life in the woods

a friend of mine...cant remember who...showed me this a couple years ago which i saved and uncovered recently...i like it...

The Men That Don't Fit In

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.

An ode to my best buddy...

My dog is an interesting one…I think all dogs have quirks, labs more than most…and pate possibly more than most labs.

Over the past month on the road:

Pate buries his food under his bed at chad’s place when we leave him for half a day…in doing so he rubs all the skin off his nose…still bright pink three weeks later.

Since we have hit the road Pate now feels it is necessary to growl at everything that moves and some things that don’t. He is still the friendliest dog in the world but any stranger must get past the growling and barking, hair up on his back, 105 lb dog to see his fun loving side.

The last few nights pate has been going to bed in the tent on my sleeping bag at very early hours. When I tried shutting the tent so he would stay out with me he decided he would try to find a way into the tent by pushing against the door and all other sides effectively testing the perimeter like the veloci raptors in Jurassic Park.

This morning when we woke up to a steady rain, I let him out to go to the bathroom and I got out and started brushing my teeth and getting ready for the day. Pate sees its raining and decides to return to the tent. He then refuses to come back out. I lure him out and then he runs back in. Eventually I win.

He swims into the river chasing every fish he sees jump even if its a hundred yards away.

On the raft the other day near the end we finally saw some sun and he dried himself on the rocks while we fished.
Upon returning to the raft Pate decides that now that he is dry he shouldn’t have to get in the bottom of the raft where there is a little standing water. He proceeds to sit on the outer tube of the raft his ass hanging over the water, on the brink of falling in at any moment through mild whitewater and lots of bumps. Upon arriving safely at the boat ramp…he jumps out of the raft into the water anyway…

So he may be a little crazy…but I am pretty sure I know where he gets it.

On the road again...

Well, it’s the eve of my last day in Idaho fishing the Clearwater. I have been on the road for 36 days, Fishing for approx 23 of the last 25 days. Haven’t showered in 13 days…New Record! I think that will end tomorrow night? And alone for 6 since Chad had to return to Montana. At least I have my puppy, although he crawled into the tent literally 30 seconds after I staked it down tonight. Best buds forever. I must admit I am getting a little lonely and road wary at this point, although I am in good spirits. A little Sweet Japonic on the ipod is reminding me of home as type and cook ramen. Cheese and crackers is adding a high end touch to my dinner. Where is the wine? Anyway, I think the timing is about right to settle down on the coast, rest a couple days and get to business before I run out of money.
Yes it is most definitely time to leave the Clearwater. Someone stole my tent stakes and pate’s water bowl yesterday. Most likely to let me know I had overstayed my welcome at the not so campground campsite I was living at. While I was a little ticked about it, at least they were thoughtful enough to leave the tent. As well as the sleeping bag, pad, and pate’s bed that were in the tent. Or maybe they all were way too repulsive for anyone to want? Did I mention my awesome shower streak? That is kind of a little challenge I have been having with myself to see how long I can make it. Unavailability of any shower makes it a little easier. The campground I am at tonight is formally free, two weeks ago it was packed, tonight I am by my lonesome.
My time here hasn’t been without some difficulty. The previous week a rock rolled out from under right foot causing me to fall backwards down a steep slope. Sliding down rocks, ripping a 5” gash in my new waders, and banging me up a bit. When I finally got back to my feet, the combination of the wader rip, knee pain and lack of fish catching brought me into a bit of a temper frenzy that lasted a while. I calmed down upon thinking of the luck that I did not re-tear my ACL. I am 6 months on the rehab from surgery. My doctor would rip me a new one if he knew I was wading like I have been for months. The Clearwater being especially treacherous. But the knee has held up and feels strong despite some pain, good job doc.
I also cant say I have done outstandingly well fishing wise here on the Clearwater. But the fish I have caught have been very memorable. Three days ago I caught one of my largest steelhead to date. A wild female of 16+ lbs, full of piss and vinegar. And as beautiful as they come (See picture below).
Disclaimer:

I realize my writing may be a bit scatterbrained, all over the place, and lacking punctuation but I guess my style so far is the way my brain operates (all over the place). I also have no desire to edit/proofread anything, but I do apologize for the lack of organization…thanks for reading anyway J

Last day of fishing tomorrow, headed to the coast on Saturday…

So this walking man walks (James Taylor) or drives but you get the point. I should have better phone service for a few days if anyone wants to catch up....