As Sarah, Chase and Bryan sat slump-shouldered on the log, heavy heads bowing over the well-worn trail, we knew the trio of twelve-year olds were struggling to carry their odd assortment of gee-gaws and gadgets and other unneccessaries they had packed into their respective frame backpacks. We had only hiked about two miles from the Iron Gate Campground at what we considered a leisurely pace, taking time to study deer tracks, mushrooms and to readjust pack straps. And to drink water, plenty of it.

Hours later, after many more abrupt, silent stops, followed by sluggish starts, we made it to Mora Flats and set up camp. The staggering mountain views and cold, clear stream crossing at the end of the forced march, brought a new, inspired attitude to the kids. In no time, these terrapins-of-the-trail were rock-hopping and bouncing about, begging for we dads to string up their rods and suggest flies so they could go catch and release the wild brown trout we had been telling them about.

Around camp that night, we sat around the campfire and told ghost stories, each child proclaiming their bravery while peering side-eyed at the other, hoping their glance would not betray their secret fears of things that go bump in the night. Under a black velvet sky which draped across the horizon with so many diamonds strewn across it, we ate and joked and talked about how difficult the hike had been, about how many trout had fallen for our falsehood of feathers and fur, about the possibility of bears wandering around the camp as we slept, about how they wanted to make this backpacking trip an annual affair. We dads looked at each other across the dancing fire and knew the kids were hooked. We smiled as we threw water on the fire, helped the kids into their tents, and made a trip around the camp perimeter to check for bears, just like we promised.

Years ago, my brother-in-law Kenny and I initially turned to fishing along the backtrails because we got tired of fishing shoulder to shoulder with so many other fishermen. As the recreational fishing public continues to grow in staggering numbers, and the waters become more and more crowded, the pressure on this country's fisheries will increase. Hiking into the backcountry is one the most obvious ways to get away from all the other anglers. And we like to bring our kids.

The combination of backpacking and fishing gets you to places you might not otherwise visit, some of the prettiest places on earth. Fishing for timberline trout amidst stands of evergreen forests, under craggy peaks, and standing over verdant meadows is what backpack angling is all about. Backpack angling takes you into the Appalachians, the Rockies, the Cascades, the Sierra Nevadas, the Pecos Wilderness or Cruces Basin Wilderness. There are wilderness spots in almost every state with excellent backcountry angling.

The trout may not be as big as those found in year-round lowland trout lakes and streams, but they are usually wilder and much prettier. What's more, you won't see many people in these off-the-beaten-path places. Casting away the day under azure skies, away from crowds is indescribably wonderful.

Going into the backcountry doesn't necessarily mean sloshing twenty-five miles through bear-infested forests (even though that kind of adventure is one of our favorites). Most anglers fish public accesses, like bridges, and don't wander far from these easily accessible spots. So if you can be just a little more adventurous than your average fisherman, you can find more solitude and get to trout that have rarely seen a fly. There are thousands and thousands of miles of rarely fished streams teeming with wild and stocked trout. Thousands of high country lakes dot the mountains, and many are fished by only a handful of anglers in a decade.

Most backcountry trout are correctly thought to be rather easy prey (though just when you get cocky, you'll run into fussy trout). You rarely see mountain trout refusing attractor patterns in favor of smaller, more hatch-specific patterns. However, backcountry trout are wary to any shadows, footfalls, and bad casts. They spend much of their day hiding from raccoons, ospreys, eagles, minks, larger trout and other predators, including bumbling fishermen. So what's there to lose? Even if you fail to catch a trout, you'll still be in some beautiful country.

And, fishing small streams is the ideal setting to teach children the basics of flyfishing. They can have plenty of room for that errant backcast. Their dragging drifts will still catch little brookies. They will come to appreciate the sunsets and alpine forests and wildlife and all those corny but true ingredients of what makes flyfishing fun.

How do you even begin backpack angling? What kind of backpack fits you best? One of the primary mistakes beginning backpackers make is to pack too much stuff. Doing this to children is tatamount to torture. Their bodies are not suited to carrying heavy loads.

Another mistake is that many neophytes purchase packs and hiking boots that do not fit their needs or their body. Make sure to consult a professional so that your gear matches your requirements. We can attest that ill-fitting equipment can make a backpacking trip a nightmare. Internal frame backpacks are ideal for adults entering the backpack angling craze but if you have an old external frame drawing dust in the garage, wash it off, it still works.

When you take kids along, remember to integrate them into the trip by assigning them chores. Let the kids set the pace, and keep the trip short, at least on the first few outings. As for gear for kids, I recommend purchasing a frame pack since this style easily adjusts to their growing bodies over the years. If you have some extra bucks, the internal frame does fit better but since you shouldn't be loading their packs with more weight than necessary, the pack load requirements are not as necessary. Comfort is the most important element of a pack for children. You carry the extra weight in your pack, or better yet, leave it behind.

As for angling gear, flyrods are tailor-made for the backpacker. Alpine anglers can now find quality graphite flyrods in multi-piece outfits, perfect for lashing onto your backpack. Many seasoned trailhikers prefer the old 2-piece rods so that they may employ the rod tube as a walking stick. Prices for flyrods range from 0 to as much as 0 per rod and there are benefits to both. Rods under 0 aren't worth it because they'll never stand the rigors of backcountry travel. Go ahead and purchase a multi-piece flyrod, it's easy to carry and travels in the car and on planes well, too --- you need another rod anyway. And the kids can use it on those wide-open meadow streams without you fearing them breaking it in half.

Each of the children needs the chance to fish, but few kids will want to fish for more than an hour or two, not after all that hiking. So we took only two rods when the kids were under twelve and they shared time fishing. While two fished, the other collected pine cones or took photos or helped cook lunch. Now that they are teens, they each have more endurance, more desire to fish longer, so they each carry their own rod.

Sure, there are some negatives to sleeping under the stars --- bears, ticks, lightning, blisters, insects, getting lost, hypothermia, altitude sickness, and so on. Kids can get scared or hurt. But what the heck, in the big city you can get ecoli poisoning from a burger and paper cuts from file folders. The only negative we run into every time in the backcountry is that we have to eat each other's cooking. So you need to advise your children about the dangers and you need to be prepared to confront emergencies.

Think about it. No phone, no fax, no folks, plenty of clean air, hiking is healthy, you'll have solitude, you'll bond with friends and family, collect cool gadgets and gear --- all this and you can fish with dry flies for wild trout. As Chase, Bryan and Sarah exclaimed as we made it to a cliff overlooking the flats, and looked out over the awesome expanse of green meadows and trees, 'Cool.' As any parent knows, that is the ultimate compliment.

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Tips for taking Kids