For most of us Southern Californians who love to fish the High Sierra we rarely think about alternative traveling to the back country. We drive our packed vehicles to resorts, unload the car and find our favorite fishing holes with hopes of few other anglers to content with. What if for a few precious hours or more you could fish a pristine high country lake where you are the only angler? The brook trout are eager to taste your offerings on the fly or perhaps some other bait but best of all, the high country scenery will just enchant you with a lifetime of memories. I have travelled the back country of the Sierra but mostly on a set of younger feet. These days I cannot trek on foot to the high country but I still fondly remember the places I’ve fished, from Yosemite, June Loop, Rock Creek, Pine Valley, Bishop Basin, and places south along the Eastern Sierra.
I still want to fish the high places but without a good set of legs and too much good living on the stomach it was time to consider an alternative way to get there. There is a quiet community of folks that have resided in the Eastern Sierra for nearly a century that must have known that I’d be needing their services. I have come to find out that I’m not the only person needing them as from what I’ve been told. The people they provide service to are hikers, campers, hunters, fisherman, and in general anyone who needs stuff hauled up the mountains whether its gear or you. Their known as Packers and also referred to as Pack Outfitters. And here is where my story begins…………..
I wanted to take a day trip up to Long Lake on the John Muir trail so I did some homework and found Rainbow Pack Outfitters located high up in the South Bishop Creek Basin right next to Parcher’s Resort, serviced that area of the South Bishop Basin. Then it occurred to me that a lot of people might also like to know what was involved in doing a trip like this and a little background on how to go about booking Rainbow’s services as well as the trips they could provide me.
As luck would have it I had found out that Erza, eldest son of Ken and ShaleAnn Cluff who own Cardinal Village Resort and good friends of mine, was working the summer months as a trail Packer and guide for Rainbow Outfitters. So it started with a phone call to Erza Cluff to see if he would be able to take me and longtime friend and legendary trout fisherman Marlon Meade up the John Muir trail to Long Lake for a day of fishing. I have known Erza Cluff, well let’s just say from when he was a toddler, to the tall, lean, young man of 17 years that he is now. He’s from a family of people I respect dearly both in the way they live their lives, to the friendship they have given me over decades that I have known them. To Marlon, having Ezra guide him up the mountain is monumental. He has taught Ezra Cluff how to fish starting at the age of four. Ezra guiding him up the mountain is like the cycle of life coming full circle. Marlon couldn’t be any prouder and sees this as the next generation of Cluff’s continuing a long time tradition of life lived in the High Sierra.
Historic Rainbow Packer Outfitters was established 1924 and celebrating their 90th anniversary as the longest continuous running outfitters in the Eastern Sierra. Greg and Ruby Allen are the current owners of Rainbow Pack Outfitters since 2000. They have (4) daughters, Ashlie the oldest, twins Lindsey and Emely, and youngest daughter Maggie. This is a family business and (3) of the daughters help with the daily operation of Rainbow Pack Outfitters.
I wanted to know more about this business and decided that if Greg Allen was agreeable, that I would interview him the day before my booked trip up the mountain. Greg gave the ok for interviewing him and with camera in tow, I found myself at Rainbow Packers doorstep. Now from the first look at things one would have to say it’s rustic. From the main parking lot, you can see two large corrals and a very long horse trailer hooked up to a behemoth truck out yonder in a field surrounded by trees and high mountain scenery. Walking down from the parking lot you see several horses tied to a wooden rail with a built in feeding trough. Along a dirt road sided by shade trees and a shallow creek that is lined with beautiful native purple flowers is the tack (equipment) house, cook’s cabin, Packers sleeping quarters, and main cabin-office-dining room-kitchen. There is no electricity here. None, except a phone line that keeps Rainbow Packer Outfitters in touch with the outside world.
I walked into the main cabin-office to find Greg on the phone making arrangements for a client. Patiently waiting for him to get off the phone, I peeked around the enclosed patio-office and could see two main rooms. This building is right out of the frontier days made from log and mortar construction. Abe Lincoln somehow was in the back of my mind and I looked into the main dining room to see two VERY large Kerosene lamps sitting on a long wooden table. The dining room was the main gathering place with deer mounts, and other assorted critters adorning the walls and one black wall phone. There is a large two sided fireplace made from large stones and above the mantle were initials WK (Rainbow’s founder) arranged from smaller stones. On the opposite side of the building is the kitchen. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling by chains and it looked like anything you needed to cook for a large group of folks was there. The smell of coffee lingered in the air and I could see a big coffee pot was lightly steaming on the stove.
