–submitted by Matthew Lettington. Originally posted on his blog
Hemingway has been in Scouting since he was five. Now that he’s turned 13, it’s fair to say he’s committed to the many goals and achievements that Scouting encourages.
Last summer, he attended a five-day angling school in Tahsis. Since then, he’s headed out to the local lake a few times to fish on his own. More recently, he started working on his Hobby Badge, setting five goals, several of which involved fishing.
He learned about the camping and fishing opportunities at McKenzie and Douglas lakes in Strathcona Provincial Park this fall, when our family completed an overnight traverse from Raven Lodge to Wood Mountain. It wasn’t our first time through, but he was pretty little on that first trip and was definitely more interested in catching Pokémon than catching fish!
So, when he started working on his Hobby Badge, three of his goals were to hike somewhere to fish, camp and fish, and cook a fish he’d caught. McKenzie Lake fit the bill nicely. It’s a relatively short hike in, and it offers all the amenities a young lad could want from a fishing trip — especially the fish!
While the trip attracted minimal participation, it wasn’t zero!
The day before had brought considerable rain to the area, but our trip took place under azure skies with barely a cloud in sight. With only about an hour’s hike to McKenzie Lake, we got sidetracked at Douglas Lake when we ran into two other club members out on a CDMC work-party trip. They had the cabin stove going and were getting ready for a day in the field.
Hemingway was a bit impatient, and before I knew it, he had his rod out and his line in the water. I let him have a few casts before we packed everything up and continued the last five minutes to McKenzie Lake.
We set up camp, and I let him fish for an hour while I finished setting up and grabbed a snack. After an hour without so much as a bite, we figured we might have better luck back at Douglas Lake. Our fellow club members had mentioned that they often had success in a particular spot, so we decided to give it a try.
The three of us stood in the sunshine and fished for the next few hours. Hemingway and I used spinning rods while the other member worked a fly rod. Despite a bit of wind, we made the most of a beautiful afternoon.
Then, around 2:30 p.m., the fish started biting! Within about 30 minutes, we’d reeled in four fish. Naturally, the last one was the biggest, but we released it. The first three were plenty for a small meal.
Back at camp, we cleaned the fish and fried them in a little oil with garlic, thyme, and white wine. Served with a small packet of crackers, they made a tasty meal. We could certainly improve the presentation, and I suspect the seasoning was a little heavy-handed, but it was pretty satisfying fare for fish caught, cleaned, and cooked right there in the field.
The trip also marked the arrival of autumn in earnest. Many of the leaves had passed their fall prime, while others were already reduced to the skeletons of their former leafy magnificence.
The biggest clue, though, was the sunset. By 7:00 p.m., the temperature was dropping quickly, making it clear that the season was changing. We didn’t linger long into the evening, settling into our sleeping bags early to read. Later, we did climb back out of the tent to admire the stars for about five minutes. With clear skies and no light pollution to speak of, the view was excellent.
Another lovely feature of the campsite is that it catches the early morning sun. Frost covered everything, and condensation inside the tent had frozen into tiny ice crystals. The temperature had certainly dipped a couple of degrees below zero. Before dawn, it was pretty chilly. Fortunately, we had fleece layers and warm pants to keep us comfortable until we could get some hot drinks into us. Once the sunshine arrived, layers started coming off.
Hemingway was the first to pack his gear. While I took down the tent and enjoyed several more morning coffees, he headed back to Douglas Lake, hoping to land a fish to bring home for his mom and sister.
Back at McKenzie Lake, we packed up, shook the ice off our gear, and laid everything out in the sunshine to dry a little before loading it away. Hemingway had about 90 minutes left to fish. Sadly, he managed only one bite, and the fish slipped off the line before he could land it at the shore.
Regardless, he called the trip a success. He’d hiked in, camped overnight, caught some fish, and cooked them up himself. Three of his Hobby Badge goals accomplished, with a bonus meal thrown in for good measure!
The weather cooperated, the scenery was beautiful, and we came home with full bellies and a good little adventure behind us. Not a bad way to spend an autumn weekend.
