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Passing the Torch and the Fishing Rod
By Bill Arthur
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of fishing and the outdoors. I remember both my mother and father taking me fishing with them when I was small enough for them to carry me on their backs, wading trout streams in Northwest Montana. They would place me on a gravel bar where I could fish easy water, while they worked the current and fished the bigger holes.
As I grew a bit older I remember my mom holding my hand while I waded - step by step - with her breaking the current above me as we worked back and forth across streams, over log jams.
The most beloved places of my youth were Graves Creek and Wolf Creek. They instilled in me a life-long love affair for the outdoors-- fishing, camping, hunting, and all things wild.
It is those early memories of being taught to fish, and the time taken to help me learn to fish from my parents, that come to me virtually every time I go fishing with either my own son and daughter. I took both of our kids camping, hiking, berry-picking and fishing as they grew up.
My daughter Kathleen fished for many years, and will still go with Dad from time to time, but has become more involved in her late 20's with mountain climbing, backpacking, and snowboarding. But my early times in the woods and rivers with her have embedded a deep love for the outdoors in her, and all that goes with it. She has enthusiastically introduced her husband to these family pursuits, and I imagine her own children one day.
She still loves to go rafting with her "little" brother, who has adopted a lifestyle built around rivers. His early fishing experiences evolved from trout to the salmon and steelhead of bigger rivers. A trip four years ago to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the Kongakut River inspired his deep love for all things rivers-- whitewater rafting and fishing. In fact, this is his third season of being a whitewater river guide.
A couple of years ago Jonathan and I did a steelhead trip on the Methow River in the shadows of the east slope of the Cascade Mountains. It was a beautiful fall day, with crisp morning air, and a light fog that lifted as the sun burnt through the morning mists. Just being on the river together and enjoying the scenery and wading the cold waters was a delight. Watching him enjoy the beauty of the area, the deer, elk and eagles we saw as we fished that day warmed my heart and brought back all my early childhood memories.
The steelhead we caught were icing on the cake – and the two hatchery ones we kept were dinner on the table when we got home the next day.
I take pride in the fact that both my kids get joy and renewal from fishing and being on the rivers and in our mountains and wildlands. That they are part of a tradition handed down from our founding fathers.
To me there is sense of a deep kindred spirit for all those who enjoy the outdoors whether fishing, hunting, hiking, wildlife watching or simply reveling in the solitude provided by our mountains and rivers. It is a heritage that I am proud to have had passed on to me, and now my children—all of us generations of Americans who have explored and worked the land. Indeed it is a heritage we share with the First Americans who originally occupied these lands.
The 4th of July is time for many of us to celebrate the birth of our nation, BBQ, and our families. It is a great time to be outdoors. It is also a great time to remember to pass the torch and share outdoor experiences with our kids, families, and friends. And to also remember that we should not take this bounty of wonderful public lands and rivers - rich in fish and wildlife, scenery, solitude and spiritual renewal - for granted. Celebrate and help pass it on.
Bill Arthur grew up in Northwest Montana and Eastern Washington, where he developed a life-long love affair for fishing and hiking the rivers and wild places of the Northwest. Today Bill is the Deputy National Field Director for the Sierra Club based out of Seattle, Washington. He has worked for the Sierra Club for more than 20 years, championing wilderness, endangered species, energy, and habitat protection issues, including efforts to restore the fabled salmon and steelhead runs of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
See how the Sierra Club is working to provide more children the opportunity to spend time outdoors.