Tag Archives: solitude

In Praise of Hemlock

Posted on November 19, 2021 by rivertoprambles

Indeed, the most precious things of life are often close at hand, obtained with little cost, and we give our thanks for what sustains us. A short walk from my home is a grove of hemlock trees. I often enter … Continue reading →

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The Pulse of the Run

Posted on March 16, 2021 by rivertoprambles

The deep woods hike in middle March was a tough climb through the melting snow, two miles up the Pennsylvania tributary, and back. I wrote of this mountain hollow in Beautiful Like a Mayfly, 2015: “The tributary flows through the … Continue reading →

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Two Ravens (Twa Corbies)

Posted on January 5, 2021 by rivertoprambles

The first days of the new year were an icy mess, although I still had a pleasant walk on the trail developed near the house. It’s been years since I’ve kept a feeder in the yard, but I still need … Continue reading →

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The Hemlock Grove

Posted on July 31, 2020 by rivertoprambles

Preparing for a long road trip into western places where I like to believe that a fly-fishing spirit can really soar at times like this, it’s good to remind myself that one needn’t go far in order to find a … Continue reading →

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Picket Pin

Posted on May 1, 2020 by rivertoprambles

One of my older fishing pals told me that his favorite fly pattern for night angling on the home river was a Picket Pin. Another elder told me that he likes to cast the same time-honored pattern (first developed in … Continue reading →

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Allegheny Spring

Posted on April 1, 2019 by rivertoprambles

I was situated comfortably on the stream again. I was casting streamers with the new split-cane rod until the stonefly hatch informed me that a nymph or dry fly might be interesting. To be out in the warm spring air … Continue reading →

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The News from Fisher Brook

Posted on February 14, 2017 by rivertoprambles

There’s an old fellow coming down from the forest trail this afternoon to fish for an hour or two. He claims to be suffering from a serious cold, but to cast here for brook trout won’t be detrimental since the air … Continue reading →

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Spectacle Pond

Posted on August 29, 2016 by rivertoprambles

[The following is the first in a two-part series on a recent ramble through the Northeast Kingdom and the Green Mountain State (aka Vermont), with stops in the wild Nulhegan River Basin and, later, at the famed Battenkill. Stay tuned!] … Continue reading →

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Tilting at Turbines

Posted on July 12, 2016 by rivertoprambles

I was sick of all the news saturated with senseless violence and political mayhem; I was feeling burned by the reality of drought and floods and frequently occurring “thousand year weather events” across the globe. I could not get used … Continue reading →

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Setting the Tone

Posted on April 19, 2016 by rivertoprambles

The Tradition: On the opening day of northern Pennsylvania’s trout fishing season I went out to look at the water. Big surprise. It’s what I usually do on this date. I visited all three branches of the upper Genesee River … Continue reading →

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