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Thanks for your interest, get outdoors, and try something new.
-Evan
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Fishing in the Snow
iEscaped again this weekend.
To reclaim sanity I did what I do best: went fly fishing in the Canyon. I had went hiking earlier with my family along a small stream in a tight, tall walled gulch. I had inquiring thoughts about this small stream before, thinking that the larger brown trout could use it as a nursery for the fry and fingerlings. Some larger trout might even call it home. On the way out of the hike, Charlie looked over at a small pocket water pool and yelled out, "Look at all the fish!" My fate was sealed...
The next day after breakfast I set off for the small stream. As I went further into the Canyon, the "partly cloudy, calm wind" weather report became more false by the minute. A blizzard quickly blew in from the west, dark gray clouds spewed thick, heavy snowflakes by the millions upon the quiet canyon. As I pulled into the parking lot the wind was howling, snow flakes stinging my cheeks, but from over the snow pile I could see large browns swirling in the beaver ponds above the bridge. It was deathly quiet, beautifully intolerable I rigged up a large stimulator with a small midge dropper and went off up the trail below the limestone cliffs that resemble towering fortresses. At the first pool I came across, I stumbled through hip deep snow to get into the water. I tossed a few casts up stream but a stiff gust of wind quickly over powered my little three weight rod. The line got pushed into some branches and I reluctantly walked up through the pool to get it untangled, watching for darting streaks of gold from under my feet. There were a few small ones, my hopes were actualized! I stumbled back up on the bank, essentially swimming through the snow to get to the trail. Out of breath, I kept going up stream, following the snowshoe tracks that were left by passers by before me.
Its these sort of small streams, the ones that everyone over looks and that go unnoticed while in the pursuit of trout, that I love to explore. They are technical, small, with small fish that can easily outwit me. They harbor the hidden gems of centuries past, like on this stream there is an old mine shaft dug into the base of the canyon wall along the stream bank. Its the intimate feeling you get, that primeval feeling of being watched when you're all alone, the bliss of exploration in water that's maybe never seen a fly before- all these facts are what makes these experiences so meaningful.
The stream made a sharp bend in the canyon after a small incline on the trail. At the top of the incline I looked upstream, the tail snugged up against the wall and pinched the stream in between the other wall. The blizzard was getting worse, wind was picking up. The stream turned into a series of riffles and pockets, and ended up at the bottom of a twenty foot slope from the trail. "God, this is awesome!" I thought to myself. I started down the slope but the snow sucked me in. Up to my stomach in the cold white stuff, I was squirming around like a fool trying not to slide down the rest of the way on my face, more importantly not trying to spook the shadows in the pool below me. Awkwardly, amazingly, I contorted myself out of the snow cave I had apparently fallen into, slid the rest of the way on my butt and stopped before the water. As soon as my feet smashed into the snow, most of the shadows burst from the pool. "Well Shi*...Ha ha ha, God I'm so fu**ing smooth!" I sat in the snow on the bank for a long while, watching the last trout left in the shallow pocket of water. It was sitting on the far side in some slack water behind a rock, its light gold sides shimmering through the clearer than clear water, surely sizing me up as friend or foe. Snowflakes started bombarding the land once again, the wind was howling down the stream, and it was just me and the trout waiting for one of us to make the first move.
Being the smooth guy that I am, I grabbed by rod from the snow and went to make a cast, but as soon as my arm moved (like two cowboys in a duel, reaching for my pistol) the trout shot first and darted upstream into the pocket never to be found again by this angler. I had lost the tense standoff, but at the same time, I was never so happy (or lucky) to be alive. Just another day on the water, I tell people often times on my fishing outings, "Some people got it, some people don't." But what really counts at a place like this is that you try. It gives you an excuse to try again- come the next blizzard, to be humble, to forget the troubles of your busy week and learn from the little stream all that you need to know. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but fish aren't the point of fishing for me.
It took easily ten minutes to crawl back up to the trail, the slope was steeper after I plowed down a path in the snow. I prayed no one walked by to see me cussing and clambering for foot and hand holds, gaining a few feet, then sliding all the way back down to the bank. By some miracle, some inner strength I pulled myself up, got some of the snow out of my waders and walked back to my car. The blizzard hadn't stopped yet, but it just made the walk out, and the sweet defeat, that much better.
iEscaped to a small stream called iron creek. Even though I didn't hook a trout, I saw them, and they kicked my butt! I learned that I love that challenge and sometimes it pays to get a reality check- to realize that there is more to life than the goal at hand; to enjoy the experience more than obsess about fish that were way smarter than I was to begin with.
