LF's article on Traditions

[Jim Flamming]

Just read LF's column and it struck a cord with me based on some recent situations that I have found troubling.

When I was little my father used to go elk hunting in Wyoming every year with about 6-10 other guys from our home town. They would load up their horses and enough gear for Patten's army and drive all night to get there. Would ride up near the continental divide about 40 miles from the nearest road and would live on the mountains for about a week to 10 days. They did this every year, everyone made time for it and it was important to them.

Recently I got the urge to take a flyfishing road trip to Montana. Asked several friends from my church and at work if they would be interested in going. Drive like crazy to get there, fish like mad for a few days and drive like crazy to get back. Exhausting for all the right reasons.

The response I received was consistant, "Man I would love to go, but I just don't have the time." I don't blame them. Between work, family, community committments, who does have the time to get away. The pace of this world just keeps getting more and more frantic. I doubt we will ever see a return to a day when a bunch of guys can just drop work, kids, etc and go out on a "man-trip". My dad had all those same committments, but it still worked for him and a bunch of others in to go out every year. The pace of life just seemed to be totally different. In some regards it is amazing that Fish-Ins work in todays culture, although it helps to be able to pool people from across the entire country.

Just my thoughts... As usual Ladyfisher, nice job.

[Pisces by Birth]

I am currently a student, and in a class I took they said that people today work less and have more leisure time. The professor cited cellphones and the internet as the reasons for more time. As a friend of mine who has a bl(cr)ackberry said to me, when I mentioned that it must be nice to have that since he can work when he wants, "There is a reason why the company bought this for me, and it was not to make my life easier." Funny how different developments which are meant to make life easier, oftentimes just make life more hectic, and necessitate true "down" time where people just want to escape without doing any work... TV being the escape, not pursuing an activity. It is sad isn't it?

[RG/AR]

I dunno how many times I've been on the river and heard a cellphone ring....I'll never, ever take a cellphone fishing with me, even if it means I miss my funeral.

[Steve Molcsan]

I normally leave my phone in the truck -Aka Harvey , tell wife approximately the area I will be fishing always near a landmark and at any rate Harvey is very noticeable..