.. We try our best, but is it enough? Is it the real heart of the issue?

It can all go back to that photo.

Often we try and place blame on the current generation for all the problems. We all think it's never been this bad before, but the truth is it has. Greed, selfishness, superiority, destruction, are all character traits that we all possess and have since the beginning of time.

Maybe if people hadn't over-fished our rivers, but only took what they could use.

Perhaps if deforestation and subsequently erosion had never occurred.

What if we hadn't dumped all our waste into rivers?

Or wildly of all, what if we never stocked other trout in our streams to make up for the trout population we'd already killed off?

Thing is, we can't take any of it back. What we can do is decide that we will be the ones to stop being controlled by the same traits that caused such destruction in the first place. We will be the ones to stop over fishing, abstain from unethical fishing practices, halt the deforestation and fix the erosion problem, and maybe even speak up about the hatchery system in our country. 

We can never undo the past, but we can be better than our past. We can be the turning point, the people who when history looks at us were the preservers.

Or, we can be the ones who completely destroyed it.

Let's start by making sure they have a safe place to thrive. 

It's not too late to let Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke know what you think about Public Lands. 

Visit this website or be like me and make a call.  855-747-9643