To reclaim sanity I did what I do best: went fly fishing in the Canyon. I had went hiking earlier with my family along a small stream in a tight, tall walled gulch. I had inquiring thoughts about this small stream before, thinking that the larger brown trout could use it as a nursery for the fry and fingerlings. Some larger trout might even call it home. On the way out of the hike, Charlie looked over at a small pocket water pool and yelled out, "Look at all the fish!" My fate was sealed...
The next day after breakfast I set off for the small stream. As I went further into the Canyon, the "partly cloudy, calm wind" weather report became more false by the minute. A blizzard quickly blew in from the west, dark gray clouds spewed thick, heavy snowflakes by the millions upon the quiet canyon. As I pulled into the parking lot the wind was howling, snow flakes stinging my cheeks, but from over the snow pile I could see large browns swirling in the beaver ponds above the bridge. It was deathly quiet, beautifully intolerable I rigged up a large stimulator with a small midge dropper and went off up the trail below the limestone cliffs that resemble towering fortresses. At the first pool I came across, I stumbled through hip deep snow to get into the water. I tossed a few casts up stream but a stiff gust of wind quickly over powered my little three weight rod. The line got pushed into some branches and I reluctantly walked up through the pool to get it untangled, watching for darting streaks of gold from under my feet. There were a few small ones, my hopes were actualized! I stumbled back up on the bank, essentially swimming through the snow to get to the trail. Out of breath, I kept going up stream, following the snowshoe tracks that were left by passers by before me.
Its these sort of small streams, the ones that everyone over looks and that go unnoticed while in the pursuit of trout, that I love to explore. They are technical, small, with small fish that can easily outwit me. They harbor the hidden gems of centuries past, like on this stream there is an old mine shaft dug into the base of the canyon wall along the stream bank. Its the intimate feeling you get, that primeval feeling of being watched when you're all alone, the bliss of exploration in water that's maybe never seen a fly before- all these facts are what makes these experiences so meaningful.
The stream made a sharp bend in the canyon after a small incline on the trail. At the top of the incline I looked upstream, the tail snugged up against the wall and pinched the stream in between the other wall. The blizzard was getting worse, wind was picking up. The stream turned into a series of riffles and pockets, and ended up at the bottom of a twenty foot slope from the trail. "God, this is awesome!" I thought to myself. I started down the slope but the snow sucked me in. Up to my stomach in the cold white stuff, I was squirming around like a fool trying not to slide down the rest of the way on my face, more importantly not trying to spook the shadows in the pool below me. Awkwardly, amazingly, I contorted myself out of the snow cave I had apparently fallen into, slid the rest of the way on my butt and stopped before the water. As soon as my feet smashed into the snow, most of the shadows burst from the pool. "Well Shi*...Ha ha ha, God I'm so fu**ing smooth!" I sat in the snow on the bank for a long while, watching the last trout left in the shallow pocket of water. It was sitting on the far side in some slack water behind a rock, its light gold sides shimmering through the clearer than clear water, surely sizing me up as friend or foe. Snowflakes started bombarding the land once again, the wind was howling down the stream, and it was just me and the trout waiting for one of us to make the first move.
Being the smooth guy that I am, I grabbed by rod from the snow and went to make a cast, but as soon as my arm moved (like two cowboys in a duel, reaching for my pistol) the trout shot first and darted upstream into the pocket never to be found again by this angler. I had lost the tense standoff, but at the same time, I was never so happy (or lucky) to be alive. Just another day on the water, I tell people often times on my fishing outings, "Some people got it, some people don't." But what really counts at a place like this is that you try. It gives you an excuse to try again- come the next blizzard, to be humble, to forget the troubles of your busy week and learn from the little stream all that you need to know. Maybe I'm just an optimist, but fish aren't the point of fishing for me.
It took easily ten minutes to crawl back up to the trail, the slope was steeper after I plowed down a path in the snow. I prayed no one walked by to see me cussing and clambering for foot and hand holds, gaining a few feet, then sliding all the way back down to the bank. By some miracle, some inner strength I pulled myself up, got some of the snow out of my waders and walked back to my car. The blizzard hadn't stopped yet, but it just made the walk out, and the sweet defeat, that much better.
iEscaped to a small stream called iron creek. Even though I didn't hook a trout, I saw them, and they kicked my butt! I learned that I love that challenge and sometimes it pays to get a reality check- to realize that there is more to life than the goal at hand; to enjoy the experience more than obsess about fish that were way smarter than I was to begin with.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Why? - My Research on Life
I've been doing a lot of research lately. Reading, watching, talking, thinking- true soul searching, I guess. And recently the pieces have all fallen together. One such research topic became clear when my brother threw a vast call out for the most thought provoking question someone has had, I answered it with, "Why?" The possibilities are endless, it may seem broad but a narrowed question has an answer- the broad question has many or none or one to be created, now that's thought provoking! I've been asking that a lot lately too, a lot towards how our world and daily lives operate.
