There were chum weaving in and out, up and down off the far bank. Large rainbows and Dolly Varden would be in the mix, gorging and trying to avoid being gored. Twice a frantic jerk yanked the mouse away from a crazed male chum. Hooking 30 lbs of spawning chum lost it's allure in 2010. The third cast put Mr. Hanky skating and gurgling a few inches above the rhythmic chaos. A male chum rose and gulped air directly above the mouse, before it submerged, another large head rose and came over the back of the chum, just above it's dorsal. In my mind it was another chum, but my hands didn't move, the mouse disappeared and my hands pulled the line taught and raised the rod up and away. There was no explosion, just weight and movement. In my mind I'd hooked a flipping chum, but my eyes saw orange and black and my hands pulled on the fish as it swam away from the fray and went into the typical head shakes and heavy pulls of a big trout. My hands remember the girth of the buck Dolly, my eyes remember it's nose stretching to the big eye on the rod as I "measured it" and my mind remembers thinking, although this is probably the biggest trout I've ever caught, I don't know where the camera is and I've got a hundred pics of big dolly's laying on a gravel bar, I'm living in the moment, I will never forget this fish. Man I wish I had a picture of that buck right now!
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Water Colored Memories
Saturday, June 24, 2017
T-minus 24 days- get with the program!
Sunday June 25:
Inspect fishing gear:
Fly lines (evaluate sink tip for 6 wt, long cast for 5wt, sink tip for 8 wt)
Reels lubed, lines cleaned and wound
Make sure have enough Flourocarbon leader material (15-20 lb)
Load dollies in the Sushi Roll and mice in a box
Inspect waders
Change boot soles to studds
Get the camera from Noelle and make sure batteries are working, buy new if needed.
Make secret IK upgrade
Review Gear list and update (read journal, last 2 years packing list)
- Paracord for anchor
Monday June 26th:
Order flies (7 small dollies, 2 waking wounded, 1 other mouse)
buy NRS Straps (3x18" for rod caddie, 4x24" for stowing)
Find a heavy duty mesh bag for anchor rocks
demo the walkies
Tuesday June 27th:
Pre stage
Stack gear and clothes on staging table
Make final clothes decisions
Review toiletries and meds, refresh as needed
Update list
Friday/ Saturday/ Sunday June 28-30th
Final Stage
Prepack, make sure everything fits
unpack and let it sit there for a week
Buy license ( print and stow)
Monday July 3rd
Morgan and Cole come in
Tuesday July 4th
Golf carts and flags at Lake Lure (repeat every 15 minutes "I'll be on Nayorrunrun in 2 weeks)
Wednesday July 5th
Work
Thursday July 6th
Morgan to Columbia Temple (try not to cry)
Friday July 7th
To the lake house
Christian and friends come in
Saturday July 8th
Lake Lure (loved the 4th rednecks so much WE'RE BACK)
Sunday July 9th
Church in ForestCity
Monday, Tuesday July 10- 11th
JB and Maree Leave???? (SCHEDULE FINAL TALK BEFORE YOU LEAVE)
Work
Wednesday July 12th
Drive to DC
Thursday July 13th
Sealing in DC and drive home
Friday July 14th
Work in the AM
Prep for reception in the PM
Saturday July 15th
Finish reception prep in the AM
PM reception (daddy dance goes viral on youtube- cause I'm a bad man)
Sunday July 16th
Final gear review and
Monday July 17th
Work
BOC Meeting that night
Tuesday July 18th
AM Work
Kiss the missus goodbye
Leave for SLC at 8pm
sleep with honda and marcee
Wednesday July 19th-
6:28 Leave SLC to Portland
Portland to ANC
ANC to DILLY
Arrive in Dilly on 3pm AA Jet, Hop a 150 or 205 to the pond!!!
