When I was in elementary and junior high school my family lived in Midwest City, Oklahoma. My father was in the Air Force but he was an excellent craftsman, and was always working in his non-work hours on some project. Two of his projects were the building of two boats. A red 14 foot hydroplane, and a 16 foot cabin cruiser. I spent many hours during their construction as his "gofer."
My reward was numerous fishing trips where I caught white bass and largemouth bass. For six years while living in Oklahoma we were able to take month long vacations in Montana. The main activity was fishing. I was thrilled with catching small Kokanee salmon and trout. When I wasn't fishing I was exploring nature. My life was great.
That all changed when I was 12 and I hooked and landed a 20 pound trout in the Flathead River. Now that I had experienced the thrill of catching such a large fish that I had little control over, I was hooked. Catching small fish in a pristine lake or river was glorious. But, catching a large powerful fish that could exert such strength in resisting my attempts to bring it to the net or gravel was exhilaratingly rewarding.
I loved being outdoors and so hunting was a natural progression for me. I was in dental school when I was 19 to 23, married with a young son. Back then there was no welfare or food stamps. Or, if there was, I didn't know about it. Money was tight, and wild game was an important part in our diet. Not only did hunting provide a great source of quality protein, being in the outdoors in the fresh air and nature was a tremendous stress reliever from school and work for me.
Fishing was wonderful, but the rivers and lakes were surrounded by tall peaks with their own beauty. It was only natural for me to want to explore the elevations. This was particularly true after I moved to Washington State.
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After graduation from Dental School I joined the Army for two years and was sent to Tacoma. It was a central location to access great outdoor activities. It is located on Puget Sound The Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Cascade Mountain to the east, are only an hour away.
As a dentist in private practice I could obviously set up my own hours. I loved being a dentist, but I also wanted time for the outdoors. I learned to be efficient so that I could take off Fridays. It was like having a mini-vacation every week. It was enough time that I could embrace the outdoors.
I fished, and hunted. I joined the Mountaineers, and starting mountain climbing too. I also became an active photographer as I felt the need to capture the beautiful scenes I was surrounded by.
I've loved my life. At 81, I still do. I may have slowed down a little, but I still managed to bag my Whitetail buck last month, and my freezer is full of salmon.
