GET LOST...this weekend.

Not the TV series no, although teaching Evangeline Lily to fly-fish could be super fun. I mean those adventures you can have with friends, family or children and do some fishing along the way. My dad used to take us on these little trips when we were little and they still get brought up at family gatherings, over the phone, etc.

"You know that one time the short four mile bike ride near Mt. Rainier turned into one of the stages from the Tour de France? And you said we weren't lost the entire time, eventhough we ended up somewhere near Mt. Baker when we were finished." Yeah, my dad....he's one of those guys.

Here is a list of places to get lost this weekend. Unfortunately, Evangeline Lily will not show up when you do get lost, screaming, "OTHERS! RUN!" But hey...at least you can still fish.

Place 1: Olympic National Park. Follow the trials up the Hoh, Queets, Quinault or Sol Duc Rivers. You'll feel like you're lost on the set for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, but no worries the Trees aren't Ents and they won't crush you for intruding on their land. This has some of the best nearly, untouched steelhead/salmon/trout streams in the state. Plus stepping into the world beyond the short nature trail hikes, emerses you in a wilderness that is completely devoid of the calamity that has become the everyday life of the Northwest.

Place 2: Winthrop and the surrounding areas. Plenty of rivers, creeks, and lakes to hike/bike/horseback ride into around this quaint little town. Pull out the Greentrails map and set a course into the heart of the mountains. Ever seen the movie "Last of the Dogmen" ? That's what this place is gonna feel like, once you get back into the North Cascades, minus the hidden tribe of Cherokees...I think. The lakes and rivers are absolutely amazing to fish in the back country here and the setting...well the setting will make you want to get lost on purpose.

Place 3: Mt. Adams Wilderness Area. Home of the upper reaches of the Lewis River, West Fork of the Klickatat, and numerous other lakes and creeks. Oh, and also the infamous Rainier beer toting Sasquatch. Getting lost here is definately a good idea, you could explore and fish for years and still not exhaust the possibilities. Did I mention that it's also quite stunningly, beautiful? Maybe more so than Ms. Lily (that's right I said it! Hey! Put down the shoe!)

Place 4: Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Either get in from the west side, which has some more demanding hikes, or from the Cle Elum side, which has the easier hikes, but also more people. The best fishing lakes are Marmot, Spade, Venus, Spectacle, Micheal, Ann and Jade. Note how I chose the hardest ones to get to. None of these are easily reached and you most likely will get lost at some point as two of them, you need to bushwhack to get at the monster fish in them. (Well Jade you need to bushwhack, Venus...is more of a talus sloped scramble.)

Bring the normal things. Waterproof gear, mosquito repellent, bear repellent (again, not for spraying on yourself), toilet paper, and the normal assortment of flies/gear depending on where you decide to get lost. Sorry, kidnapping Evangeline Lily, while she would make an excellent person to get lost with, is against the law. So pursuede/beg/bribe some people to go with you and as always, enjoy and Feed Fish Flies.
-RB