Something new

I work a flex schedule and have every other Friday off. It seems I end up working these Friday's and try to stockpile the days for vacation time. I usually end up working until 3 ish and then taking off to go do something fun. The other day I ran into "Pat" who I used to take on trips all the time when he was a kid while working at TVRC who grew up here in the Valley. He was home for a couple of weeks between guiding fishing trips in Russia for the summer. What better excuse to winch your boat off of a steep embankment into the rarely floated Hoback River?

Above is the raft being winched down via the winch cable and the bow line about 100 yards to the Hoback River.

Pat and Cody after the Hoback River met up with the much larger Snake River. We caught a bunch of fish on the Hoback and didn't see another soul.

Meal Planning!

So I got really inspired last weekend and decided we needed a little meal plan schedule to keep us on track! And that is just what I made. I created the layout and printed it out and then bought a cheapie frame and some magnetic dry-erase markers at the $1 Store. Wah-la!

Now this beauty graces the side of the fridge and I am really loving it!

And yes, the Veggie Meatloaf last night was quite delicious (even Trevor thought so)!

Until Next Year.......

Tent Camp USA, zip code...............Hell Yes...2010

My Dad in classic Rob form with a nice bow up Tenderfoot Creek.

Yet another Eddy Party

Teddy scrambling over boats.

My cataraft worked out well on the trip. It was fun having the ability to have 3 guys on the boat instead of just two.

Eric and Chad, the two "Montana boys" who came over on the trip last minute from Missoula.

I think this shot might best epitomize the trip. Nate had just completely fallen face first into the river, however he didn't care in the least bit.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was an awesome Smith River trip 2010.

Jack prepping something for dinner.

Can't Get Enough

The Smith River 2010 posse posing outside of the mid-river bar at Heaven on Earth dude ranch.

Exactly half-way down the Smith float there is a dude ranch right on the river that happens to have a 9-hole par 3 course, really generous bar-tenders, and a dress policy that encourages playing in no shirts. We had a blast attempting to play golf and sampling "Deep Creek Cocktails".

Easily one of the more scenic par 3 courses anywhere in the world!

Some of the crew ascending into a big cave high above the Smith.

Aidan with a solid brown town.

The often customary "team shotgun"

Hager chillin in the early morning light.

Marco hoisting a beauty.

Noah, puffing tough.

Mid-river bullshits, live tunes, and well-dressed cowboys.

Nate caught a ton of fish.

Unlike in the river trips in the past, we were actually seeking shade rather than warmth. We lucked out with the weather and scored nothing but sun for 6 days.

A week of pure Goodness

23 Guys, 47 cases of beer, countless bottles of booze, 9 rafts, all added up to an amazingly fun week on the Smith River.

The Boys prepping before launching on the first day.

Marco, me, Teddy, and Noah, "eddy partying" and enjoying finally being on the river after waiting 13 months since last years trip!

Pulled over grabbing fresh spring water on the first day.

I love the Smith for so many reasons, but one thing that always amazes me about it is that someone on the trip points out and or finds something that I have never seen before on my previous 10 plus times down.
Here Marco reaps the rewards of a cave he spotted on the first day from below that I had previously never noticed. Easily one of my favorite shots of the trip.

Marco and Noah scrambling back from the cave.

One of the few nights we actually got into camp and set up before dark. It was staying light until 10 pm, so, we generally were on the river for close to 10 hours or more every day fishing, partying, hiking, et.

Jason Rolfe enjoying some solitude on the second day.

My best fish of the trip. The fishing wasn't amazing, nor was it horrible. Everyone caught fish, and a lot of good sized fish too.

Looking down from a morning hike high above Sunset Cliffs boatcamp.

Friends in the Hood

So, much to my surprise and excitement, my good friend Jess announced a couple weeks ago that she was going to be moving to Jackson for the summer to live with her boyfriend Case. She lives in Denver and works for the National Parks so she was able to get a transfer to Grand Teton for a couple of months. The best part? They moved in to an apartment in our complex! So now all we do is play together all the time...this is going to be the best summer ever!

Yesterday, after a morning hike together we decided to break out the boats (they wanted to see if their canoe floated after all) and we headed up to Slide Lake despite the looming ominous afternoon thunder storm ahead. Aren't dogs in a canoe the cutest? This is Case, Clancy, Salix and Jess...welcome friends!

How could you not love this face? Case's dog, Clancy, doing his thing.

Slide Lake isn't in the Park, but you can still see the Tetons poking through. Don't worry, it looks pretty threatening, but we didn't get rained on too hard!

My new website is up!

Check it out guys! My new site is up! And if you need any design work or know of anyone who needs something amazing and beautiful, send them my way.
Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!!!!
xo Chelsea