You all know how much I believe in experiential education and the importance of reflection- so lets all take at least five seconds to think of a good question to ask ourselves. Something that's truly meaningful and containing the word, "Why," somewhere in it. I'll expand on my own question here to aid in reflection, but please hold onto your own. Alright, lets start!
...
Got one? Good.
My question is: What do you live for, and why?
I live for fly fishing- there's not a waking moment that its not on my mind. It connects me to the natural world and all the other dots in life like nothing else can- plus its fun to catch fish. But that is trivial, skin deep. What do I live for? Well- what do I want to do with my life- what's my personal philosophy on the "day in and day out?" Here's where a good majority of my (re)searching has come in. People are inherently here to "do something" with their lives, to fulfill a purpose. Humility and compassion are the only good things to pay and get paid with in my mind. Working for money is pointless, working for greater purpose and benefit beyond yourself is what's worth admiration- not six figures. Money is fickle and fake. I aim to live simply, humbly, in constant attention towards betterment- of myself and my society. I want to teach, teaching is an extremely challenging, inspiring, rewarding field that does "real change." A teacher does more work, for way less pay, in nine months than any lawyer will in twelve months. A teacher is constantly at the front lines of politics, family problems, mental issues and disabilities, standardized tests, piles of homework, all sorts of controversies- and then they have to go home and grade while taking care of their family... Yet they have the fate of the future in their hands. With their words and lessons, they shape how students perceive the world and help them know what they should do in it. The true heroes and saviors of this world are the ones teaching those who'll inhabit the future. Heavy stuff...scary stuff! But I love nature, I love students, I care for the future of this world we live in. What else is there to do but to teach my students how awesome nature is and how important they are, and how important everything and everyone around them is? Someone's gotta do the dirty work...
Alright, so I've narrowed what I want to do down to teaching kids about nature. I know that I want to live a simple life. I also know that I want to fly fish every chance I get. Easy- that's what I live for, right? Well we could suffice our answer there, or keep analyzing. We'll stop blabbing about me for a bit, but keep analyzing, sound good?
So there are many different ways to live these days. Ranging from "Bum" to "Billionaire," anyone can really pick their poison. Yet, I think there is a deciding factor- and that is your True Self. Not your Facebook/Twitter/Linked In profile, smart phone junk, or anything found at work, home, church, school. Your True Self, no matter how cheesy it may sound, in the words of a Dr. Palmer is "in your heart, its your soul." Its something that we know all to utterly well, so well that we can hardly even define it. I feel like truly knowing yourself is as important in finding the answer to the question, than the question is itself. Though this is also fairly paradoxical, it has merit. On matters concerning living life, you have to identify what you want to do, but along side or even before you have to know what you want, what's the point and goal of this whole ordeal? What are you living for as an end? You want to be rich beyond your wildest dreams, then pursue it. You want to be a dirt-poor bum with zero responsibility, then do it- but know the consequences with all your options! Being rich is stressful as hell, as is being poor. To live the good life or a good life- that's your call and to your own perception as well. What do you live for ends up becoming not only the ends, but the means for my question. It calls for truly knowing yourself and what will keep your passion a live. Happiness, in my mind, comes along with passion, but passion is not happiness- kind of like being friendly but not a friend- Passion is unadulterated sacrifice and commitment to what gives yourself purpose. I would suppose [good] parenting is akin to true passion, for a real world example. I know that truly being a good fishing guide, you need passion- committed months to learning the water, trial and error, good clients and bad, it rests on having passion, as does teaching and pretty much everything else out there.
What is your passion? Some may truly say, "banking," or, "law," though I'd venture few and far between really would, and its probably the same for guiding and teaching, that's why you get so many burn outs towards the two to twenty year mark. But doesn't that solidify my claim towards knowing yourself and your passion? Without those things, you're miserable, truly just "making the big bucks." I've seen it time and time again in my drift boat, once you live for the money, no amount of money, travel, or booze can save you! Therefore, I implore you, be true to yourself in your life! Use the beautiful mind that God gave you to reflect and to live how you want!
