Saturday, September 21, 2013

1,000 miles of memories

It has been a busy past ten days for me and, after more than 1,000 miles behind the windshield of my truck, I have come to two conclusions. First, fall is here and second, there are some very special people in this world.

I pointed my truck east late last week and headed to Lower Michigan to plug my new adventure and to do some fishing. I turned off the key in a small harbor town on Lake Michigan where I had the pleasure of joining a group of guys for their annual “Pink Salmon” outing. (They no longer fish pink salmon but the name stuck and you don’t mess with tradition.) Letting a new guy into a long-established get together is always risky, especially when the chemistry is already perfect, but Randy, Dave, Bill and Tom welcomed me into the fold with open arms. Over the next three days, they fed me, tied some of their favorite flies for me, and took me to their secret spots in a nearby state forest where I heard a true sign of fall, bugling elk (a sound I had not heard since a backpacking trip to Yellowstone in 1998).


I returned to the U.P. to low temperatures in the 20s, geese flying overhead as they made their way south, snow fence being installed and with just enough time to fish a few streams in advance of a trip with my client, Sue. Pictured above with one of the many brook trout she caught, this one a 13 incher, Sue is an accomplished fly angler, a true world traveler, and a great person to spend two days on the water with. Having visited more than 100 countries (including time in a base camp high upon Mt. Everest), the week flew by quickly as she recalled stories that brought a smile to your face one moment and put a lump in your throat the next. Add to that the yellows and reds of the changing leaves and the equally brilliant hues of fall brook trout decked out in their spawning attire and I ended the ten days with memories to last me well into the upcoming winter months. Thanks to all these special people for sharing their time with me.

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