Let's hit the road
What if the secret to life's problems is just getting better at evading them?
Current Flow Staters: A few folks shared the video of the Seattle Kraken mascot getting charged by a grizzly, usually with a message like "I'm pretty sure a ton of folks have already sent this to you"
Listen, thank you. I'm touched to be the one who comes to mind when a fool in waders encounters wild nature.
If you haven't seen it yet, it's pretty a good lesson on what to do if you're fishing and a grizzly bear appears. Namely, quit fishing, and get out of there.
It's also a pretty great metaphor for the end of summer. Here comes reality, bearing down, moving pretty damn fast over that river bottom. Try not to freak out.
Two weeks off
It's tough to point to an area in my life right now that's not in some state of benign neglect. Dear reader, by God, I will squeeze every last drop of lime juice of participation into the delicious caipirinha that is this summer. We're beyond burning the candle at both ends. We've dumped the box of candles into the smokeless backyard vortex stove and are giggling at the flames leaping.
I just had a rare weekend "off" and took the chance to clamber up the gear pile in the garage to try to get things back to their proper places. I think my tents are reproducing. Then, I made the mistake of taking a walk around the yard. I found a lawn two months un-mown, a vegetable garden half gone to seed, and a gutter hanging off the side of the house.
The solution? Surrender. Keep fishing. Like Walter Sobchak's immortal suggestion: Let's go bowling. Life—or whatever's left of it—will still be here when I get back.
So, I'm off, on a ten-day run through Idaho and Montana. Gonna check in on some old friends in new environs, rendezvous with the family, and explore some parts of that fly fishing utopia I've never visited before.
Next newsletter you get from me will be September 2, after Labor Day, a back-to-school special. In between now and then, I'll be dining at the West's finest gas stations, scratching every fly shop dog I meet, floating rivers, and keeping the net wet, inshallah, lord willing and the creek don't rise.
I'll be back...unless the steelhead run numbers continue to look good, and I touch an early fish or two. In which case...maybe we never stop?
Maybe this is the year I go 100% Endless Summer and just keep fishing? Through the summer run, down to Argentina or Chile or New Zealand for spring and summer down there, then back up eventually, abandoning all pretense of a settled, established life.
One of these years, I promise (with permission). The dream lives on.
Register to join the book club
Between now and the next newsletter I'll be popping back up—probably with some good backcountry facial hair and a sunglass tan—on Wednesday, August 27 for our free summer Read By the River remote book club.
Having just left one National Park, it'll be time to talk about another: The one in your backyard. Join us to discuss Douglas Tallamy's Nature's Best Hope and learn more about a habitat restoration movement we can all take part in, without any permitting or permission.
All are welcome! And, as with most book clubs, it's totally OK if you haven't finished the book. RSVP here and you'll get a calendar event, automatic reminders, and a link to the Zoom room where we'll be meeting. (Seriously, if you're coming, register, otherwise you won't be able to join.)
Look, here's a button, so you know I'm serious:
I downloaded the audiobook version of Nature's Best Hope on Libby for all the driving in my future, along with Steinbeck classic and ultimate road trip book Travels With Charley and James McBride's Deacon King Kong.
Learn more about our book choice, and what's in store here:
Nick Parish
Fall classes open this week
Fall dates are up! Registration opens Wednesday August 13th at 07:00 Pacific, a mere two days hence, for one Intro to Fly Fishing section, starting the last week of September. If you've got a friend you want to get involved, spread the word!
The Intro class won't be the hottest ticket this term, though. That'll be the one and only Mike "Hendo" Henderson's fly-tying course at the PCC Sylvania campus.
Those of you who asked for some fly-tying, this is thanks to you. Mike's a gifted guy behind the vise, he's a patient teacher, and based on your feedback and requests I twisted his arm into bringing his talents to PCC. So now, there's a tying component to this whole thing.
It's going to be great. Set your alarm, then set another alarm to remind yourself to not snooze that first alarm, and get registered this Wednesday at 07:00 PST! If you have any questions, give me a shout and I can relay them to Mike.
Find us on the Fishcord
OK, that's a lot of admin. Maybe an unconscious reaction to the fantasy of packing it all in, and following hatches and anadromous fish movements around the world?
If you're truly jonesing for some fishy connection and are worried about your inbox feeling lonely the next few Mondays, join us in the Fishcord, our private Discord server / chat. Paid members in the CFS Explorer tier and PCC class alums on their comp subscription can access the server link here.
Recent discussions have included:
- Classic or dud? Evaluating used fly rods on Marketplace
- "Does this green look wormy enough?" and beginning fly tying
- What pairs best with coffee Zyn (OK, maybe that's another fantasy, but I'm interested in your ideas. You know, road trip.)
I'll probably be in and out of the Fishcord, sharing trip notes and various bits and bobs that cross the transom. Come say hi!
That's it for this week! Current Flow State is a weekly newsletter from me, Nick Parish.
We can also connect over the best roadtrip audiobooks and Zyn pairings on Bluesky 🦋, Instagram 📸, YouTube 🎥, and in the Fishcord 💬.
If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend. We all need more fishing buddies. 💌
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