By Kirk Deeter

Editor-at-Large Kirk Deeter and photographer Kevin Cooley set out to explore the Gila Mountains of New Mexico, where Deeter hopes to fool a rare Gila trout. The duo is joined by Chris Hunt, Greg McReynolds, and Dylan Looze of Trout Unlimited, who have made incredible efforts to save the precious habitat that supports these elusive beauties of the high-mountain brooks. What begins as a fish quest becomes an eye-opening adventure for Deeter, who is pleasantly surprised by what he finds in the outdoorsman's oasis.

By day three of our odyssey in the Gila Wilderness of southwestern New Mexico, my mind was swimming. I had caught a "life fish"...my first rare Gila trout, which are only found here. Where I expected tumbleweed and cactus, I found lush Alpine meadows, brimming with wildflowers and tall grasses. We'd seen lightning arc from black anvil clouds into the red canyon walls around us, and hiked (far) to find scarce waters that hadn't been muddied by monsoon floods. On top of that, I had seen more wild game... elk, deer, turkeys, quail, and more... than I had seen anywhere south of the Canadian border.
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