Greg wanted a change in life and leaving behind a sash and door mill business in La Canada, took the family to Bishop. Wife Ruby, was oncology nurse at the City of Hope back in Los Angeles, so hearing we are now the proud owners of 27 pack animals and a pack outfitting station high up in the Sierras, must have taken some adjusting to. This close knit family has embraced living in the mountain community. When asking Greg’s daughters “Do you miss having all the comforts back in L.A up here? “ Not to my surprise, they all agreed that they didn’t miss it at all since they were only toddlers when they left Los Angeles. Greg also was hoping his daughters someday take over the reign of running the family business and continuing the lifestyle they have come to know. The Allen’s also have a ranch up in Benton, north of Lee Vining where they tend their stock during the winter season. Their ranch supplies feed for their animals and pack horses/mules that have given them years of good service but no longer able to manage trail life are now retired to the ranch. Greg tells me the average service life on the trails is about 13-15 years for a pack animal.
For most Southern Californians visiting the Sierra the thought of taking the family out for a few hours or day of horseback riding is something unfamiliar to us and Rainbow Pack Outfitters tailors their services from beginner riders to novice and riding veterans. For beginner riders they offer a 45 minute trail ride to lower and upper meadows adjacent to their property. Safety is important and Greg insists on supplying equestrian approved helmets for young riders. The costs of rides is very reasonable and for a youngster, this will be the memory of a lifetime as I witnessed from the smiles on the faces of a family of four just returning from their trail ride.
Most services offered are destination oriented such as a 2 hour roundtrip trail ride to South Lake or four hour roundtrip to Long Lake. Other services and the mainstay of their business are tonnage trips in which they provide John Muir Trail hikers and backpackers a way to haul their gear to predetermined campsites along the Muir Trail. They also do resupply trips for those who are hiking for several weeks on the Muir Trail so they have fresh supplies available when they reach a new camp destination on the trail. For anyone who has hiked long periods on the Muir can attest having someone to resupply them with food and supplies is like having the home shopping network deliver to your door. It’s a valuable service for those who want to stay in the back country.
The next day I was ready for my fishing adventure up the trail to Long Lake. Marlon and I had come prepared with fishing gear, snacks and drinks for the day. Fishing gear consisted of small soft sided boxes and Jig rods. My four piece trail rod made by Eagle Claw came in a small tube and easily strapped to the back of the saddle. Ezra Cluff, our guide for the day, had prepared a horse with our fishing tackle boxes, food and drinks. As sort of a joke on Marlon, I asked Ezra to give him the biggest horse they had. His name was Clyde and he was a big horse indeed, having some Clydesdale in his family tree. Marlon didn’t take much to my joke but being a good sport, he got up on Clyde and was ready to go. Ezra and the Allen gals gave us some instructions on how to handle the horses on the trail and our adventure began.
There’s something special about being on horseback that might be explained as you have the power to control a large animal and although it has traveled the same trail countless times you’ll need to establish that “YOU” are in control of direction and speed. We became familiar with each other’s personalities while riding the first part of the trail through the meadow. As our trip gains elevation up the mountain, it became apparent to me that some aggressive reinforcement on the “WHO” was in control might be needed. Using my boot heels to the hind quarters of my ride, we advanced up the mountain. Our horses meander up the trail following lead rider Ezra, and occasionally they try to stop along the trail and munch on the abundant vegetation. Especially Clyde who for better description, “eats like a horse”. Our rides are sure footed and clump along at a steady pace upward and we found ourselves at the Boiler Cove parking lot at South Lake after about an hour’s ride. Continuing up the Muir Trail we passed many hikers. The scenery is spectacular with views of mountain foliage and open vistas are around each bend of the trail. July is a popular time of year to see a lot of hikers on the Muir trail, some just hiking for the day and others toting up heavy packs for longer stays in the back country. We greet our fellow trail mates who step aside to let our horses pass. As the morning creeps on, some light drizzle is falling on us and out comes the rain gear but even with a slick trail our horse’s sure footing doesn’t stop our progress to Long Lake which we arrive at after two hours on horseback and for Marlon and me, time to get out of the saddle and start fishing. Our guide Ezra tends to the horses while Marlon and I break out the fishing equipment and we all eat some of the prepared snacks that I had made for our trip before we go fishing.
