A Winter Campout at Sheridan Ranch

I had the opportunity to accompany the local Boy Scout troop to the Sheridan Ranch for an overnight outing last weekend. The ranch is a 32,000+ acre operation owned by Mr. Frank VanderSloot. We were allowed to “camp” in two of the cabins that house the ranch hands during the summer.

The four foot blanket of snow left only the tops of the fence posts visible as we approached the cabins. Entering the two buildings, we discovered that the floors, counters and furniture appeared to be covered with a blanket of black peppercorns. It was a layer of dead flies! Grabbing brooms and shovels we set to work rounding up the unwelcome house guests. After removing several gallons of insect remains, we built a fire in the fireplace and set about cooking dinner.

After dining on ham and potatoes, we unrolled our beds and called it a night. Morning began with a breakfast of ham, eggs and potatoes. Drew Oakey and I were accused of snoring in harmony during the night. Jerry Tingey offered an iPhone recording as evidence. I am sure that the recording was doctored!

With full bellies, we jumped on our sleds and headed to the reservoir for some ice fishing. The surface ice was slushy so everyone drilled a hole next to their sled. Sitting on a sled was preferable to standing in ice water while waiting for a bite. It wasn’t long before the fish began accepting the impaled offerings. Most fish were caught and released but a few large trout were taken home. Rance Dye rode his sled out to the ranch for the day. He was happy to be enjoying the activities that he loves again. His day was punctuated with the landing of a nice trout.

As the interest in fishing subsided, everyone dispersed to run their sleds across the freshly fallen powder. The scouts were safety conscious and stayed on the flatter terrain while some of the adults seemed bent on seeing who could get the most stuck. Finally as the afternoon waned, the scouts and leaders cleaned up the cabins and rode their sleds back to where the plows stop at the west end of Yale-Kilgore Road. We loaded the sleds onto the waiting trailers and headed for home.

It was a great time with great boys and enjoyable adults. Scouting and Island Park go so well together. We are blessed. I’d like to thank Mr. VanderSloot and Steve Hyde, manager of the Eagle Ridge Ranch for their generosity to the scouting program.

By the way, did you know that some flies that appear dead reanimate as they get warm? It’s true. I was dive-bombed while in my sleeping bag!