TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

"rw" wrote

Arlo, who normally hates to be left alone, watches us
leave the cabin with clear gratitude.


I had a friend that lived in Colorado Springs and on a visit with him we
decided to walk up Pikes Peak

Got a topo, found a "route," and took my Golden

Long story short ... we eventually ran into a high chain link fence and some
Army " keep out we kill people like you" signs and never made the top. It
was a long tiring hike to nowhere.

But, of course the Golden ( Jenny) covered several times the distance we
did, hunting the entire way for whatever Goldens think live on Pike's Peak.
For the next several days she was so sore that she never moved, not a foot,
ever. I'd pick her up a few times a day and carry her down the street to
the vacant lot. She'd "do her business" exactly where I put her down, not a
preliminary sniff anywhere else, and I'd pick her up and carry her home and
she'd stay exactly where I put her down till the next time. G

I dearly loved that dog ... probably the last of the many dozens I've owned
that I can say that about ... the pro thing changes your perspective.

I had this story on a now defunct retriever specialty web site I mantained
for a few years .... I just uploaded it to my current personal site ...
maybe you will understand it

http://www.kimshew.com/kennels/jenny.htm

Larry L wrote:

And, I've read and envy your posts about cross country sking alone, too.

I never XC ski alone. At least one of my dogs is always with me. :-) I
typically take them both in the morning, and then leave my rather
elderly Golden, Arlo, at home in the afternoon, and take my Border
Collie, who has boundless energy and wicked speed, for a hard, fast ski
in the afternoon. Arlo, who normally hates to be left alone, watches us
leave the cabin with clear gratitude.

XC skiing has something of the same appeal for me as fishing. It's an
exercise that makes getting out something more than just a walk in the
woods. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

BTW, you might try skate skiing. Instead of tracking in a straight line
you angle the skis, kind of like ice skates. And you can go fast! The
only problem is that you need a well groomed trail or hard crust.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

Mu Young Lee wrote:

Speaking of those salmon living in lakes... one big difference I noticed
between Great Lakes salmon and *real* west coast salmon is that the inland
variety tended to color up much more rapidly than the sea-run fish. Pink
salmon - even from the Pacific ocean - however seem to lose their
*freshness* much (I'm talking very much) sooner than the other species
once they hit the rivers. I don;t know if you'll be keeping too many more
of those fish after you've tasted the first few. There's always the
smoker.

Chums will actually start to darken up faster than pinks, they'll start in the
salt water. As far as I'm concerned, the smoker isn't even good enough for
chums. There is a reason they call 'em dog salmon.

Darin

rw wrote:
Larry L wrote:

Oh and one more thingG
If, after you "just continued and found a nice place to yourselves" I had
come along, alone, I'd have wondered why you were all in the same damn
area
G

Everything depends on perspective.

The picture of everyone in the boat looks pretty claustrophobic to me :-)


I fish alone at least 90% of the time, very often in wilderness. One of
the things I really like about the claves is the chance to fish with
other people for a change.


I echo the sentiment. Fishing with different people is also a good way
to learn new things. In addition to personal differences, I like there
are some regional differences.

Willi

Larry L wrote:


Not that it matters, but I've noticed this for years, and it IS getting more
and more obvious in fly fishing. I have some theories G


I think that part of it has to do with new fly fishermen learning how to
fly fish on famous, very heavily fished waters where the fishing is a
"social event."

Willi

Chas Wade wrote:

My guess is that you're a programmer. Being one, I can sympathize with
folks who manage to see another meaning in what was written.

No, I managed to cultivate this disability without any special training
whatsoever.

JR

"Larry L" wrote
I had a friend that lived in Colorado Springs and on a visit with him we
decided to walk up Pikes Peak

Don't know about the fihsing, but I watch the rodeo from there on ESPN
whenever it's on....
--
Clark Reid
http://www.dryflynz.com
Umpqua Designer Flytier

RW:
XC skiing has something of the same appeal for me as fishing.

I miss being able to XC. It was always a great way to fill a day. And
soaking in the Hot Springs Pool afterward was a real treat.

----
Stev Lenon 91B20 '68-'69
Drowning flies to Darkstar
Save a cow, eat a PETA

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/stevglo/i...age92kword.htm

"Larry L" wrote in message
...

I am a loner, and [have a great opinion of myself.....especially
compared to all the pants wetting effete latter day pantywaists I
somehow unaccountably run into in every lonely place I go to].

Well, "Everything depends on perspective", as a wise man once said.

I am not a loner.....except occasionally by happenstance. But in the
past thirty years I've gone on more solo backpacking, hitchhiking,
bicycle touring, day tripping, bird watching, hunting, and fishing
trips than I can count. Spent as much as three weeks out on
backpacking trips, and six or more bike touring or hitchhiking. A lot
of these outings were solo as much because none of my friends were
interested in participating in a particular trip as for any other
reason. It has always been tempting to think of myself as some sort
of hardy outdoor individualists or some such ****, but it's very hard
to carry it off. For you see, like Colin Fletcher (though he said it
better), every time I've found myself at the end of the road or trail,
up against the wall, the last impenetrable thicket beyond which no man
can possibly go, somebody has stepped out from the other side, calmly
dusted him or herself off, nodded a "howdee do", and continued on over
the horizon.

While it is certainly true that there are a lot of people who never
get TO, let alone off, the beaten path, there are millions of others
who routinely do **** that makes my hair stand on end. Your
observations on the multitudes of the fearful and inept you encounter
frequently enough to codify their behavior says at least as much about
your habits as theirs.

Wolfgang

"Wolfgang" wrote

While it is certainly true that there are a lot of people who never
get TO, let alone off, the beaten path, there are millions of others
who routinely do **** that makes my hair stand on end. Your
observations on the multitudes of the fearful and inept you encounter
frequently enough to codify their behavior says at least as much about
your habits as theirs.


Most certainly true .... and I "think" I recognize the anxiety in others
because I so often experience it in myself.

I'm not sure exactly what you are saying, but, for the record, I am FAR from
a "tough guy, macho dude." Especially the last few years, as my body fails
me, I find fear to be a constant obstacle to be overcome. I often fail to
fish a stretch, for instance, because I'm aware of my weak wading and weaker
knees and simply am scared. Or, I quit climbing, years ago, for the simple
reason I was too damn scared to do it anymore after a bad fall. Or, I don't
drive down the really muddy, nearly flooded out, canal levies on duck clubs
like I used to. The fear of drowning or even simply having a long, hard
walk back to help stops me. I'm a whush, always have been, don't mean to
seem to imply otherwise.

I do believe a whush is in a good position to understand "whushiness,"
however.

I may be wrong, but I think I'm as entitled to my opinions, developed from
my observations, about ( your words not mine ) "the fearful and inept"
...... as you are to your opinions about me, based, I think it fair to say,
on less actual observation. Neither of us really harms anyone with our
ramblings, so why not ramble?

I think there is a good chance we are both more wrong than we wish to think,
and right more than the other wants to admit.