Monday, March 20, 2017
Brighton and Southern Utah 3/16-19 2017
Quick summary of the trip... Travis and I skied and boarded at brighton per handos recolmendation Thursday 3/16. Warm day with icy but groomed conditions in the morning giving way to more slushy conditions but still good conditions, no crowd spent most the day off snake Creek lift and enjoyed the run Thor. Great little resort.... legs were smoked after 5 hours non stop and we headed back (20 min) to hondos office. Jb was already at the mules house when we got there. Changed out tires on the trailer, loaded up bikes and gear, jb had Katie and Dixon. None of mules kids could make it. Rolled out about 5 or so. Met Morgan, Cole and Christian at Cafe rio in Orem. After the requisite stuffing headed on down to St George, arriving about 10pm to Mike's place. Mike the most gracious host and great for me to see his condo 85% finished and hinshaw realizing the vision he first aspired to on the inaugural Kash trip on 2008. Was a wonderful subtext to have ncaa tourney rolling in the background. Good filler for the evening gaps.
Slept in on Friday but eventually stirred and headed out to bear claw poppy, a convenient 10 min bike from the condo. I rode marees bike definately small but adequate. Katie was bring up the rear on the gradual ascent, wondering why it was so hard after a semester of tough weight training with the football coach, I may later did jb discover her front break was rubbing. As we made the cross over via a mildly technical wash, Dixon was plagued with the first of two flats. Hondo took the pause as op to launch his latest gadget, the drone. The whoop de Doos going down were great but we slowed up do you a second flat tire. Eventually we all rendezvoused and instead of looping it again, gave in t ok hunger and headed back for lunch about 1230.
After lunch we headed to green Valley gap for rock climbing. We strung up ropes at the same route wed climbed a few years ago. The temp was unseasonably warm so after we each climbed we opted for two routes in the shade both with chimney qualities, one tighter the hand the other. The sun was setting as I nervously performed my first clean out with jb having exited the gap and sitting on top walking me through it, hondo on belay. The "kid napper" crept back over the ruddy road and soon we were munching tacos and burritos (but no frijoles) at the favorite dirt bag haunt, coyotes.
Christian and Morgan rolled in about 9pm as we were back at Mike's and we dozed (at least I did) while watching games.
Saturday morning we aspired to start earlier, but red Rock bikes didn't open till 9 so hondo and I ran out at 845 and for $75 I rented a nice full suspension bike, very glad we hand brought bikes for everyone else. Finally on the road, we made out way toward Zion and wire Mesa loop, a 7 mile loop I and researched on the mtb project app from 1230 to 230 of my sleepless night (who knew psuedafed keeps you awake, oh ya, jb).. I chose it due to being shorter than the Mesa ride And it's mix of tech and flow portions... AND the nice bail out option of a dirt road intersecting the midway point. Jb and remembered the road to be very rough if we went in from one direction and the mtb app confirmed that. Unfortunately we chose the wrong direction and we're confronted with an impossible climb just a few miles after the pavement ended. Undaunted we saddled and locationed up and walked out bikes a Mike up the steep terrain then to a nice easy role to the trail head. Found out at the TH the road is graveled the other direction. We headed west? (To the right of facing TH) where we were told the more tech portion was along the edge of the Mesa and an easier climb before the Sandy rolling portion. Wasn't long before we realized several in out party were going to be able to navigate the Rockier portions, greatly slowing the pace, but they seemed to maintain good attitudes, even as Christian took a spill delivering shoulder rash like Katie's from the day before. The drone was launched and eventually we made to the halfway point. The climb up marked the end of the more technical section and all enjoyed the smooth Sandy roll down to the mid point. Here we took stock and decided jb and hondo would carry on and I'd lead the rest back to the bisecting road which wed missed. I figured it be an easy Ride which it was, dumping us back at the TH in 13 minutes, but I was concerned they'd not find the road which did take a bit of Bushwacking to locate. Very happy to have the mtb app for Intel and knowing where you are on the train, great gps, trail map combo.
