I work hard and spend many days on the water. Over the last month (August 2014) Ron has been going just as strong if not harder than myself while chasing steelhead. These are long days. All the while he is scouting his Mule Deer and for his friends Big Horn Sheep hunts coming up later this fall. He is slowing down a little and as he does, but have no doubt, most blokes will still have trouble keeping up. No doubt, with Ron on your team, success always follows.
guy down. That smile of his got me thinking. The fun of all this -- the chase. If these fish were easy to catch, guys like Jim and Henry wouldn’t be out here.
We hike down the rocky shore with beers in hand. Jim makes it a point to scout the bigger rapids on the river, especially since this is his first season with the drift boat. Atop a giant downed tree, Jim stands staring contemplatively downriver towards the largest rapid of the day. The Oxbow.
We hike back to the boat and jump in, Jim sits down, tilts his beer back and stows the empty glass bottle. The light in the air is disappearing quickly. Henry mans the front of the boat, sliding his thighs into the brace and scouting for rocks. As Jim pulls the anchor and pushes off, we start to float downriver. Jim lines up the bow with the first rock and ferry’s just out of its reach. Quickly he throws a quick scissor stroke to point the bow in the other direction to set up his ferry for the next boulder. His strokes are powerful yet elegant, the boat swinging back and forth with what seems like ease. I can’t help but compare his strokes to his casts. Both so intentional and graceful. Jim hasn’t been rowing for long, yet his strokes are so dialed. I wonder with the same passion and drive, if my casts will come along as quickly as his strokes have.
Henry points towards a giant boulder, which Jim avoids and we’re into the last wave train. Jim brings the boat back straight, with the bow pointed at the waves. We sail up the face of the first wave and dip low into the second. The boat plows right into the center of the second wave, and water rushes over the bow and into the boat. As the water rushes in we float into the last wave and into a gentle bend. We hoot and holler, letting the relief and amazement free from our lungs. We drift into shore, hop onto the sand bar, and revel in the moment.
Unloading the boat, I grab the rod that had been mine for the day and hold it out in front of me. I realize right then that I am supremely happy. Learning any new skill will have its moments of frustration, but for this feeling, the one I have right now, it’s worth it. Jim and Henry disappear with a nod to retrieve the trailer. Alone again in the moonlight with my hand on the bow- line, I stand wondering what it will be like to feel the pull.