Signs of Spring

“All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.” 

– Marie Curie

My father and I visited Cheesman Canyon last week in search of trout and nature.  It’s a Front Range fishery near Denver, so the days tend to warm more rapidly throughout the calendar year compared to other areas of the state boasting a higher elevation.  A recent snowstorm left the Gil Trail treacherously icy in the morning and slipperily slushy in the afternoon; double threat.  After walking in relative silence for over 20 minutes, our words being replaced by methodic, steady breathing, we descended into a dell, and the cool air permeating the trail from the melting snow was a welcome respite from our endeavor. 

The days in late February can be bipolar temperature-wise, and not only on a weekly basis, but on a daily one as well.  Couple that with a healthy trek wearing boots, waders and a vest filled with more flies than we would need, and you have a self induced temperature shift to boot.  Our sweat cooled as we stared down at the water (and fish) from a massive boulder overlooking the water and the slightest chill gave me goosebumps I didn’t seem to mind.

The shoulder seasons in Colorado represent an overlapping time flux; some wet, some cold, some hot, and some not.  You can experience every season in one day or merely a one day season, if you’re lucky.  Our day up in the canyon was more of the latter, but the melting snow was a reminder of the storm that had blanketed the Front Range and provided many happy students (and teachers) with a three day weekend. 

As much as I love fishing Cheesman when I go with my Dad it’s not really about the fishing at all.  He loves the hike and the opportunity to be in nature, although his days outside working in the garden will happily increase now that March has arrived.  He appreciates the minute details of the canyon including the American Dippers that fearlessly zip by even as I’m trying to cast or the brown trout sipping midges in the shade.  He understands that trout live in beautiful places and the things we do in order to catch them can parallel insanity although I’ll never fully admit to that. 

Life is about trips and memories created in the wild with friends and family.  Reflecting on those memories (and follies) has helped me find myself during times when I wasn’t really sure of anything.  Spring means renewal not only of the body, but the mind and soul as well.