Due to slow ride and longer drive, we're back at condo after 5. Jbs crew headed out to green valley so Reagan and Noah could climb. Katie want shopping with Mike for BBQ supplies. Typical Mike, it was a feast and we had a gourmet burgers, fruit and chip feast, joined by his golfing buddy and former nfl player Halbert and his son. Ball games and food after a day of biking and sun we watched snow cranes glide over the 9th hole while (I know, I know, I sound like flipping Rutherford).
Sunday Christian and I went to church, hearing a very odd home coming talk. We headed up to snow canyon and climbed down the lava tube. I was wishing we had time to climb as the park (cast $6 to enter) seemed to boast several long 5.8 or 5.9 routes. But time didn't allow. We headed back to Mike's at 1:15. Cleaned up and headed to kannaraville falls. Wouldn't be a bad little jaunt if there weren't 75 or more people with the same idea. Travis, Morgan and Christian had gone on ahead to afford time and we met them coming out as we went in. Once the canyon closed and the only way forward was on the water you realized how cold that water was. We made it to the falls and standing on rocks to get feet out of the water watched for several minutes as hoards came down the latter, finally deciding to abort.
Stopped in ceader city eating panda wok as we watched unc come back and bear Arkansas on jbs phone. Stopped again in sypio (DQ was closed again!) For fuel and snacks, watched south Carolina thump duke and with the typical ribbing, joking and political discoursing I was dropped off in Orem at Christians house (Travis having ridden with the girls) and the "summer of George" had official begun.
(Written on the plane back to nc)... What's next?!?!
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Blood in the Snow
Bleeding feels good when it snows.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Of Obsession and Lists
Let’s leave the obsession discussion and just dissect what is going on… In my life of 100 things to do on multiple to-do lists and constant planning, evaluating, judging, discussing, deciding- I seem to always be looking forward, looking to the next thing on the list. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just modern life- responsibility. Only in wilderness are there moments, minutes, hours and maybe even days where all my thoughts, feelings, and intentions are focuses only on that moment. Time stands still- there is nothing else in the world, just this place and this moment. I become attuned to details- the color and texture of the rocks, the layers of current around me, the simple tools of my trade, birds, insects, specs of transparent string, the texture of dry rabbit fur. So much of my life seems to be inside my mind, living in my thoughts except here, where my mind turns inside out and the outside world permeates all thought. All of the world around me is totally oblivious to my presence. Except for a few landed trout and the occasional intrigued bear, I am irrelevant. This has been here for a million lifetimes and will be here millennia after I’m gone. I am temporary. All around me is permanent. This truth is peace.
So I tell people I am going fishing in Alaska and they think of tricking a fish to bite a hook so you can eat it or take a photo with it, brag about your skill and mastery over it etc. Which is not even in the same universe as what I mean. Experiencing an ancient natural process- standing in the middle of it- seeing its beauty, pondering its integrated complexity, smelling its finality, hearing its brutality in the distant scream of a cub, and holding its magnificent power with your cold wet hands- even for just a moment- knowing you’ve paid the price to slightly comprehend Gods creation- eliciting reverence, humility… joy. Last week I did have a conversation with a friend who also loves the wild and as we talked about my trip- we communicated on that deeper level that comes when you’ve gone into the wilderness enough that it has gone into you.
Another friend was surprised that this would be my 9th pilgrimage. “Don’t you want to go to some other awesome place and catch other exotic fish?” I thought about that for a minute, “Ya, I suppose I do-“ and then I gave him the “rationale” for why I’m going back to the same river basin; cost, have it figured out, world class fishery…. But really I’m developing a deep connection with this particular place, the familiarity is both comforting and enriching. To not go starts to feel like a betrayal. This wilderness has given me so much, how can I leave her for even just one summer? Yes, I do want to cast to other species in other places- but that seems like it might lead to a list.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Returning to the River of No Return
Coxy
Hole Journal Entry
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