Aspirations?

A couple days ago Paul, Bob, Linda and me guided The Porters into Soot Lake. AAAAAnd – HEAR YEA, HEAR YEA – All those parties who are interested in going to Soot lake, go next year or forever hold your rod. The road in is nearly completely grown in. When we drove in, there were a couple times I had to get out of the truck to determine if the road had ended and/or where it went! It can also be said that applicants for the trip must posses a 4 wheel drive truck with good clearance and a “who cares” attitude when it come to brush scratches on the paint. Lets put it this way Lyle Beckett’s truck will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, even deign to consider this trip. The road after the turn was “brushed in” the entire distance to the drop point and thus would require a crew of several cutters a week to clear it – NOT GONNA HAPPEN. The road does not appear to be bordering any further areas to be timbered so won’t be improved by the timber companies. And there won’t be usable timber there until the planted trees grow sufficiently, ~20+ years. It is a very strong possibility that yesterdays trip to Soot may be my last. It is a sad thing to say farewell to fantastic and beautiful pike lake – but considering that it is once again being conserved and rejuvenated by the forest protector – it is a bittersweet goodbye. Other lakes accessed by logging roads generally don’t get this second chance to become remote again. They usually go the way of Gorman – raped and ruined. Soot’s swan song to me consisted of 22 nice pike – no big ones – just up to 34 inches. Lots of action and a great day!

Now as to aspirations – I was telling Paul and Bob that as I age here at camp, I plan on amassing a vast knowledge of the remote lakes in the area. Thus by the time I am around 100 years old (I don’t wanna hear any jokes about what I will be doing after next year! Assholes!) I will be sitting in a palanquin chair pointing my knarled index finger the direction to go through the trackless bush. Thus I will get to fish remote portage lakes long after I’ll be needed to help carry the boats!

BTW – On September 10, it was a beautiful day a perfect day! In fact the only way it could be any better is if it were my birthday! – but wait it wasn’t my birthday – it was The Boat Bitch’s birthday! So it was a day nearly perfect. Happy birthday Jim!

Again!

Katrina slammed into the gulf coast destroying much in its path and causing death, suffering, human misery and environmental calamity. But New Orleans was well know as a “disaster waiting to happen” – it is ~18’ BELOW SEA LEVEL! The response to the storm and its destruction sucked (sucks) in view of this! But New Orleans will be rebuilt and rediked. This will serve as a giant wake-up call that coastal wetlands should be preserved and that cooperating with natural forces is always better than the attempt at “controlling” them. I suggested “tongue in cheek” to Janet that this is a rare opportunity – we should remove all the dikes around the city and rebuild it as “the Venice of the west.” All levity aside – In essence some good will come of this.

Another disaster of monumental proportions has struck – this disaster will not cause as horrendous short term carnage as Katrina, but it will certainly cause just as much misery and human suffering over the long term. W will now be appointing two Supreme Court justices. The sign in the international airports will read “Welcome to Neocon-land, We don’t need no stinking blue states!” I bet Carl Rove snidely grinned as he put the pillow on Renquist’s Face. No good will come of this! May random natural events intercede on our behalf!