“To many a city man
there comes a time when the great town wearies him. He hates its sights and
smells and clangor. Every duty is a task and every caller is a bore. There come
visions of green fields and far-rolling hills, of tall forests and cool,
swift-flowing streams. He yearns for the thrill of the chase, for the keen-eyed
silent stalking; or, rod in hand, he would seek that mysterious pool where the
father of all trout lurks for his lure.”-Horace Kephart, 1917 : Camping and
Woodcraft
Sometimes we need to
get away from the pace of the city, far from jobs, shops, and
luxuries. So it was that I found myself back in the woods, armed with my
homemade maple longbow in search of blacktail deer.
Unfortunately I soon realized I was unable to concentrate on the hunt. Sometimes life overwhelms you to the
point where you simply cannot escape a problem in your path. You cannot
overlook it any longer. That was this past weekend for me.
As I contemplated deeply
on the world around me, I hung up my bow and went fishing. After a few minutes
casting a trusty Rooster Tail lure, I landed two nice trout.
A short search of the
surrounding forest yielded numerous elderberries and perfectly ripe delicious
gooseberries (in the family of currents but easily three times the size).
As the fish sizzled
away on my old grill I picked young pine tips and brewed a small pot of pine
needle tea…loaded with vitamin C and delicious as well!
The meal was fantastic!
Just what the doctor ordered.
When I am in a calmer
and more grounded headspace I will return to the high country in search of big
game.
In the meantime remember to
value those closest to you, to thyne own self be true, do unto others as
they would do to you, and listen to Johnny Cash when you’re feeling blue!
Keep the old ways
alive!
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