This trip was special in a number of ways. Foremost, it was the first time that I made the time to share this type of adventure with my wife. I had put that off for far too long and I am not sure why. It meant a lot to her to get to see what it is I do when I leave her for weeks and sometimes months at a time and it meant a lot for me to get to show her some of the deeper meaning behind being in these special places. Second, being in wilderness is, unfortunately, becoming a hard thing to accomplish by the day and solitude is a very special thing. Not that we were completely alone, but just about as close to it as you can come these days and that means a lot, to get to engage nature on your own terms. Finally, this was our first fishing trip as a family. You see, we have a new fishing partner on the way, our daughter is due late January of next year. Being the moron that I am, one of the first thoughts that pops to mind is that her birthday will be a pretty decent excuse for a trip to the PNW coast for early nates, gotta get her dialed in sometime












The latter half of my life and a good chunk of it before that has been defined by adventure and this will no doubt be another one on a scale which I have probably yet to experience. I welcome it, I an excited about it, but I am scared just the same. Not so much scared of the obligation, lifestyle changes, or additional responsibility, but more fearful of the enormity of unrealized potential and the chance that I have to help a new person either succeed or fall somewhere short of success in life. That's heavy stuff man. I hope I can be at least half of the father my father was (is) and in doing so show a new life the beauty that exists around us.

I am not quite sure why, but in writing this last bit, some lyrics from an oldish (for me at least) song popped into my head.



True Reflections
When you look into a mirror
Do you like what is looking at you
Now that you have seen your true reflection, what on earth are you going to do
Find some inspiration
It’s down deep inside of you
Amend your situation
Your whole life
Is ahead of you

In this case her whole life is ahead of me, ahead of us, but she has given me a new perspective on life as well, and perhaps things are just getting started after all.

Find some inspiration and go get after it while you can.

Happy fishing.