The past year has been a crazy one, and it’s hard to believe it’s almost over. With Christmas over and done with the new year is suddenly staring us in the face.
Surely most of us can say this, but as this year comes to an end I can’t help but think back to the things that I didn’t quite get to this year. I even looked up the post I’d written about it back in February. 2012 was, in fact, a great year. It was the year that saw me back to Montana, got me into a management job, met some damn good people and spent a lot of time out in the woods and rivers. Hell, last year I even crossed two items off my dream list: catch a grayling and shoot a buck.
But the mind always looks forward. I can’t help but think about next year. Where will I go? What will I accomplish? What kind of person will I become in twelve months time? Those nagging thoughts have been floating around my mind for a while now. The other day Mark asked me what was on my fishy list for next year. While the “real world” questions still tugged at me, I knew how to answer him right away.
- Fish for Redbands in the NW corner of Montana. Natives in water most people overlook. ‘Nuff said.
- Catch a grayling on the Big Hole. Catching a grayling this past summer was amazing, a fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But now I want one in a river, not a lake.
- Ply the waters for steelhead on the coast. Some chrome is in my future.
- Head to Alaska for whatever comes my way: trout, salmon and steelhead. Alaska is one of those places I have always dreamed about. There is so much to see, hunt, and fish there.
- Go somewhere salty when the weather gets nasty. It’s 9 degrees outside in Bozeman as I write this Christmas night, and the idea of a warm beach, tequila based drinks, and bikinis sounds pretty good…
People are always making lists and goals for a new year. Most of the time they get swept under the rug as the year goes on. I’m no exception. But I’m holding on to this list.
I’ve got a good feeling about 2013.
