Description
Pack goats, stream crossings, boulder hopping, brook trout, and campfire cooking. This first-time mountain adventure pushed all of us close to our limits.
With no firsthand knowledge of the area, Maggie, Bill, Hector, Ricky, and I set out in my Toyota 4x4 to explore a group of lakes we had only seen on a map. The trail quickly turned into repeated stream crossings, steep boulder fields, and a long climb where I became concerned about the goats losing their balance with packs on.
To get everyone safely through the roughest terrain, I removed the goats’ packs and shuttled the gear ahead in several trips until we found camp. After reaching the third lake, I caught a brook trout and cooked it on the Firebox Octagon campfire stove using the new Octagon Fire Pan Tin. The Fire Pan Tin also became the base for a side-mounted reflector oven, where I baked cinnamon rolls after dinner.
The next morning brought coffee, bacon and eggs over a wood fire, followed by one of my best camp desserts yet: pineapple lemon upside-down cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh blueberries. When friends Jed and Ben arrived from the far lake, I used a little cake to convince them to help carry Bill’s gear back down, making the difficult descent much safer for the goats without Packs.
This was one of the most exhausting pack-goat trips I have taken. Every step through the boulder basin required thought, patience, and a safe route for the animals.
Firebox Stove gear used on this trip:
• Firebox Octagon Folding Campfire Stove:
https://fireboxstove.com/shop/?s=octagon&post_type=product
#PackGoats #BrookTroutFishing #CampfireCooking