Long Lake is tranquil to the eye and the surrounding mountain views will captivate your senses. We own this place. There are no other anglers. The three of us cast out onto the placid clear waters and before long Marlon catches a small Brook Trout. Then followed again and again with more caught. These feisty fighters are fun to catch and although small in size offer some angling fun to catch on very light gear when drags are set loose. We’re using 1/64th oz. minijigs in frog, perch and brown colors, and all Brookies are released to fight another day with exception of a few of the larger ones for our evening dinner. Occasionally, we see some hikers pass on by the trail and exchange pleasant greetings but now, the weather is turning for the worse and thunder can be heard in the distance telling us it’s time to head back down the mountain. Ezra packs our gear on the horses and we leave behind a great day fishing up in the high country. A steady drizzle of rain is falling and we continue down the trail still passing hikers both coming and going on the Muir. Soon we are back at South Lake parking lot and let our horses rest for a few minutes, an hour later we’re back home at Rainbow Pack Outfitters. I’m a little saddle sore from our adventure but not in too bad of shape for being in the saddle for 4 or so hours in some bad weather and still getting a rush on having spent the day doing something I’ve really enjoyed doing . Had I tried to hike this trip, I would never had reached Long Lake so for me riding horseback was not only a thrill but a necessity to my age and physical limitations.
On our return from the high country there were several things that were lingering on my mind as to what equipment we really needed to bring for this sort of trip on horseback. It was apparent to me that we over packed for our fishing trip. Using smaller tackle boxes that contained only the bare necessities such as hooks, split shots, mini jigs, small spinners and spoons would have been adequate for tackle. All of which may have been contained in one 5” by 6” Plano tackle box with separated compartments. Brook trout prefer nature baits such as small Dilly earthworms, crickets, and mealworms. Presentations do not need to be elaborate setups either. Using a small earthworm and split shot a foot or more above the hook can yield lots of bites. Other methods using a plastic bobber can also be fished very effectively. Using a weighted bobber (bobber with BB’s inside) can give you very long casts especially in windy conditions which you may encounter at the higher elevations. For those anglers with fly fishing in mind, the fishing can be epic with dry fly presentations or Nymphs with a strike indicator. Long Lake is a great place to practice fly fishing skills as the area is open enough to cast without worrying about your back cast getting snagged in trees and bushes. Packing lots of fishing rods is not necessary, especially since it can be challenging to find ways to pack your rods on a horse.
Keeping it simple and bringing only enough gear to get the job done will be the rule of thumb when planning your trip to the backcountry. Having a small short handled stream net might be a consideration as one of the items that may help that keeper brookie from getting away. Using a net will help aid in not dragging fish onto shore removing their slime coat and reducing their survival when releasing. Allowing fish to fight another day is good conservation especially since stocking programs are not an option for back country lakes these days.
There are several pack outfitters in the Bishop Basin offering services for local backcountry fishing and trail supply. On the North side of the Bishop Basin is the Bishop Pack Outfitters which service the trails to Grass Lake, Loch Leven, and the Paiute Pass area. They are located at North Lake. For those who have small children and looking for a short easy trail ride may want to visit Cardinal Village Resort. Brave heart Trails owned by TessAnne Moran can accommodate a trail ride from Cardinal Village Resort to the Cardinal Mine adjoining the Resort property.
It’s best to call and make a reservation when booking your trip. Pack stations can offer a wide range of information as to what you will need for your adventure to the backcountry as well as the local weather report and conditions present.
Pack Outfitters in the Sierras have been providing services to folks for nearly a century. The Bishop community is very proud of their heritage with the pack outfitters and celebrate this association every Memorial Weekend with Mule Days. Bishop becomes an equestrian showplace where the tradition and camaraderie of the local and mountain community are one. For me, this is what I love about the Sierra and hope it continues for generations to come.
Rainbow Pack Outfitters Bishop Pack Outfitters
760-873-8877
