Not So Insane Camping

September 2, 2008 · Posted in Camping, Friends, Photography

Jon and I went camping last December. That was an insane trip. A couple of weeks ago we decided to attempt another trip. This time we planned on going to Mt. Graham, but had a backup if the weather was bad. The weather forecast for Mt. Graham sounded like our last trip so we decided to go to Haigler Creek. We camped at the developed campground at Haigler Canyon. You can camp free most anywhere, but at the developed campground you have a bathroom, bear proof trash can, and a nice prepared tent location with a picnic table and a fire pit/grill.

I really prefer this type of camping. Especially when the trip involves a little fishing as well. We chose Haigler Creek based on an account that the forest service stocks prize fish into the creek as an attempt to lure fisherman away from the crowded creeks into the less occupied areas. My first attempt to catch one of these prize fish didn’t turn out too well.

After not catching anything I set about looking for a better place to fish. I didn’t find a good fishing hole, but I did encounter some wild blackberries. I ate a few and then picked a couple handfuls to have with breakfast. They tasted very good on the pancakes.

After breakfast we packed up our stuff and headed out to fish for a few hours before leaving. We were more dedicated this time and found a few good spots to fish. I got a couple of bites and then landed a small rainbow trout.

We found an even better place to fish. I caught a fish and just as it’s mouth touched the air it wiggled free. Jon caught what we believe to be the same fish. The fish freed itself in the same way it did for me. It must have a skill for getting loose.

One of the best parts about going camping is the opportunity to see the wildlife. The butterfly below was a fun find. Even more fun was discussing the creature causing the footprint just to the upper right of the butterfly. A skunk was the final consensus, but perhaps we were wrong. Any ideas?