The lake that wasn't ( at least for me)

 All summer I have been trying to get up to Shoal Pond to fish for wild brook trout. Both Shoal and Ethan Pond ( a two mile hike away) are managed as wild trout fisheries. They are in the Pemi Wilderness in the White Mountains. The trout are completely wild they are not stocked as either adults or fingerlings. All year I have wanted to fish in Shoal Pond. I wanted to fish Shoal more than Ethan because it is less crowded. Ethan has an AMC tentsite on the lake. Shoal is completely wild. Fishing these two little ponds has been at the top of my " TO DO " list for over a year

Unfortunately timing and conditions made it impossible to fullfill my dream of fishing for wild trout in the Pemi Wilderness. One time we planned on a three day in New Hampshire, everything was packed but we couldn't go due to circumstances that came up last minute.

Last time we went up in late August, fishing Shoal was our main goal. However on the way up Interstate 93, DJ got a fever. We kept it under control on our trip, but we decided not to venture far from the car. So going to Shoal and Ethan were out of the question.

Now even if I get another chance to go to New Hampshire this year, I can't fish the pond anyway. The season closes on wild trout ponds on Labor Day.  The season closes to protect the little wild trout while they are in spawning mode.

So I will have to wait until next year. Do these ponds really exist? For me they are more like a mirage. It seems like every time I think I'm going to get to them, something comes up.

Lets hope next year, I get my chance