AZ RANGER Report post Posted June 4, 2011 The last two years my wife has gone to girls camp in Alpine with the young women from our church. During the time she is gone to girls camp I take our 3 boys to "Boys Camp". We left Tuesday and set up camp near Luna Lake. The Wallow Fire was already burning by this time so we stayed clear of that area. We got camp set up and headed over to Luna to wet a line. Camp The wind was blowing hard but we managed to land a few nice ones. My oldest Boy Hunter with his first catch of the trip. These bigger fish had orange meat and taste so much better imo than the young stockers. After a bit of fishing we headed back to camp for tacos and burros. Wednesday the plan was to head over to Hulsey Lake and then over to Nelson Reservoir. The bite was so good at Hulsey that we never made it to Nelson though. I had one pole set up for power bait and the boys were throwing super dupers. As soon as the bait would settle at the bottom the fish were hitting it. I would hook the fish and hand it off to one of the kids. I think I only reeled in one fish the whole week but I get more satisfaction out of watching them anyways. They caught some on super dupers but before long I had another pole set up with power bait and everyone was trying to set the hook. They were mostly small fish but we managed a couple of nice ones. The fire was starting to blow up by this time and the skies were turning dark Some of our catch from Hulsey Thursday the plan was to load up the tent and some supplies and head for the reservation. We planned to camp at either Drift Fence or Pachita, but from the time we woke up we knew the fire was getting bad. The view looking south down the trail from the Alpine store We gassed up and headed over to the reservation anyway to see what happened. We got to Reservation Lake and decided to fish there for a while, but it was obvious we better get back to camp rather than head deeper into the res. The fishing at Reservation Lake was good though. My 4 year old Rusten Fisher living up to his name. He was fishing with a super duper. I was walking back to the car when I heard him yell out "dad I got one, he's a jerker" He managed to get him in and it turned out to be a nice Brown. Hunter and my youngest Camm getting in on some action too. As much as we wanted to tent camp further in on the reservation we headed back toward Apline. By this time it was around 1:00pm and apparently they closed and evacuated the forest while we were gone. As I drove thru Big lake it was completely vacant. I talked with a Sheriff deputy on the way out and he updated me on the closure. Some pics on the way back to camp. It was really an erie feeling driving back to alpine with no one around. Reminded me of the Rodeo Chedeski Fire (I was there on an engine during that fire when all of Show Low etc. was evacuated). We got back to Alpine and had dinner at the Bear Wallow cafe, then went back to camp. At that point I was glad we did not make it deeper into the reservation. It looked as if we better think about packing up camp and heading out of there. Our camp was back in the punch bowl behind Luna Lake, so we were still a ways from the fire but it did not look good. On the way back to camp I met with another Deputy and he gave me the mandatory evacuation notice so we started packing up. A few more pics. The Alpine Valley is in there somewhere All in all it was a great trip and an adventure to say the least. The kids had a blast and had some neat experiences. I hate to see al that country going up in flames, I pray that many of the structures and property can be saved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kennyazman Report post Posted June 4, 2011 wow!! that really looks like fun. good job dad. I am really looking forward to my boys doing just the same at big lake at the end of the month on our annual trip. Im just so nervous right now about the fire going through that area. I really hope it doesnt go through big lake, it is has been my favorite place in the world since I was a little kid. I just read on another post that it went through big lake. I just dont want to believe that right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACW Report post Posted June 4, 2011 Awesome story and pics buddy! looks like you and the boys had a good trip they will always remember. Sure is a shame all that country going up in smoke though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted June 4, 2011 Great pictures Scott. Looks like a great family outing! Thanks for sharing. I've got 3 boys too, a little older - your post brings back a lot of memories of that age. Great job getting them out there building lifelong memories. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 4, 2011 Awesome trip for the boys! So sad to see all that country burning. Thanks for taking the pics and sharing them. I hadn't realized how dark it was up there. From here the plume of smoke looks like a fluffy white mushroom cloud, no darkness to it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted June 4, 2011 I really enjoyed reading your post and looking at the kids with their fish. Memory making for sure and they will always remember the trips like that. To bad you had to call it short but glad you made it home safely. Thanks for sharing. Great post! TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Non-Typical Solutions Report post Posted June 4, 2011 Awesome story and pics buddy! looks like you and the boys had a good trip they will always remember. Sure is a shame all that country going up in smoke though. My thought exactly.....nice job catching the fish..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
