The fishing brings us together.

If our annual spring trip to the mountain wasn’t planned, what chance is there that my dad, my uncle, my two sons and I would all end up in the woods together for four days? None. These trips provide us the reason to make time for one another, to detach from the rest of our lives and to come together to share something that has become pretty special in our family, building on to the traditions and establishing a new legacy.

When I was about twelve years of age, my uncle bought a pop-up camper and invited my Dad and me along. We camped in a small clearing off of a dirt road just outside of the Quehanna Wild Area with a small stream out back, and I was impressed. The simplicity of that natural experience is what has kept me looking forward to the next trip ever since.

I’ve camped in four different campers, many types of tents, and in the back of vehicles, but one thing remains the same — the focus always centers around fishing. We’re usually up early and out  late, fishing all day, and trying to find a couple hours in there to tie flies and eat something. Rarely do we  use a campground, preferring what the state calls “primitive” sites — out in the woods somewhere. But, I should mention, there’s nothing primitive about the camper my dad bought last year; and while I tend to fight against having too many luxuries while camping, there’s nothing wrong with a few amenities either.

In recent years I’ve started bringing my sons along for an overnight trip, and I can see in their eyes and their spirits that they feel the same freedom and wonder as I do in the wilderness. They long for the water, and they are content on dirt roads; and I know that they feel the deep connection that sharing the woods with family brings.

I see myself when I look at my boys, just as I see my grandfather when my Dad tells a story or when my uncle walks the trail ahead of me. I have no doubt that my grandchildren will say the same about my sons when I am gone, and I only hope to leave a solid legacy to build upon. It’s history — it’s our history, and I love it.

This is Troutbitten …..

Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com