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Show The Salt Lake Tribune OUTDOORS Tuesday, March 14, 2000 Colorado Firm Helps Backpackers “Lighten Their Considerable Load “The more stuffyou have between yourselfand nature, the less you connect. When you bring too much ofthe civilization into the wild, you may as well stay in the iz : 5 Hf cli Dmetri Coupounas GoLite president. ——s — —————— at high- Lakeey.vat the winter show last month, the company added four staffand were constantly busy. “Many mountaineers came in and said, ‘Thumbs up. We've been ‘waiting for this companyfor a long time,” said Coupounas. The GoLite line includes the world's lightest backpack, a com- plete sleeping system that weighs two pounds and a two-person tarp and net tent without zippers or poles, The traditional sleeping bag has been turned into a quilt that fastens with Velcro to a foam sleeping pad. “There is no bottom to the bag because the part underneath is crushed and doesn’t insulate you,” said Coupounas.“It’s the foam pad se doing theinsulation,not the “were commercially available. So é decided to make them himself. le tracked down Jardine, who iene design and test the line. Then Coupounas persuaded Erick» on Outdoors of Berkeley,Calif., to engineer and manufacture it. Founder Mark Erickson, head product designer at The North Face for 16 years,at first lumped * Coupounas in with all the other ‘dreamers who had approached him over the years with harebrained ideas. The prototype Coupounas showed him didn’t help. It was a ratty, filthy pack that was so sim- ple in design thatit didn’t seem — possible it could serve as the foundation piece for a new outdoorline. changed his mind, said Erickson, was Coupounas’spersistence and willingness to listen to advice. For mass production, Erickson suggested using a slightly heavier fabric for the pack “and added small patches and ~Middle Provo: “Best by << aan LEDGE.rewent: “A Dam Site = lll Continued from C-1 ¥Competent anglers can expect to hook 10 fish on the Middle Provo now on an average day, but the river is capable of some days that . will cause sleepless nights. “T've had a glory day occasionwally with 40 to 50 fish. It can happen,” said Howard, who hits the Middle about 60 days each year. «ve He had four fish 24 inches or better last year with clients, “and “tay dad [Monty] landed a 24-inch eskainbow just below the dam on a small nymph,” he said. , Youcannotreally talk about the | Provo River anymore, because it’s three rivers and they are | wildly different. The middle section is undergoing drastic habitat renovation. Once a bulldozed canal in many places, the state and conservation To anyone accustomed to traditional gear, GoLite equipment can feel a little flimsy. But Coupounas says its equipmentis built to last and has stood up to thousands of miles of trail tests. Erickson advised using contrasting colors for patches to draw consumers’ attention to their strengthening presence. “All of our stuff is bombproof where it has to be andultra-light where it can be,” said Coupounas. One big advantage ofgoing light is that you can do away with hiking boots and wear sneakers in- stead. And GoLite gear will also makeyour trip safer, the company says. Whenhis wife retwisted her ankle on the walk out from an expedition to Aconcagua in Argen- tina in December, Coupounas simply grabbed her pack andstuffed it inside his own 12-poundload. “Now I'm carrying 24 pounds,” said Coupounas.“Big deal. I used to carry three times that much.It was just inconsequential to deal wi ankle because of checked into a hotel and ordered room service. Earlier, when they were acclimating for a few days at 17,600 feet, several other teams asked to borrow their GoLite gear for their summitbids. “Tt saved them 10 or 12 pounds and a few days because they didn't have to set up another [higher] camp,” said Coupounas. GoLite plans to introduce nine newpieces this summer,including a daypack.A full line of sleeping systems suitable for temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheitare also in the works. Erickson, whohad seen earlier attempts at ultra-light gear come and go, says he was initially a bit skeptical about the marketability of the GoLite line. “It’s a daunting task to try to launch a companyin today’s out- door market,” he said. Erickson still thinks ultra-light is always going to be a niche market, but adds that he is now eager to apply GoLite principles to his own wilderness outings. “T’m kind of warming uptoit,” he said. “It’s almost an aesthetic take on how weought to be using and enjoying