Thursday, May 29, 2008

Book: Into The Wild (Krakauer)

I've written about this already: saw the movie a couple months ago, then bought the book and DVD the next day, etc etc. Obviously this story had a major affect on me. I finished reading the book last weekend, and now I'm depressed - the adventure is over. Same (true) story but with much more detail, including interviews with many of the people whose lives were affected (and altered) by Chris McCandless/Alexander Supertramp.

Unlike the movie, in the book you know how the story ends from Page One. I suppose the author (Jon Krackauer, columnist for Outside magazine) felt that it would help him tell the story, since he's constantly weaving in his own experiences and opinions throughout the book. Krakauer is an extreme adventurist in his own right, having climbed many mountains - in fact I also plan to read 'Into Thin Air', a book he wrote about his tragic trip up Mt. Everest.

Much of his life experience follows a path similar to that of Chris/Alex's, or vice versa. Sometime solitary adventurer, sometime extreme chance-taker, sometime stubborn idiot. It's no wonder I relate to both of them so much...

The book contained many memorable quotes. One of my favorites, from a letter that Alex wrote to the old man in the desert, trying to convince him to change his sedentary lifestyle:
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.

The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."


OK now read that again.


I highly recommend the book to anyone who loves to travel, loves the outdoors, is searching for something, or just loves to read. You won't be disappointed.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Mangrove Tunnels

Stalking Geiger Creek for tarpon. I watched a nice one shoot up one of the skinny tunnels that spur off of the main creek. Earlier that morning the tide was high and I wasn't able to get through them, but as the tide went out the tunnels became passable. I followed him in.





As the tunnel tightened I couldn't use the paddle so I just pushed off of the mangroves. Watching the water below as I passed, I saw the tarpon shoot back out right under the canoe: just like that he was gone. I kept going, no longer chasing the fish but instead just exploring.


It felt so secret. Instead of talking to myself like I always do when I fish, I was whispering. Eventually the creek kept going until it snarled up into an impassable mass of mangrove roots, and it was time to give up - and work my way out backwards.



Fishing, hunting, exploring - all great hobbies, even better when you can do them all at the same time.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Up the Creek


Saturday I launched the canoe off of Boca Chica beach (5 miles east of Key West), with plans to explore Geiger Creek. As I paddled across the flat leading to the creek I saw several tarpon rolling but couldn't get them to bite anything. I caught a couple of barracudas at the mouth of the creek, then decided it was time to paddle in and see what I could find. I saw a huge cuda loitering under the bridge, but he was just watching me with no interest in biting (I was alternately throwing a zara spook and a DOA shrimp). I started working my way up the creek, and after a couple big snaps from under some mangroves, I anchored up and started pitching the spook.






I saw a huge cuda come out from a spot under the groves, and watched him follow the spook as I walked it across the water until finally BAM he hit it. I fought him for a minute or 2, until he straightened out 2 of the 3 hooks in the treble that had hooked him, and off he went. Dangit! About this time a kayaker came by from upstream, and I asked him if he'd seen any tarpon. Nope, just snapper, he didn't think any tarpon were in that creek. I knew better so I kept pitching the spook. I threw a perfect cast into the mouth of a little side creek and let it flow up under the overhanging mangrove as I twitched it, and BAM another huge hit. Thinking it was another cuda, I set the hook and brought it out into the open water. About that time it jumped, and I realized it was a BIG (3+ foot) tarpon! Sweet!!




The kayaker dude was freaking out because it was jumping all around him and he was afraid it would swamp his kayak, so I did my best to muscle him over my way - I almost fell in during the battle, to his amusement. After about 10 minutes of fighting him I could see he (and I) was getting tired. He'd stopped jumping and would just surge now and then, so I decided it was time to try and release him. I looked away for a moment to grab my boga grip, and he managed to get some slack and simply spit out the hook. Just like that it was over. Tarpon fishing.



I was shaking for an hour or more after that, such a great feeling! I cast a few more times to the same area, but the battle had cleared the water of any fish willing to bite. I paddled over to where the tarpon had hit, just to see what the area looked like and if it looked like a spot that they might always gravitate to. Sure enough there were several more tarpon swimming down below, not as big as the one I'd hooked but there they were, looking like they were at home. Good to know - I'll definitely be back. After that I paddled all the way up the creek, thru the narrow mangrove tunnels and out into the open water. Caught a couple nice snapper at the mouth, and saw a shark swim by but he wasn't biting. I stopped there and had lunch, still shaking from the adrenaline rush of the tarpon fight. Finally I paddled back down the creek and out into the open ocean and enjoyed the nice day, knowing I was a lucky boy.

Where else would I want to be? Nowhere.