Hey guys, its been a long time since I have blogged. Not a whole lot has changed in my life but hopefully it is about to.
When I was in my early 20’s I had a job stacking boards. I pulled boards on a green chain at a sawmill in Pablo MT. As fast as I could I would pile up heavy, wet, green boards as they flew out of the head rig. I would stack them on a rail car until it was 6 ft high or so, I’d flick on a warning light, push the rail cart out and a fork lift would come take my nifty stack and I’d start over again for 9 hours. After standing there stacking 10 million boards for a minimal wage for a few years I figured there might be more to life so I said “fuck this” I’m moving to Alaska!
Shortly after I had pretty much everything I owned in my ford truck and was ready for the 3,500 mile one way trek from Polson Montana to Fairbanks AK. Just my golden retriever Zeke and I. Yes it sounds like a country song. It was and adventure that I’ll talk about later. That was 20 some years ago and AK was awesome and now we are going back. I remember seeing my first caribou, he was running along side the truck on the Al Can high way close to White Horse Yukon. I had a topper camper and in the bed of my truck existed a cook stove, a bed, a cooler, some fly rods, a .300 win mag, a shotgun and a dis assembled honda cr 125 race bike, ( I heard rumors that there were a couple of moto cross tracks in AK).
I was young, excited, and knew no one in AK, but I could figure this crap out right?
There is no time like the present might be a cliche but it runs as deep as an underwater ocean trench.
Recent years have been tumultous. Who knows if today might be your’ last! In 2014 I started racing moto cross again after retiring in 2004. 2014 went well and I won a MT state championship and shortly after crashed practicing and broke my spine just below my cervical vertebrae. Narrowly dodging paralysis, I survived and luckily went back to work guiding fly fisherman in 2015, 16, and 17. In these last couple of years my best friend lost his son, I lost my 1st hunting and fishing buddy- my father, my wife’s father passed away, I lost an awesome uncle and aunt. We also battled through some major family issues, oh and I also broke and could have lost my leg. So maybe there is no time like Right Flipping Now to have a road trip!
I am very fortunate to be able to take people fishing for a living. I have life long dear friends that I have met through this profession. I’ve been blessed with working for wonderful, supportive people.
Any way we are selling our Missoula home and most of our worldly possessions and are headed back to AK. This is my wife’s idea really. She has never really lived any where other than Missoula and Ronan MT so she’s like why not? Any way there will be one hell of a rummage sale with fly rods, reels, flies, goose, duck, antelope, and elk decoys, game carts, drift boats, rafts, oars, anchors, tree stands, tv’s, beds, tables, dressers, guitars, dirt bikes, snow mobiles, just to name a few things that won’t all fit in a 5th wheel camper that will be our home for who knows how long.
My good friend and outfitter will keep me working for 3 to 4 months until my daughter graduates in June, then we are taking a little more then a day trip! We’re excited and afraid, kind of like something new and unknown right?
