If I take a moment to look back over the last 6 months and ask myself if I would have done anything differently, I can honestly say I wouldn’t change a thing. How often do we get to say that in our lives?

I have been asked if I could describe my favorite river, favorite guide, best story, best fish, etc. and I must say that each experience has had tremendous value. If I was forced into a corner I would have to say the following:

Favorite River – The Strawberry in Utah. This comes as a total surprise to me and everyone else who knows Rocky Mountain rivers well. The days I spent on this river were picture perfect mountain days. The fish were enormous and challenging but catchable. I was off the beaten path, dry fly fishing and felt totally in tune with my environment.

Favorite Guide – This is a really tough question because all people we encounter have special qualities. If I had to choose one, I would say Ryan Newman who guided me while filming for the World Fishing Network. Ryan really seemed like he loved what he was doing – genuinely interested in taking care of the client, knowing his stuff and fun to be with.

Best Float – Floating Cardiac Canyon on the Henry’s Fork takes the prize. The  salmon flies buzzed our ears and climbed down the collars of our shirts. Watching a trout come up to take our imitation was exhilarating. We pretty much had this section of the river to ourselves and our guide, Derek Hutton, was a skilled oarsmen and incredible professional.

Best Story – Although the story has not played out yet, I would have to say the crazy week last week at the Rio Grande with getting evacuated due to forest fires and having my computer fall out of my car although not discovering that until I got home. The fact that someone turned it in to the police along with my other technology stuff was remarkable.

Best Fish – My rainbow on the Yampa has to be my best fish. Although it wasn’t the most colorful, it was the hugest fish I’ve ever seen and it didn’t even give me a huge fight. The whole day surrounding the hook of this fish was exciting – snowing like crazy, riding a snowmobile to our destination, catching 6 or so fish bigger than 18 inches. Yep, that was a special day.

I ran across this quote from Albert Camus the other day and it goes something like this – ” Men and Women must live and create. Live life to the point of tears.”  I’m crying.

+: Beautiful Pine River with big fish

Δ: Hooked several, but only landed one

On our way over to the couple miles of river below the Vallecito Reservoir that are privately owned, Corky spoke excitedly about “the boys” in this water. Although it’s more technical fishing, the challenge is worth it especially when you catch a fish like the one in this photo. I can’t claim credit for catching this fish, but it sure was a beauty to behold. Thanks for providing the opportunity to fish this gorgeous spot Corky and Duranglers.

In some ways anonymity inspires courage. You find strength in your independence and ability to manage life on your own. Perhaps this conceived courage is due to familiarity. I started visiting NYC at a young age and always feel energized when I visit.

I now find myself traipsing through remote areas that house bear and mountain lions, but I can’t say I feel courageous. There is always a tug in the back of my mind that goes over the possible scene if I encounter a wild animal – like a bear. Will I throw my arms up in the air and yell to put off the bear, will I run like hell, or will I curl up in a ball and be submissive? Most of the time we are best off to back off as quietly as possible because the bear doesn’t really want to have anything to do with us since we are not prey. With mountain lions, it’s a different story. Read The Beast in the Garden if you want a really great book about mountain lions and humans.

At both the Strawberry River in Utah and earlier this week at a tributary of the Dolores in Colorado I found myself in spots where bear and mountain lions roam freely. I did feel anonymous in the sense that I am certainly not recognizable by the environment in which I found myself, but I didn’t feel anonymous in the sense of lacking individuality. I felt courageous that I had put aside my fears and hiked into the wilderness on my hunt for brook trout.

I didn’t grow up out in the woods so perhaps I would have been more courageous if I had, but I’m grateful to be so comfortable in cities and am working hard at achieving this same level of comfort in the mountains.

In addition to just enjoying the heck out of my journey, I do want to try and market myself so when my book is published – early next May – I will have an audience. Susan and her husband Jeff worked on signage for my camper and car that make me a driving advertisement for my 52 Rivers journey. Really appreciate the work you did during a very busy time for you.

I’d rather have flowers on my table than diamonds on my fingers.

+: Animas Forks Ghost Town

Δ: 450 people lived here in 1883.

After fishing the Dolores near Telluride, I headed over to Creede, CO to float the Rio Grande. I didn’t have time to write up my second post on my Telluride week, but figured I would get to that after the Creede trip.

Traveling over Wolf Creek Pass to South Fork, I was disheartened by a forest that has been totally decimated by the Pine Bark Beetle; it was difficult to find a single tree alive. From the west side of the pass you could see smoke rising above the peaks but the sky was still blue and the air free of any smell of smoke. As I reached the summit, a rapid change in air quality and visibility occurred and I knew that it would not be long before this whole pass was on fire.

 In fact, that happened the next day when I was floating down the river. My photographs will tell that story, but I don’t have access to those yet because of the rest of the story. I will tell the story of the float with photographs next week.

The rest of the story is that I was evacuated from my cabin after my day on the river and headed north to Creede to watch the fire at a distance of 15-20 miles. That may seem like a distance but with a timber dry forest and high winds, no one knew if either South Fork or Creede would be overtaken.

I had to find a different route back to Durango and decided to try a backcountry road that would make my Jeep earn its keep – Engineer Pass. A bit too hastily I threw my stuff into the back and headed off. The photo opportunities cried out to me and I stopped the car every few miles to take some other amazing shot. Although the trip took longer than expected and had some rather dicey turns, I found myself back in Durango and west of the fires.

When I went to look for my computer to write up my adventure, I couldn’t find it along with   my notebooks, my Kindle, my Hotspot… etc. After searching everywhere, it became obvious that either it had been stolen or had fallen out of the car. The latter seemed ridiculous. On the other hand I could only remember a couple short moments when the car hadn’t been locked. How do I deal with the loss of my computer with six months of writing and photographs saved? I tried to keep a perspective – I did have a recent backup and compared to my fellow Coloradans who have lost their entire home, this was nothing.

I would love to make this more dramatic, but since it’s a blog post and not a chapter in my book, I will cut to the chase and reveal that the computer did, in fact, fall out of my car, and someone turned it in to the Lake City police. So, on my travels next week I will stop by and get the name of this kind person who has once again restored my faith in humanity.

So much more to tell. I can’t wait to get my computer to do that.

+: Floated the Rio Grande

Δ: Surreal with Smoke

Fishing is challenging, mysterious, and thrilling, all at the same time. When I think of where I would like to spend the rest of my life, I can’t imagine it not being nearby a river. As a sport, it is rather contemplative as opposed to competitive, although there is certainly a competitive aspect if that’s what you’re searching for.

On my first day in Telluride fishing the Dolores River above McPhee Reservoir the fishing was certainly challenging. The flow was extremely low and even in the spots where you would expect to see a fish, there just weren’t any there. One of the issues with this river is that there is no catch and release policy and that is certainly having an effect on the fishery.

The mystery in fly-fishing is trying to figure out not only where the fish hang out, but what it is that they are eating. It’s so much fun pretending that I’m a biologist with my seine capturing insects and trying to interpret what is actually floating down the river at that particular point in time.

The thrill is when everything that you’ve studied and put to work comes together and you feel that tug on your line in a moment of complete surprise. You gently bring this beautiful creature to the river bank, gently hold it and release it back into its home.

Yes, challenging, mysterious and thrilling.