the outdoors.” Jardine, after all, didn’t just pare down his load for safety and convenience. Healso believed that headinglightly into the wilderness allowed a richer experience of the natural world. “The more stuff you have betweenyourselfandnature,the less you connect,” said Coupounas. “When you bring too much of the civilization into the wild, you may as well stay in thecivilization.” Paul Fraughton/The Salt Lake Dimetri C the pi Thepressuregetsintense. “Through the summer,it’s as W@Blue-winged olive mayflies and midges are the thing to bring now through April, with the two peaking in April. ®A trickle of salmonflies not worth mentioning are followed by big golden stoneflies, starting in end of April and in June. Then pale morning duns will show, a small mayfly,followed by Green Drakes through July. @Caddis show in midsummerandescalate in different sizes clear to mid-September. WTerrestrials such as Scaraboppers, ants and cicadas to work JulyScuba, with hoppers working clear into November, when streamer (minnow-pattern) fishing takes over. Thelimit is two brown trout 15 inches only (all other trout must be released)andartificials lures and flies only. Bust a poacher:“I see peo- ple baitfishing all the time, and T’ve only been checked twice for a license two times in five heavily fished as any river in the West. You maysee 10 cars in every access spot,” Jacksonsaid. It gets pounded all year because Utah has a year-roundseason and both sections are so close to population centers. Jackson does up to 150 guide trips, and heis one of roughly 10 such outfitters. Positive spin on whirling disease? Strict limits, a ban on bait-fishing and courtesy among anglers will insure the fishery in this plan of how private lands it trends, if unchecked, will the future of the bear,” she said. ‘The Fish and Wildlife Service is comment 30 on its strategy to maintain bear numbers through extensive moni toring of the population, habitat, crowds don’t matter because the announcementof whirling disease hatchesget good enoughif you get one spot that’sall you need in the afternoon,” said Harley Jackson parasites and virus being discov- with Trout Bum 2. poaching hotline if worm- chuckingviolators are spotted. ered in both Jordanelle and Deer Creek scared some anglers. But the dreaded disease, which causes It’s a great time, you getto fish big dry flies and see big fish eat them,” hesaid. The June stonefly hatches and the green drakes in July are hatches that do not happen on the LowerProvo. “That’s why the Middle is be- coming a better fishery,” Jackson said.“It’s as good orbetter than the Lower Provo now, though either can fish better on a given day. That is unique; you can fish one when the otheris no good.” The Middle is more aesthetic with more scenery and little more distance between it and major roads, “It's more to look at, farther from roads, more whatyou think of when you imagine fishing in the West,” Jacksonsaid, Crowd pleaser: Perfection always comes with a price. They are building it, and they are coming. Lower Provo-style crowds are migrating upstream like salmon as ratic circles, is not scaring the men who makea living on the river. Brown trout are pretty well im- muneto the Europeandisease, and they are the prevalentfish in the river. And across the West, rivers with morecutthroat and rainbows are on the mend, with resistant strains of fish repopulating the rivers hit so hard in the 90s. Superior bug hatches aside, there may be anotherreasonto hit the Middle Provo over the Lower. For somereason, the fish on the Middle Provo seem tofight a littler harder, said Jackson. Howard agrees. “I think that may have to do with the numberoftimesafish has been caught. On the Lower Provo, you can probably say they haveall been caught at least once. The fish Lee’s Ferry —Head down to Marble Canyon andfish thistail- water in Arizona, an excellent rainbow fishery. You will need a guide andjet boat. Weber River —Between Rockport and Echo,the riveris fishing well, with small nymphssuch as Hare’s Ears, midge pupae and pheasanttails, This stretch has rainbows, browns and whitefish. “You'll smackfive whities to every trout. Most are 12 to 16 inches,” said Marty Howardat SpinnerFall fly shop in Salt Lake City. Huntington Creek — Browns are biting on small midges. “There’s a fly-onlystretch on this river that is awesome. It's well worth the drive,” Howard said. “It's fishing identical to the Middle Provo ... really good midge hatches andthere are some baetis [BWO’s]starting to show.” Pelican Lake — Plan to get over here in April, and from then