So, if you remember the question you had for yourself at the beginning, please email me it with your answer- I'd love to hear from you! More research to be revealed later, everyone- Do good until then!
You all know how much I believe in experiential education and the importance of reflection- so lets all take at least five seconds to think of a good question to ask ourselves. Something that's truly meaningful and containing the word, "Why," somewhere in it. I'll expand on my own question here to aid in reflection, but please hold onto your own. Alright, lets start!
...
Got one? Good.
My question is: What do you live for, and why?
I live for fly fishing- there's not a waking moment that its not on my mind. It connects me to the natural world and all the other dots in life like nothing else can- plus its fun to catch fish. But that is trivial, skin deep. What do I live for? Well- what do I want to do with my life- what's my personal philosophy on the "day in and day out?" Here's where a good majority of my (re)searching has come in. People are inherently here to "do something" with their lives, to fulfill a purpose. Humility and compassion are the only good things to pay and get paid with in my mind. Working for money is pointless, working for greater purpose and benefit beyond yourself is what's worth admiration- not six figures. Money is fickle and fake. I aim to live simply, humbly, in constant attention towards betterment- of myself and my society. I want to teach, teaching is an extremely challenging, inspiring, rewarding field that does "real change." A teacher does more work, for way less pay, in nine months than any lawyer will in twelve months. A teacher is constantly at the front lines of politics, family problems, mental issues and disabilities, standardized tests, piles of homework, all sorts of controversies- and then they have to go home and grade while taking care of their family... Yet they have the fate of the future in their hands. With their words and lessons, they shape how students perceive the world and help them know what they should do in it. The true heroes and saviors of this world are the ones teaching those who'll inhabit the future. Heavy stuff...scary stuff! But I love nature, I love students, I care for the future of this world we live in. What else is there to do but to teach my students how awesome nature is and how important they are, and how important everything and everyone around them is? Someone's gotta do the dirty work...
Alright, so I've narrowed what I want to do down to teaching kids about nature. I know that I want to live a simple life. I also know that I want to fly fish every chance I get. Easy- that's what I live for, right? Well we could suffice our answer there, or keep analyzing. We'll stop blabbing about me for a bit, but keep analyzing, sound good?
So there are many different ways to live these days. Ranging from "Bum" to "Billionaire," anyone can really pick their poison. Yet, I think there is a deciding factor- and that is your True Self. Not your Facebook/Twitter/Linked In profile, smart phone junk, or anything found at work, home, church, school. Your True Self, no matter how cheesy it may sound, in the words of a Dr. Palmer is "in your heart, its your soul." Its something that we know all to utterly well, so well that we can hardly even define it. I feel like truly knowing yourself is as important in finding the answer to the question, than the question is itself. Though this is also fairly paradoxical, it has merit. On matters concerning living life, you have to identify what you want to do, but along side or even before you have to know what you want, what's the point and goal of this whole ordeal? What are you living for as an end? You want to be rich beyond your wildest dreams, then pursue it. You want to be a dirt-poor bum with zero responsibility, then do it- but know the consequences with all your options! Being rich is stressful as hell, as is being poor. To live the good life or a good life- that's your call and to your own perception as well. What do you live for ends up becoming not only the ends, but the means for my question. It calls for truly knowing yourself and what will keep your passion a live. Happiness, in my mind, comes along with passion, but passion is not happiness- kind of like being friendly but not a friend- Passion is unadulterated sacrifice and commitment to what gives yourself purpose. I would suppose [good] parenting is akin to true passion, for a real world example. I know that truly being a good fishing guide, you need passion- committed months to learning the water, trial and error, good clients and bad, it rests on having passion, as does teaching and pretty much everything else out there.
What is your passion? Some may truly say, "banking," or, "law," though I'd venture few and far between really would, and its probably the same for guiding and teaching, that's why you get so many burn outs towards the two to twenty year mark. But doesn't that solidify my claim towards knowing yourself and your passion? Without those things, you're miserable, truly just "making the big bucks." I've seen it time and time again in my drift boat, once you live for the money, no amount of money, travel, or booze can save you! Therefore, I implore you, be true to yourself in your life! Use the beautiful mind that God gave you to reflect and to live how you want!
So, if you remember the question you had for yourself at the beginning, please email me it with your answer- I'd love to hear from you! More research to be revealed later, everyone- Do good until then!
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