Here is both a trip report and an event that many of you can get involved in. Sterling Short participated recently and sends us this special report. Our member, Dave Beerbower, will participate this coming week too. Are you searching for something to fill that “empty hole in your heart”. Most of us are! This may be the place to do it. Please read…..
FATC Brothers –
Earlier this year, I (Sterling Short) attended the Altar “Driftless” trip where I met Mike Haddorff, the founder of Christ in the Rockies (CITR). Mike reminds of Kenny in that he is so enthusiastic and tireless in his devotion to his men’s fellowship/ministry. Mike and I hit it off. I hardly knew much about CITR when I told Mike that I’d like to help as a volunteer. So, Mike asked me to join the staff as a “fishing guide,” and I countered that I’m up for anything needing done. I became a dishwashing specialist!
The CITR website provides lots of information — https://www.christintherockies.org/. There are two independent affiliates – Christ in the Smokies and Christ in the Ozarks. These affiliates organize their respective camps; CITR provides them with a framework and curriculum. CITR hosts camps in the Colorado Rocky Mountains specifically designed to engage and encourage men in their masculine
journey. I participated in “Going Inward Moving Onward” (I/O) for men age 35+.
Mike and most of his staff live in the vicinity of Ft. Collins. The Cache la Poudre River flows out of the Rockies into Ft. Collins. Just a drive from Ft. Collins through the Poudre canyon is an adventure. The I/O camp is held on private property – the “Kinikinik Ranch” is owned by David and Brenda Bliss. Great people! They make their multi-generational family ranch available to CITR as “something their grandfather would want them to do.”
Mike has been running CITR camps since 2007. Previously, he organized multi-day bike trips along the Great Divide for family and friends. Mike humbly said, “I run a good camp.” I can attest. As you can see in the photos, there are two trailers functioning as kitchen and storage, an outdoor tent for cooking, and a large “tribal” tent for fellowship, contemplation, and study. Campers and staff are accommodated in single or double tents equipped with cots and other thoughtful amenities. Mike ran an electrical contracting business. He has skills! The camp has solar power with backup from the ranch. Importantly, there is running water for the kitchen and showers. It’s not clamping, but it’s far from primitive. This camp was actually run by Rob Strouse; Mike returned home in the evening to give Rob the podium. On staff, we had two cooks – Troy and Greg (and guide) – great guys! Dan was another fishing guide / dish washer. We had five campers – Greg’s two lifelong and three guys from Georgia who connected with Mike via Christ in the Smokies. Everyone participated in the study.
Mike created all of the CITR studies. Without giving away too much, the camp study was very thoughtful. It was deeply personal and effective for me. I went “inward” on some lingering divorce wounds, and I’m truly “moving onward.”
Now, let’s get to the fishing! Mike has become an expert at Euro nymphing. Over several sessions, totaling about 5 hours, Mike taught general fly fishing and Euro nymphing. I’m new to Euro nymphing. My two main “Mike” lessons: don’t be afraid of heavier Euro nymphs in the 8-10 grain range, and use a 6x tippet – as long as 5 ft to match depth. The combination is necessary to get deep in the fast-flowing Poudre. If the flow and current does not call for this deep-running combination, the fish with less leader/tippet in the water. It took me a bit to learn this lesson. Switching from 4x to 6x tippet was a game changer.
I arrived a couple of days before the official start of camp so I also fished the Big Thompson, and we “scouted” for a couple of days to familiarize me with the Poudre and South Fork Cache la Poudre (Highway 14 to south about 3.4 miles on Pingree Park Road). Mike (me too) is a new user of the Trout Routes app. It’s really helping Mike determine the exact locations of public waters, which are intermittent along the Poudre.
The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful! First, The Bad. The Cache la Poudre is a bit challenging to fish in that the river is lined in many places with steep banks and large boulders, and large rocks and boulders are the norm in the river. As you might imagine in the Rockies and can see in photos, the river gradient is much greater than our Missouri streams. It’s physically demanding and potentially dangerous to just work along the bank and wade. I had never used a wading staff, but now, I would not be without one in a similar river. Mike and Dan are in their early 70s, and they regularly scramble in the Poudre as their home river. To be fair, there are places where wading is much easier than described, but I did not want to mislead. The Poudre also gets lots of fishing pressure, which means fishing some of the more physically challenging stretches. The Good. Fish are everywhere, and prime spots hold nicer fish! As it turns out, the Georgia campers who paired with me could fish!!! Tim and Simon are younger guys – early 30s and mid 40s, and they covered lots of water! I could not keep up. With zero help from me, they caught lots of fish – 30+/- as their best days. They drove from Georgia! They got their “mileage worth!” While most fish were under 10 inches, we caught fish up to 15 inches. Looks like there is one photo of a bigger fish. The Beautiful! The Rockies, the trout, and the souls of good men!!!
I had a great trip in many respects! Mike recognizes that FATC is a unique flyfishing fellowship, and he wants to build a relationship with us. Dave Beerbower also attended the Altar “Driftless” trip, and like me, he hit it off with Mike. Dave is attending an upcoming CITR camp for men age 50+ called “The Way of Wisdom” held near Buena Vista, CO individual accommodations in a large residence along the Arkansas River. Look for Dave’s future trip report.
In chatting with Mike, we discovered a shared appreciation for an author – Richard Rohr, a Franciscan monk who has written numerous books. Our conversation reminded me of Rohr, and I mentioned “Falling Upward.” Mike explained that Rohr has been greatly inspirational and influential. I discovered “Falling Upward” about 5 years ago. I’ve relistened twice since my CITR trip. It’s a second-half-of-life book. Rohr is conservative in faith in many respects, and he also promotes “both/and” inclusive thinking with an emphasis on love and grace. It resonates with me.
Feel free to call with questions – 314-249-8093.
Your FATC Brother in Christ, Sterling Short
