by Gwen Edwards

Created on: August 15, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

Over the years I've traveled all over God's creation searching for little known waters. Whether it be some unknown surf spot or a hidden jewel of a stream, finding these waters is my passion and over the years my quest has brought me to some amazing places. As I have grown older the cold waters of the North Pacific has curtailed my surfing except for the occasional trip to the tropics, so I've spent most of my time fishing when life allowed, and my favorite past time was searching for small pockets of remaining native fish, swimming in the wild unspoiled waters in which they evolved.

Fish like the Redband trout of the Columbia Basin, or the Bull trout and wild Steelhead of the Olympic peninsula. The presence of these fish indicated the limited influence of man. In my search for these fish, I've also found the solitude and beauty of mother nature and her voice has always brought me peace throughout my life. Be it high in the snow clad Cascades,the windswept desert of the Alvord Basin, or the deep quiet of the moss shrouded Olympic Rain forest these places have always called to me.

One day my destination was to be a valley high in the Southern Cascade of Washington State in search of a remnant population of Westslope Cutthroat trout. The majority of these fish had been eliminated by the introduction of non-native trout and the destruction of their habitat. This is a pattern that has been repeated throughout much of the west, and the native Cutthroat trout, like the native people of the region have more often than not, been driven to edge of extinction. My quest to find these remnant populations drove me high into the mountains, beyond the roads, and the reach of the government stocking trucks that brought unwelcome invaders to these clean cold waters.

In my search I looked for streams that had impassable waterfalls along their course. Waterfalls act as natural barriers to the upstream migration of introduced fish, and preserved the integrity of the aquatic ecosystems above them. I studied topographic maps, past stocking records in order to narrow down my search and one day my research paid off.

As I pulled in to the parking at the trail head I noticed no other cars parked there. This place is a long way from nowhere so that wasn't too much of a surprise but the solitude would be welcomed. I quickly grabbed my gear from the back of the truck and struck out on the trail. The trail began at around 3000 feet in elevation, and on the map appeared to gain

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