By Dave “Red” Parker

You have to know that pack trips to fishing sites via horse or mule were among the most memorable events of the year.  And that as a counselor I was privileged to lead some of them was the greatest of fun!

So “get the picture” as they say. First Grover would choose those to go – no more than 3 or 4 of our most experienced campers, because pack trips challenged our best outdoor skills. We’d be gone for three days. One day to get there- one day to fish – and one day to return home. And for sure one night under the stars in our sleeping bags.

While a horse (or mule) would pack in our stuff – we’d hike the dusty trails alongside its clopping hooves stopping to rest when necessary. In the “pack boxes” balanced on either side of the pack saddle were our sleeping bags, iron skillets, plenty of Crisco to fry the fish, a side of bacon for breakfast, some candy, tin plates, knives & forks, and Gumperts punch tablets in various flavors like, root beer, grape, and lemonade. Also some Libby’s corned beef (in case we didn’t catch any fish). And a few flashlights with extra batteries and a couple of sharp knives to clean the fish.

My son Mike and also a counselor in his day—tells the story of a pack trip he led on a fishing trip.  All went well, with many fish caught and cleaned ready to fry and eat. When it was revealed that no one had brought any matches! So yeah man – we were going on an adventure and we had to be well prepared. What exciting fun to be “on our own”.  And to know that Grover trusted me to be responsible for making good decisions, all in the best pioneer tradition.

And to FISH! Because the happy fact of outdoor life in Trinity County meant crystal clear streams with rainbow trout.  They’d be waiting for us – but could we catch them?? Ours would be “dry fly” fishing with rod and reel. And flies with names like “Royal Coachman” “Black Gnats” or “ Gray Flies”; lures we’d purchased from a sporting good store before we arrived at camp.

So –picture us “tired but happy” as the sporting writers often wrote finally arriving at an un-named stream. First to un-pack the horse and make sure it had water and food. Then pick out a level spot for our sleeping bags and cooking fire. Then check out the stream for tomorrow’s fishing. I ask you to believe we were all EXCITED. City kids in the best of the “wilderness”.  All by ourselves for a few precious hours, all to be remembered for the rest of our lives. And that first night alone far from camp under the glittering stars with our sleeping bags close together by the dying embers of a cooking fire.  Then a dark, black night with a hooting owl in the distance and maybe a “ghost story”.  The Boy Scouts never had anything like this!

Did we all catch our “limit? (15 trout per day). No – not always.  But it was the “fishing” not the “catching & eating” that held center stage. Always sure (as trout fisherman always are) that the next sparkling pool held “the big one. And the next day the trip home but first to clean our campsite and douse the fire until it was totally OUT. For all of us, the trip had been fantastic fun-to be remembered all the rest of our lives. Like for me, I’m now 94 but I can tell you exactly how many fish we caught. And fried.  And ate.  Because we didn’t forget the matches. For myself the fantastic events of the pack trip were blessings from on high. Thanks, Grover.

About the author: Dave “Red” Parker was a camper at Camp Trinity on the Bar 717 Ranch in the 1930s. He has a Ph.D. from Northwestern (1955) and has taught at Wayne University, San Francisco State University, and Stanford. His major subject was Speech & Drama. Dave was also a radio actor on The Lone Ranger, the Green Hornet, and Challenge of the Yukon in the old days (1948-1951) and served in the Air Corps in WWII (1943-1946). In his later years he and his wife had a video production company (Parker Productions) which created and distributed informational films.