Up at 6:30AM, we repacked the vehicles….a constant chore given that the Durango was literally loaded to the roof, then had breakfast at the DT Resort restaurant. At 8:15AM we hit the road to see where our adventures would take us next.  Reflecting on what might have been, we were very lucky to get out of the mountains when we did.  Had the timing been slightly different we would have been stranded at 9000 feet without shelter, food, water, or fire.  Brrrrrrr.

East on Hwy. 11 to Nordegg for gas ($1.06 / liter, over $4.00/gal.), with a quick return to the DT Resort for AM since he left his jacket on the back of the chair at the restaurant, giving GK, MS & AB time to explore Nordegg…..which only took a few minutes.

Backtracking to highway 734 (the Forest Trunk Road) we turned north toward the Blackstone River. A sign along the gravel road told us we were in "Bull Trout Country".

Arriving at the Blackstone at 11AM, the side roads were muddy and it was raining. GK drove the Durango thru a couple large mud holes and parked near the river. AM & JR took the Subaru across the bridge and down a side road that Steve had marked on the map. They had to turn around as the road got pretty slimy, and the last thing we needed 50-miles from nowhere was to get a vehicle stuck.

Meanwhile MS, GK & AB strung up their Bull Trout rods and walked down to a beautiful pool on the river. MS chose a white wooly bugger and began casting into the pool. A few casts later he had a hookup, it was a good fish giving quite an account for itself. AB said, "I hope it’s a Bull Trout". As MS brought the fish to the net, AB yelled, "It is a Bull Trout!" congratulation Mike, you finally got your picture of a Bull!!

GK was next to hookup; he caught a Bull Trout also. Not quite as large as Mike’s but a Bull Trout, his first, nonetheless.

MS and JR went farther up the river where they found several more good pools and began working to catch a large fish they could see. AM & AB were working a nice run when AM hooked up on a nice fish…turned out to be a great Cutthroat….we were hoping it was a Bull Trout as AM hadn’t caught one yet. Rats! It was only a wonderful big cutthroat!  Kind of puts things in perspective when you are disappointed in a fish like this but would be happy with a squitty 6 incher that happened to have different spottings!!

AB continued guiding for AM, rigging rods with different flies hoping AM would catch his Bull Trout. AM kept working the pool. After about an hour, AB was standing next to AM with his next fly to try when AB decided to make a couple casts to pass the time. Wouldn’t you know, two or three casts later, AB hooked a fish….turned out to be a Bull Trout. Oh NO!! AB had just caught the fish AM had been trying to catch for hours!! Yikes!!

We had decided to fish the Blackstone for only a few hours so we could slip down to the North Ram River and possibly hit the Bow River near Calgary on our way south. But the Blackstone wouldn’t let us out of her grip, so when we left at 2:55PM we headed toward Turner Valley. On the way out, AM stopped at a small, tannic colored stream, Lookout Creek. The creek was full of beaver dams, lodges and looked real fishy. 3:40PM Both AM & JR gave it a try without luck.

Stopped by a beaver pond to see if we could catch a brookie or two but the fish weren't cooperating although the access to the pond was not very good. An interesting pond in itself but the owner/proprietor came up and did some maintenance work when we were there so we got to see a fur hat on the hoof!!

Headed back to Nordegg on Highway 11, then thru Rocky Mountain House, Red Deer & Calgary. We saw a large herd of Elk east of Rocky Mountain House also a herd of Bison being raised for burgers. Stopped in Red Deer for dinner at "Tim Hortons". Thru Calgary at 8PM; 1368 miles from Seattle. We checked the spot on the Bow River that Steve had suggested, but it was getting late so we moved on. Stayed the night at a motel in the small town of Turner Valley.