The hiking wasn't all that bad since the green bike was ghost shifting more than Bruce Lee on a Fuji. I think it needs a new cassette and chain. I'll be hanging it back up in the garage. Surprisingly, there wasn't any trout in this beaver pond.

I did manage to fool this little stick of butter with spots on it though. This is a Brook Trout. They are one of my favorite fish to catch simply because of their beauty. In some places )like higher elevations, these fish can really get lit up with color but the one thing that all Brookies have in common is the white tipped fins that look like someone painted them on. This fish is actually not part of the trout family but of the charr family. Other members of this family include lake trout, bull trout, dolly varden, and arctic charr. Everyone should be so lucky to hold life like this in their hands at least once. It's always a thrill to catch a fish like this but, for me, the real joy comes when it's time to revive it in the ice cold water and watch it glide away.

This was the last creek I fished for the day. It was just wide enough for me worry about whether or not I could jump over it. It wasn't deep but wet wading in November is never a good idea even with the nice temps. After staying dry for most of the day, I lined up for the biggest gap of the day. I tried to psych myself up but then at the last second I jinxed myself by reminding me that I was NOT Carl Lewis. I didn't make it. My socks were soaked. So at that point, I wet waded at will.

This was a large elk at one point. Looked to be a bull that had shed his antlers before whatever got him got him.

And now we've come full circle back to the privy. I stopped at this little fixxer upper for a while. The hard wood floors need a little bit of work and obviously you'd have to tighten things up a bit for the winter drafts but I really think the mantle could be the conversation piece of the entire room.