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Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 08, 2012, 02:46 PM:
We were looking for something to do with the kids this summer and several months back I hit on a canoe trip in Yellowstone. The route I planned was to start at the southern end of the park at Lewis Lake, and paddle the length of the lake, and than paddle up the Lewis River Channel which connects Lewis and Shoshone Lakes.
Shoshone Lake is the largest lake (8000 acres) in the lower 48 that can't be driven to. On the west end of Shoshone is the Shoshone Geyser Basin which is accessible by paddling or hiking only.
In all we paddled close to 40 miles. A Backcountry Permit must be applied for as campspots around Shoshone Lake are very limited. Since our permit was good for 8 people my sister, BIL and their 2 kids went along also.
Starting point at Lewis Lake
Hitting the Lewis River Channel
Fishing was good in the Channel. Lake Trout in the 12-20 inch range were pretty common. My youngest with the first fish of the trip. He loves to fish.
The hardest part of the trip was when the slack water connecting the two lakes went away and we had to tow our boats up the 2-3 foot deep fast moving water. It was a real workout.
My oldest son and I towing boats
Finally hitting Shoshone Lake after a 2.5 hour tow.
The water on Shoshone is damn big to a guy like me who has always stayed pretty close to land. The whitecaps out on the lake were way more scarey to me than potential bear problems. People die on these lakes when they get caught too far from shore and the wind kicks up. We hugged the shore on the way to our camp spot.
[ July 08, 2012, 03:09 PM: Message edited by: Lonny ]
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 08, 2012, 02:55 PM:
The Channel, despite the pull was really cool.
Wildlife.
Hungry crew when we hit our camping spot.
More Fishing.
Releasing one for my nephew
Geyser Basin on the west end of Shoshone Lake
My Crew
BIL taking pic of erupting geyser. Some dude fell into one of these a few years back. 190 degree water can't be fun.
All in all a serious workout for a vacation, but really satisfying. The only thing that was tough to deal with was mosquitos. Good Gawd those things got bad in the evening.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 08, 2012, 03:37 PM:
Looks like a great trip. Did you rent the craft or were they available at the Park? I gotta do something like that one of these days! I haven't been in a canoe since YMCA camp when I was (like) 11 or 12, but I actually won the race. My J stroke is probably a bit rusty.
Thanks for sharing. Oh, those trout, pink or orange or salmon flesh?
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 08, 2012, 05:20 PM:
Beyond cool!!!!!
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 09, 2012, 07:23 AM:
Great pics and recap Lonny. Sounds like you and the family will have lifetime memorys from the trip.
You're a bigger man than I am ! My cousin bought a canoe last spring and we took her out on a maiden voyage on a 10 acre pond. I was shakin' like a dog shittin' peach seeds.. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
You know whats wierd ? I'm only about 6 hours from Jellystone and have never been there.
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on July 09, 2012, 07:56 AM:
Looks like a fun time!
Mark
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 09, 2012, 09:27 AM:
Lone Howl, I'm surprised you weren't there?
Jellystone is actually a bit east of Williams, AZ
Good hunting. Lima Bravo
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 09, 2012, 10:16 AM:
Leonard, we rented our boats from a place in Jackson, WY. I think you can rent boats at places around Yellowstone Lake, but that is more by the hour type thing I think and it would cost a guy. My family rented two canoes, but my sister and BIL went with 2-person kayaks. The kayaks held more gear than I would have guessed were easier to paddle, and more stable.
I'm a rank novice when it comes to canoeing and before this trip I didn't know the J-stroke from jaywalking. But with some common sense along with a healthy dash of fear we survived.
Dave, I have a great respect for the water and we didn't take any chances out on those big lakes. A few years ago, a park ranger drowned when he tried crossing Shoshone Lake and the wind kicked up. There are plenty of places where you could be a mile from shore and we didn't do any lake crossings. Hugging the shore was our motto.
Until a couple of years ago we had done the Yellowstone drive through a couple of times and I wasn't impressed much. Lots of cars, RV's, people, and Asians who can't drive. We than did a trip where we stayed more or less got off the beaten path and away from the popular spots like Old Faithful. We came away with a whole new appreciation for the place and this trip was a good one.
[ July 09, 2012, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: Lonny ]
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on July 09, 2012, 11:24 AM:
Excellent!
- DAA
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 09, 2012, 12:18 PM:
It does seem kind of strange that there doesn't appear to be a single boat in the background of any of those photos. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Everybody must be at a theme park or playing video games..............
I know that if that water was with-in 100 miles of El Bee, you would be able to walk across the lake jumping from boat to boat & never get your feet wet. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 09, 2012, 01:37 PM:
Koko, Going up the Channel and on Shoshone Lake we saw a group going in ahead of us on Day 1 and we met a group coming up on Day 4 when we were heading out. No doubt, there were people at other campsites, but we didn't see them.
The group we met when we were heading out stopped and talked for a minute and I mentioned to the guy that towing the boats up the fast water of the Channel was kind of a bugger and he replied with, "It sure helps keep the riff raff out." I had to agree that it must.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 09, 2012, 05:54 PM:
Is that your son with the banjo player?
Good hunting. Lima Bravo (a little Deliverance humor)
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 09, 2012, 09:13 PM:
Banjo player from Deliverance? ouch!
I thought the dude helping my son release his fish sorta resembled Burt Reynolds aka "Lewis" from Deliverance. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 09, 2012, 09:28 PM:
Yeah, that's more like it.
Hey, I'm jealous!
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 09, 2012, 09:44 PM:
In retrospect at least nobody ended up squealing like a pig on the trip... That might have put a damper on things.
I always thought Deliverance was a pretty good flick. I still remember the first time I saw it and didn't know what was going to happen to poor ol' Chubby. I can see why he wanted to sweep the whole deal under the rug.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 10, 2012, 07:38 AM:
I have a friend that is dead set against ever watching DELIVERANCE because he has heard about "squeal like a pig". I have told him, to no avail that he would love it. Oh well?
Good hunting. Lima Bravo
edit: Oh, one more question. Where you rented the canoes and kayaks, did they provide some sort of roof carrier or did a trailer come with it?
Also, describe the application process. (yeah, I'm really interested) Where did you go to get it? Did you apply online, or locally, walk in the door, pay a fee and walk out with a permit?
[ July 10, 2012, 07:42 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 10, 2012, 08:41 AM:
We rented the boats and trailer from a place in Jackson called Leisure Sports. They had just about anything a person might need for a trip like this, but all we needed were boats and a trailer. Best to reserve boats ahead of time especially during peak season.
http://leisuresportsadventure.com/
The application process is found under Backcountry Trip Planner. I downloaded the the Backcountry Trip Application, filled it out for the days and campsite we preferred, included the $25 fee and submitted it through the mail back in March.
I think a guy could walk in and possibly get a backcountry camping permit for Shoshone Lake, but it might be risky especially in July and August when it will be a popular trip. There are also guided trips that take up some of the available spots. In Sept and Oct camping spots would probably be easier to get again. Applying ahead of time ahead would be the best for getting the spot and days that work best for you.
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountryhiking.htm
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 11, 2012, 11:12 AM:
What, Jellystone is in AZ? I'll be danged. Is Yogi there ?
Deliverance is a "classic" and must see TV, it was on last weekend on one of the cable channels.
UBB.classicTM
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