Not Fishing To the Beat of a Different Drummer

January 2, 2013 6:00am. Temperature 4 degrees.

I could go fly fish today but I still do not feel the urge. Too cold. Too dark. It is not time. And as I have said before it is not that the fishing would not be good. I get numerous reports of good fishing on the Arkansas below Pueblo and the South Platte’s tail-waters. Just the other day I ran into a fishing friend and he reported success on the Arkansas using red midges and pegged eggs. Another friend spoke of good reports from Deckers.

Just because we can keep catching fish all winter long, should we?  I choose to do other things.

I do still feel the urge to continue in some form to move into nature. I have almost a daily “need”, even a longing to be in nature. A run through the woods over snow. A run through the Garden of the Gods. Even just a short walk behind my house to pick up some kindling to start a fire seems to do me some good. And I love to cross country ski over snow that will soon melt and become our rivers. .

It is time for me to bundle up and ski a mountain. I will not ride a lift. I will put skins on my skis and hike up. It is much warmer this way. And the pace is different. I want to look around and ponder and then when I get to the top, I will ski down. One climb. One run down the mountain. That is all I need. It is certainly a different way of doing things.  It is following the beat of a different drummer that Thoreau spoke of:.

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”