Give me some men who are stout-hearted men
Who will fight for
the right they adore.
Start me with ten,
who are stout-hearted men
And I'll soon give
you ten thousand more.
Actually I was alone as my brother Greg had headed downstream but
the idea of “ten thousand more” seemed good at that moment.
I couldn’t sing a lick. So why was I loudly singing “Stout
Hearted Men” while slowly moving up a small trout stream in southwestern Montana? This is why!
And it looked wet and fresh to my fairly untrained eye.
I had tagged along with my brother who was scouting elk for
the bow hunting season later that fall many years ago. It was my first trip to
Montana and naturally I brought my flyrod along. I wasn’t familiar with the
notion of pepper bear spray. Perhaps it hadn’t even been invented then. Someone
had given me the advice that when it comes to grizzly bears an important
principle is “don’t surprise them.” My
off key singing seemed to fit the bill….:)
Quotes….
The test of an adventure is that when you are in the middle
of it, you say to yourself, "Oh, now I've got myself into an awful mess; I
wish I were sitting quietly at home." And the sign that something is wrong
with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of
adventure. -Thornton Wilder
oh, i'd be singing something, for sure! :)
ReplyDeleteI might have chosen a Beatle song "Help!"
ReplyDeleteI probably would have had to change my drawers... after leaving a trail myself!
ReplyDeleteI would have picked..."This land is your land, this land is my land.." :)
ReplyDeleteSince I did lots of back packing in the Rockies, I've seen my share of bear tracks. Also, I never saw a bear in the Rockies. I guess we made enough noise so as not to surprise the bears.
ReplyDeleteI would have been singing real loud...and off key sure to scare away any self respecting bear! That is a nice looking trout! :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder, does screaming pass as singing? Oh, but that only comes when you actually see one, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI often wondered if the bear felt the bells were dinner bells, but still have them in my gear. Was this the Yellowstone? Very nice fish, it really filled that net.
ReplyDeleteWe used to rouse ourselves with a Christian version of "Stout Hearted Men" before doing cold canvassing evangelism at uni. I can't believe I used to do that.
ReplyDeleteThat is a HUGE print. It would have caused me to keep looking over my shoulder as I made lots of noise! :-)
ReplyDeleteAre you SURE that wasn's Big Foots track ??
ReplyDeleteHe's out there somewhere .
Hi troutbirder, Nice post and nice catch. I am your newest follower. I see you are a fly fisherman and interested in Southwest Montana. We had a cabin near Ennis, which is, I believe, the fly fishing capitol of the world. At least the locals think so. Ha ha. You will know about the Madison River as being one of the most famous for rainbows. Over the years that I have been blogging I’ve made several posts that have something to do with the area around there but I’m not exactly sure how to pull up a concise list of those posts. Now, as for Miss Spokane … Thank you for your comment. I agree, she looks a lot like the lady used by Land O’Lakes Butter! Ha ha. I wonder which one came first? Thank you for stopping by John’s Island and your kind comments. I will be watching for more posts from you … maybe something about Southwest Montana. John
ReplyDeleteNice brown, TB. Looks like either the Madison or Yellowstone river.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's a big front paw print, with the claws a couple inches in front of the pads. I've seen a lot like it on Monture Creek north of Ovanda.
Well your quote rang so true to me -- so many times I have thought I would rather be at home than on a supposedly adventure (which by definition means unknown risks!) You are one brave soul! -- barbara
ReplyDeleteI think I am bear ready for I have the voice for it and now that song is stuck in my head. Thanks--I think.
ReplyDeleteI'd be singing at the top of my voice! Did you ever see that bear??
ReplyDeleteOooh, this story goes perfect with my go-to motto:
ReplyDeleteWhen in doubt, sing loud.
It's no wonder I never see bears. :)
Love the quote. And the entire post.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're having fun with some pics from the past. Wish I could say been there, done that but no, I've never seen fresh bear tracks or fished in Montana. Though I have been known to frequently sing off tune.
ReplyDelete