Thank You

[Driftless]

 

Many folks have a list they write.  Things they want to do before they die list basically.  The lists vary greatly.  Some things on people's lists are too out there and unattainable. Some are too short sighted and not really challenging. The one common theme to all  the lists is dreaming. Don't wait until near the end of your life to start marking off the items on the list.
 

I put things on my bucket list as I experience them. I have no idea what they are until I actually do them.  These things need to make me feel alive and appreciative of what I have lived and what I have to look forward to.

The movie the Bucket List had the wrong idea.  The two friends in the movie waited too long to go out and experience life and truly live it.  They began their quests when both were diagnosed with a terminal disease. 

About twenty years ago I was asked by an acquaintance to go trout fishing opening day.  As the date neared the weather forecast looked atrocious. It called for eight to twelve inches.  I contemplated calling off the outing.  The guy was driving all the way from Chicago in the the snow storm so who was I to cancel if he wanted to still go.

I met up near my home and we both took our vehicles to fish.  The rural roads had not been plowed and we were the first fools to barrel through the eight inches already on the ground.  I had a SUV so I went first and blazed the trail.  He had a all wheel drive Subaru Wagon.

We got to our first destination.  It took us twice as long to get there as I planned.  I geared up and layered up.  There was no wind.  The snow was falling in large flakes directly to the ground. The snow fall made no sound and drown out all other sounds and senses. Everything in life slowed down.  It seemed like I was watching a movie with me in it in slow motion.

We placed ourselves on each side of a large beaver dam.  We methodically fished the beaver dam for a couple hours. The snow continued to fall.  Snow built up on the bill of my cap.  My glasses fogged up often and I needed to clean them off.  The snow went down the back of my neck.  The snow felt good on my face and as it melted and went down the back of my coat.  My shoulders were covered with snow. My senses were hyperactive and I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this outing. It made me feel alive and appreciate life more.

Most people hate snow but the feeling that day was quite the opposite. Words can not describe the day properly.  We walked back to the vehicles and decided we had fished enough.  Four more inches had fallen while we fished and he had to return to Chicago.  We had both caught lots of trout but that really didn't matter that day.

I took off all of my wet gear and jumped into the front seat of my vehicle.  I typically write in a fishing log book right away in the car so I won't forget names, numbers and conditions of the outing.  I have kept log books for thirty-five years. I sat there for a minute with a huge smile on my face.  I wrote one thing in the book for the day.  Bucket List.


My fishing partner snapped a couple photos of me as we fished. I have fished with many anglers through the years.  The day was so special and believe it or not I can not remember who I fished with that day and took this photo of me.  All I can say is thank you.

[carp master]

Great read. I only got out once this season, but I think about that day quite a bit. Trout fishing does something to a person, it fuels an a fire from within that cannot be explained by our language. 

[redneckdan]

I gave up trying to plan fishing trips. I have a buddy at work who plans every thing, right down to how long he will fish what spots with which baits. He plans the fishing and fishes the plan. He pulls in pretty good numbers. I've never been that bad, but I used to meal plan and try to determine what days to spend in which area. Always was a rush to get there, a rush to rig up, a rush to try somewhere else.

I started keeping a travel rod on my motorcycle. If the mood struck me I went for a couple casts on the way home from work, no planning, just be in the moment.

This morphed into keeping the boat hooked up to the truck all summer, I Barry drove it anyway. No more 'let's plan to go fishing Saturday from 8 to noon', we need to get everything backed this week. Now it was, 'hey I got 2 hours free before dinner, let's go fishing'!

This spring I worked a 15 week long maintenance outage. Back to back 16s for 105 days straight. My car died during that time frame, I rode my motorcycle to work in snow storms. It was a battle to survive, by the end of June I was burnt out, totally smoked. I bought a jeep on July 2nd. The 6th we brought the mill back on line. I was sitting in my office staring off into space. My boss comes in and asks if I am okay. I said I think I need to go fishing. He asks how long I will be gone, I said 'I don't know, maybe august, probably before snow flies'. He asks where I am going, I said 'i dont know, west probably, I'll just drive until I get tired and figure it out in the morning'. My plans everything coworker said I was insane.

I left the range that after noon. I stopped at home to throw in what I thought I needed to survive a month on the road. I drove until I got tired, I woke up the next morning parked along a cow pasture on US 212 west of water town. I decided to head for the blacks hills. In the next weeks WY, UT, ID, MT followed. I slept when I was tired, I ate when I was hungry and fished where it was wet.

 

I had the time of my life.