Back in July an e-mail landed in my inbox asking if I was available to guide two days of hiking in September. My first thought was that it would be during the nicest weather of the entire year and even though hiking is not one of my regular offerings a custom hiking trip would be great fun. Several e-mails later and I have arranged to spend two days hiking with Stephanie from Australia. Who would be making the trip to our area with her family as a celebration of her fortieth birthday (she wanted me to tell how old she was, I did ask).
The Becoming an Outdoors Woman program is designed to introduce women to the outdoors with other women. Over the years I have volunteered as an instructor several times. This time I was asked to fill last minute for an intermediate fishing class. What fun!
One of the most enjoyable parts of being a guide is guiding the same people year after year. One of the folks I enjoy fishing with every September is AJ. AJ is an excellent fly caster and ties many of the flies that I use during the season. We have fished together many years and it always feels like he was in the boat just last week even though it has been a year since we last saw each other.