Tag Archives: fishing

The Wild Boy Cycle, 1870

Posted on November 19, 2019 by rivertoprambles

Winter: Klukey died in a bear trap he had set near Kettle Creek. Klukey died three miles from his cabin, wandering in the deep snow till his feet accidently struck the pan. Those jaws sprang up– held him through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fishing, history, Independence, jumping the back fence, literature, nature, personal narratives, poetry, seasons, Sinnemahoning, Walt Franklin, Wild Boy Cycle, writing | 9 Comments

Autumn Letter

Posted on November 11, 2019 by rivertoprambles

The day begins like a sheet of paper waiting for words. Its composition won’t go digital until later, when darkness comes again. Two bald eagles sit together on a carcass near the road as I go speeding by, wishing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bob Dylan, composition, Egg, fishing, football, friendship, Henry James, hooks, letters, nature, poetry, Slate Run, trout flies, Walt Franklin, writing | 18 Comments

Jumping the Back Fence

Posted on October 30, 2019 by rivertoprambles

Wild Boy Run was named for Lewis “Wild Boy” Stevens who settled on the Pennsylvania mountain stream in 1842. Born to alcoholic and abusive parents, Stevens “jumped the back fence” of his home (in New Jersey) at age eleven and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brook trout, fishing, hiking, history, jumping the fence, Lake Ontario tribs, Lewis Stevens, narrative, peace, Pennsylvania, poetry, Salmon River, small streams, war, Wild Boy Run | 18 Comments

Shape-Shifter

Posted on October 7, 2019 by rivertoprambles

My evening climbs up the seasonal roadway typically did not produce unusual wildlife sightings, but a recent walk proved to be exceptional. Before I reached my spruce and pine grove on the east side of the gravel road, I saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Asaph, bear, cougar, fisher, fishing, hiking, homestead, narratives, nature, poetry, psychology, shape-shifter, UFOs, Walt Franklin, wild economy, writing | 23 Comments

Gray Hair and Grizzly Hackle

Posted on September 18, 2019 by rivertoprambles

Ever since I joined several outdoor organizations and started to attend their regular meetings in the 1990s, I’ve been hearing a general complaint: Look around this room. Our hair is gray. We need some younger people, bright new faces interested … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged activism, brown trout, commentary, community, environment, fishing, nature, poetry, Slate Run, society, Time, Walt Franklin, writing, youth | 18 Comments

On a Small Island

Posted on August 21, 2019 by rivertoprambles

Small islands have been inspirational for me since my long-gone days of bumming through the quiet waters of the blue Aegean. Most recently, I helped my daughter move from Providence, Rhode Island to neighboring Warwick, on the west side of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged biking, Block Island, exploration, fishing, islands, nature, poetry, Providence, Rhode Island, striped bass, travel, WaterFire, writing | 16 Comments

“Walt’s Lure” (Rangeley)

Posted on August 12, 2019 by rivertoprambles

One allure of Rangeley camp in northwestern Maine was bird life. The wild shrieking of loons at night brought vivid images from lakeside to the closeness of the tent. It was often accompanied by hoots and chortling of various owls, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birds, camping, fishing, Kevin O'Malley, Magalloway, Maine, nature, Oquossic, orange fish hawk, Outdoor Heritage Museum, philosophy, Rangeley, travel, Walt Franklin, writing | 12 Comments

Indian Pipe (World Among Many)

Posted on July 22, 2019 by rivertoprambles

With roots set deep, with leaves translucent, the plant’s waxy fingers pull death from the ground. The Corpse Plant, epiparasitic, is a smoky spirit of the dark woods, of fecund banks near rotting beech or pine trees, nodding its head … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged community, destruction, environment, fishing, humor, Indian Pipe, nature, photography, poetry, politics, writing | 18 Comments

The Home Stretch

Posted on June 29, 2019 by rivertoprambles

I was fishing the home stretch of a local river, a favorite section of the headwaters, a place where I could hang my fishing hat, or fly rod, on an aging log and feel as comfortable as a dog beside … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged dry fly, environment, fishing, Genesee, home, home water, nature, simplicity, summer, Time, trout, wildness, writing | 26 Comments

Ephemera: the Eco-Myths

Posted on June 16, 2019 by rivertoprambles

1/ From mayfly egg to molting nymph, from deep channel into warming shallows, from the underwater shuck into floating dun’s regalia– the two-tailed fly… A few escape the charge of hungry trout, ascend into willows for the garb of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ecology, fishing, Green-Ass McGee, Kettle Creek, mayflies, myths, nature, Nemeton, poetry, Sononjoh, Walt Franklin, writing | 12 Comments