Writing is such a personal thing. I have had people tell me that I have skills as a technical writer, a novelist, and even a self-help columnist, but here I am, actually becoming a kind of travel/sports writer. In the end my joy is that I am taking the time to write. That is not to say I have never written before – I have a large file drawer full of journals and attempts at novels that I may still make something out of at some point. And now, thanks to the Internet, we all now have the opportunity to be writers. And as always, there’s the good and bad in that.

Even with those authors that have found their books on bestseller lists, the reality is that some people have related to their books and some have not. I will find out if I have an audience or not. In the end, I’m just excited to be writing about this adventure that will take me to 52 rivers in seven states.

As many have said before me, time is the real gift – time to pursue one’s dreams, share one’s thoughts and create a community of folks who can relate to each other. So the plan is to write everyday and put all that I can into this. As with anything you do a lot, it may become too much of a good thing. I have approached my previous work life in the same way – always putting everything I can into it. I compare it to eating a lot of white chocolate every day – a really good thing can get very sickening. For now though, I’ll stock up on the white chocolate.

I have been pulled away from the present by a force even more powerful than the one that has kept me as a librarian for the majority of my life. For the next 14 months, I will be planning and then visiting 52 rivers in the Rocky Mountains – one a week starting in January 2013 to learn as much as I can about being on my own as a woman and an angler – a fly-fisher woman. I will learn how to read a river, identify the insect life, assemble a rod, figure out what kind of line to use, what kind of fly to “match the hatch”, what kind of knots to use, what kind of cast I should make, how to do a perfect drift, how to… Yes, I will be doing all that, but I will be doing so much more.

I will pay attention to the world of nature – to the wildlife, to the plants, to the birds – to the weather – the cold and the hot, the wind and the calm. I will learn how to be with myself for long periods of time and to be dedicated to the process of sharing my story with others through this blog and eventually in a book. Unlike most writing about fly fishing, this will not be from the perspective of an expert. Here I will share my experiences and knowledge learned, and I will ask you to share your adventures, passions, inspirations. This is my year of the unknown.  I hope that you will share your reactions and insights.

rising up from the River.

Tears fall due to the

beauty and complexity.

Birds squawking at me…

disturbed by my intrusion.

Δ: There’s 13 feet of living space… eek!

Meet David Willis. David is the first river guide I want to highlight in this adventure, which will be starting oh so soon.  At the recent Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) conference in Keystone, CO, David participated in CAL’s silent auction by offering one lucky person a full day guided trip on a river along with a number of other goodies like John Gierach’s Trout Bum. All proceeds from the auction go to CAL’s scholarship fund. There was no way I was going to be outbid for this amazing opportunity especially because David is as passionate about fishing as I am plus he works with librarians in his connection with Emporia State and their MLIS program. Librarians and fishing… who ever knew?

David’s home waters are the Yampa near Steamboat Springs and we have a date when I pull in that part of Colorado in early April. It’s an interesting time of the year – early April. As David says, “The Yampa is usually awesome that time of year.  It’s usually still before runoff truly begins, but it’s warming up, the days are longer, the rainbows are spawning up soda creek and fish creek, and the bite is on after a long winter.” David has a website of his own  at spinnerfallanglers.com with some great photos – some of which I borrowed for 52Rivers.