on, it will just improve with the right out andfish on them. On the Middle, if you take onestep in the water you can spook the whole run.” For now,at least Goldfinch: Say Yellow To Springtime @ Continued from C-1 for March 21 in Cody and March 23 in Jackson. The strategy is part of the 1993 federal Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, which outlines conditions and requirements to remove the grizzly bog from the Endangered it. Willcox said grizzly bear habitat could be a problem because of human development and threats to Pro aaee in aon ack ofproper ite populations of grizzly bears and zoning in the plan would largemouth spawn andthebluegill really start to move. Small damsel and calbaetis nymphs [Hare's Ears] are best when they will not take poppers. Green River — Still no baetis but things are buggy with the midges. “Thefishing is fair if you can fish the little stuff,” Howard said. “Size 20s and 22s, nymphs and dries.” Not much of a change get from February fishing patterns. Warmer,post-front overcast days are better than bluebird days on the Provo and the Green. “The hatch just lasts longer,” Howard said. are so used to people you can walk ‘Sierra Club Says Federal Grizzly Plan Is Inadequate habitat — the development in counties of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, she said. “There is no acknowledgment Lower Provo — It will improve steadily and April is probably the best month of the year to fish it when the blue-winged olives take off in size 18s. Fish with midgesin the morning and blue wingsin the afternoon. It’s possible to fish dry flies all day down here. “The son. Keepthe cell phone handy and dial 911 and ask for the that can cause them to swim in ersection. That means more protein and biggertrout. “Weare seeing Green Drakes (a mayfly subspecies) and more stoneflies,” Howard said. “There have always been some stones,but before you could not fish through the hatch because of runoff.” The dam brought stable water and ended that problem. With stability came the bugs, a forage boom for trout. Harley Jackson, a 26 year-old Ephraim native, has guided on the Middle Provo for five years and helps run the new Trout Bum 2 fly shop in Park City. Hetoo has seen out-of-control fishing during a green drake meviyhshatch (a 1-inch green insect with long wings) on BYSKIP KNOWLES THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE years,” said guide Harley Jack- stays attractive. But last week’s spinal deformities in. young fish “It can be as good as any place T’ve ever seen in the West,” he said. “When green drakes come off, you get big fish Barat up for that’ big mayfly,fish 20 inches and above. managing grizzly bears y's lightweight sleeping bags. the glowing reports éf'the Middle River spread. Timetable for the Middle Provo the Middle in July. 2 JACKSON,Wyo. — The federal oneof his of GoLite, could prevent species from increasing its genetic diversity, she said. “If this ecosystem with several hundred bears remains isolated from other grizzly bear populations, then given the habitat trends, the grizzly bear will be foror at some level of risk,” she ‘The plancalls for the formation of an interagency ernen to oe cide how to bear, Willcox sal Levineox cision up to a panelis risky. “We Knowhow political these issues become,” she said. Jersey on the Atlantic and Iowa and Minnesota in between. The American Goldfinch, with its conicalbill, is predominantly a seed eater, It can be found in Utah in all seasons. Sunflower and thistle seeds are favorites and when the wild seed crops are ripe, flocks of goldfinch frequent fields and roadsides and these acrobatscling with their feet and toe nails in varying positions as they bob and sway with the dried flower heads pluck and crush the seeds, Unlike most insect foraging birds that go south, the goldfinch remainsin Utah through the frigid winter. But not even the goldfinch can hold those bright golden hues, Feathers are lifeless and subject.to wear, In autumn,like leaves falling from the trees, feather by feather, the gold flutters away and the gald vanishes as new duller feathers push theold feathers,out a the gold to dull drab brownsa1 grays. The time rapidly approaches when instinct will reign bd whether the winter has been mild and near snowless or glacial with snows deep andicy, the warblers, ofioles, kingbirds and flycatchers heed the call deep in their genes migrating north, and Utah wine another year with colorful birds, And in a predictable itor: spring, feather by feather, the American goldfinch will once turn into a gold finch. |
