Hi-Hium lake 1999, now this was an adventure! A trip such as we experienced will not soon be forgotten. Our weeks stay this year will rate high as any of our club’s trip memories. Some of the most memorable are; our first trip in the trailer, Lansing’s Landing, Twin lakes first visit and how about our Tenth Anniversary trip the following year with the prime rib dinner. Yes these are just a few, in fact each and every trip is unique and special in it’s own way. Trips that will be relived in our memories, but never be duplicated. It is that way with our trip to Hi-Hium lake in the Kamloops area of Canada. Our future plans include many return trips to our newfound treasure. Next year we will return, with renewed enthusiasm and ready for the challenge of the Kamloops rainbow trout. To the members of the club that could not attend the G.G.A. of 1999, make plans to attend in 2000! You missed a great one. The club trip plan for 2000 is set, and our deposit is paid. The clock is running. The countdown to 2000 has begun.

Soon you will be enjoying the season's holidays and festivities. This year there will be another landmark passed at Thanksgiving. You are now past the halfway point to the next G.G.A. 2000! This will be the turning of the corner to the trip of the Millenium. A true cause for celebration in the American Anglers Club.

Here are a few of the things we have learned from our first trip. You may want to call it our rookie season’s lessons. International travel is not a hassle, Real resort owners are happy to see their guests arrive. Homemade blueberry muffins are better! It is still possible to have a low priced high adventure trip to a new lake. Wood stoves work as good now as they did fifty years ago. We can get by without electricity and inside plumbing. You can always verify the outhouse as the shack without the water tank on top. Always look left right left for bears before you head for the outhouse. Outhouse doors open out so bears can’t get in while you are. Bring a flashlight at night…. Or you might get lost. Don’t leave your rods in the boats during spawning season. The bears aren’t far away. Coleman gas lanterns burn brighter than propane lanterns. Crib is played for keeps. It will always rain or snow the hardest when you are the farthest away from the cabin in a boat. Did I mention motor trouble? If its below freezing outside tonight, it will be just as cold inside the cabin in the morning. Don’t leave your shoes airing on the porch on a cold night. If you stay in bed long enough, someone else will start the wood stove. The best time to be fishing is anytime, after breakfast. The cook is still always right. Kimoris are boats not nightshirts. And last but not least important, if you’re running low on toilet paper, get it on the chalkboard, today! The rest of the club will think you are a genius tomorrow!

I don’t think I will ever forget the "feel" of the log cabin. It was as if it was built to fit our club’s needs. Good sleeping areas and ample lounging room for everyone. The bunks and the sleeping mats were more than comfortable, and a welcome sight at the end of the day. From the loft’s balcony you could oversee the morning’s activities in the kitchen. We had a great sized table to share our meals inside. Actually we had two tables one was used as a prep area for the cook. I can still hear that distinctive low toned hiss from the lanterns as we started the morning coffee. The smell of the sweet smoke escaping as Hugh stoked the fire and reloaded the firebox. The taste and aroma of that first cup of hot coffee was hard to beat while peering out the paned kitchen window at the waiting kimories. I remember stepping on the porch to check the outside air temperature and the low mark for the night before. Planning the days fishing strategy and most likely location of the fish. Or just stepping outside to be silent and enjoy the peace of the morning. How can something so simple and secluded be so much fun? I don’t know and don’t care, but it is and that’s all that counts. I for one can’t wait for our return trip and I hope all of you feel the same.

The trip was such a success it is hard to find any flaws and to try to come up with something to improve it, but there is always room for adjustments. In talking to our members of the club I believe that most everyone was more than happy with the trip. Next year we will have a Club Gas Fund. This will be in Canadian funds. It will save us doing the conversions and collections during our gas stops in Canada. That was a bookkeeping challenge to say the least. One stop that I feel we can skip is the Sporting Goods Store in Hope. I felt that we did not learn much more than we already knew about the lake and the prices were a bit high. When receiving accurate current local information a price premium is expected, but I felt we knew as much as the shop owner about Hi-Hum lake. We could do much better by shopping locally for our gear with our knowledge of the fishing now. The overall facilities and the lake and cost factors were acceptable. Some other suggestions have been made to add some new twists for the 2000 trip. We are currently planing a steak Bar-B-Q for our opening night dinner. Weather permitting. Some baked spuds and a roll and you have a winner, no dishes too! Another idea was to move the coolers off the porch so we can line up some lawn chairs on it to watch the storms pass by and enjoy the view from the deck. We could place the coolers under the tree by the firewood and cover them with a tarp. We could hang a tarp canopy over them if necessary. Hugh mentioned he is going to spice up his menu but no one has complained about last year’s table fare. Hugh feels that he has just as good facilities now as ever before. Of course the galley slaves were a little on the slow side this year he quipped. "Must have been the wait for the water to boil".

The Y2K threat is real. It is our understanding that the cabin will be fully tested for Y2K compliance before the end of the year so there is no need to worry about it’s effects on next years stay. Ron and Missy are confident that all systems will meet the challenge. The iceboxes, wood stove, shower systems and outhouses are just a few of the systems that will be looked at and tested. The test will consist of a party, noisemakers and pretending it’s New Years eve on October 31^st. At midnight Ron and Missy will roll the calendar to Jan 1 2000. If all goes as planned nothing will change. We’ll see. Another piece of equipment that will need some testing is the splitting maul. Ron and Missy assure me that you will never see any of the Y2K effect on their resort, no matter what happens to the rest of Canada.

The fishing was interesting and challenging to say the least. Fishing new water is always a learning experience. You always felt that this might be the fly to do it. Changing trolling lanes and flies was a common tactic. For being new to the lake we all did rather well. Everyone caught fish and nice ones at that! We were just starting to get some of the water figured out when our time ran out. Isn't that always the way it is? Just one more day is all I ask. In speaking to one of the regulars (25 years worth of trips) he thought the fishing was the worst in his memory! Wow I wonder what a normal year might have to offer. We may find out in 2000. Our trip this trip was questionable right to the last minute with all the cold weather that lasted late into May. The ice had just broken up two weeks prior to our arrival. In fact our cabin was opened up just days prior to our arrival. The dock was still out of place due to the forces of the ice over the winter.

I’m sure we all brought something that we looked at and said that it will not be needed next year. Our portage to the cabin was a full load to put it mildly. Next year we will have a couple more boats but we all saw the need to travel light. I for one am reducing the amount of clothing that I brought. I think I can have all my personal belongings loaded in two Tupperware tubs. But as a group we did real well for our first light trip. We were all trying not to double up on most items; good communications is the key to accomplishing this.

Well we now just have to wait for the calendar to go on our trip of 2000. But in the mean time we have begun to schedule some events that you might be interested in. The Sportsman’s shows that are in late January and early February are always a winning combination. This would be a good time to pick up on some new fishing accessories. We also are trying again to get a work party/fishing trip up to Greg’s duck shack. We hope to make some much-needed repairs and spend some time on the flats. From Greg’s description we could have most of the repairs done in an afternoon if we brought the right materials. We could spend the night and return home the next day. There should be some fishing for cutthroat trout if you feel up to the challenge.

So Happy Holidays to you and all your families,