Roughly

A sweet story about a day of fishing...

ROUGHLY

There is nothing more beautiful than a day filled with plans for fly-fishing in a setting as pretty and wonderful as one of the most spectacular places in the United States!  Driving on the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park early in the morning they marveled as the sun glistened off the deep mountain lakes that made dancing sparkles appear like magic before their eyes.  They were on their way fishing, fly-fishing that is…

The two of them were giddy with delight.  The spot they had picked to fish was unparalleled in its beauty and grandeur and as each mile passed the craggy mountains alongside the road rose higher as the scenery enveloped them with its wild, lush, majesty.  It was everything they had read about and more.  The literature claimed that Glacier National Park is the crown jewel of the National Park System and it did not disappoint; it truly was a sight to behold.  The glacier carved lakes they passed were like glass and the reflection of the rising sun to the East cast an orange-red glow to everything in its path.   The wildlife was abundant and it was like a scene out of a dream.   This trip was their first together and a chance to really get away from home and spend some time alone. 

               Theirs is an unlikely story.  Katie is a party girl from Wyoming and Nick is a Master’s prepared Geologist from Ohio.  They met on the job and the attraction was immediate.  She loved his brilliance and wit and he loved her joi de vivre and intelligence.  She was a “wire line operator” which meant she made a log of the formations under the ground after a well was drilled and he was the geologist on site in the quest for uranium exploration.  The relationship started out as just bantering and teasing each other and before long it was full on flirting and it was fun and exciting for both of them.  He was ten years older at 36 and had an ex-wife and a daughter who was 15 and a little boy just four.   And she, well, she had really never had a lasting relationship.  At the time, her life was about the quest for fun, and that included a little of anything that came her way.  She worked hard in what was a man’s field, drank with the boys and liked to party with her friends which might just lead to anything; she was a garden variety drug user and would try anything and everything that came her way.  He was a teetotaler and had never been intoxicated in his life.  Not what one would picture as a likely match but they were madly, passionately in love.

               It was the most beautiful morning ever, they had just stayed overnight in a quaint cabin on the edge of Glacier National Park and they were both so excited about the prospect of fishing in one of the most pristine locations on the planet.  She had always been “outdoorsy” and he was a lifelong lover of nature.  The beautiful part was that fly fishing was his favorite pastime and she just wanted to be with him and love what he loved.  How could she not?  He taught her to fly fish and she took to it immediately; today was the first day with the “chest high waders” he bought her and she was like a little kid so giddy with delight! 

               He had been to Glacier before and knew just where he wanted to go.  They took a road off of the main highway to a secluded spot near a river.  The ground was damp and the morning cool.  The air smelled like musty fall leaves and wet earth. They had stopped along the way at a little bait shop to get the scoop on what the “hatch” was.  She was just learning the lingo but that meant what insects were hatching and thus, what “flies” would be most likely to catch the big one.  They visited with the locals for a bit and then headed out with THE flies that would catch not only the big one, but many like it.

               They got out and went around to the back of the car; they had come in her Mazda RX7, the closest thing to an SUV in that day was a truck with a camper which neither of them had.  The car was packed with clothing and various and sundry fishing supplies which included waders (of course!), poles, reels, vests with many pockets to hold “stuff”, and some snacks for later. They both planned for a big day of fishing and knew that once they started catching them there would no real breaks to speak of.  They hurriedly dressed and locked up the car.  It was cold, so they layered with jackets and vests so that when it warmed up they could just peel off the clothing.  They got to the edge of the water and it was rushing fast and was deep and frigid.  “Whoa” he cried out as he got a couple of steps in, “be careful little one”!  He was a big guy 6’2’ and around 200, she was just 5’ 5” and maybe 130.  He waded in to the rushing water and even though he was having a hard time keeping his footing, he was off. “Watch your step” he called out as he laid out his first cast.  She could barely hear him as the water was rushing so loudly but she knew what to do; she stepped out gingerly and found a spot where she felt secure, and she was soon casting her own line.  The water was FREEZING and she was grateful to have those waders. 

               It wasn’t long and he had his first bite, and then started to pull in a fighter.  There is nothing quite like catching a fish on a fly and then getting to reel it in.  Such excitement, such finesse needed.  He got the fish right up to the net and it took one look at him, flew off the hook and rushed away.  “Damn!  He was pretty, a rainbow trout at least 10 inches!”  he called out,  “No fair” she said, “ I was supposed to get the ‘big one’ first!”.  They both laughed and were back at it immediately.  No time to waste when trying to catch fish!

               About mid-morning they both decided to take a break.  Trying to hold oneself in place in the rushing water was hard work and it was cold. The brisk morning had warmed up nicely and they both had caught and released several beautiful rainbow trout.  Neither one of them really wanted a break but they were a tad bit cold and hungry. They took off the waders and left their gear by the water and went back to the car for a warm-up and a snack.  In the car, he started kissing her and before long they were considering whether to go back to the cabin or not. Naturally, that thought lasted about a nanosecond; they were both so enthralled with the day that they both agreed no one in their right mind would leave this great spot.  After all, there would be plenty of time for passion.  As crazy as it sounds, and in spite of the love they shared, fishing would come first that day.        The setting was beyond beautiful.  The leaves were changing with the fall season and the breeze made the yellow aspens smile and wave in the full sun.  In the distance a glacier carved peak jutted straight up with its majesty.  Of course, as a Geologist, he loved to teach about the earth’s formation and they both marveled at the scenery and God’s handiwork. 

               They fished hard all day and caught many. This day would go down in history as one of the best days either of them had ever experienced.  The fish they caught were released with love and they were headed now for the best part of the day; finding a nearby haunt for a cool one and some local flavor.  Just down the road they spotted the place, a little road side bar with smoke coming out of the chimney.  This is Montana; of course a little roadside bar has a fireplace!  It was cold now that the sun had gone down and it looked warm and inviting.

               They walked in and knew it was perfect; it had everything they loved about a little local’s bar; a juke box, pool table, friendly people and cool beer.  He ordered a couple of Coors in bottles and found a spot at the bar.  He plugged a couple of quarters in the juke box and played a few of his favorite songs; Dr. Hook’s-I’m In Love with a Beautiful Woman came on and they danced.  Young, new love is such fun and they were obviously crazy about each other.  They started up a conversation with an older cowboy at the bar.  At least he seemed like a cowboy; dusty cowboy hat that was well-worn with sweat stains around the band, western shirt, Lee jeans that gathered at the heel of his cowboy boots.  And, as it turns out; he was a cowboy and a very interesting character. 

               “Whut brings ya ta these parts?” he asked.  “Fishing” they both exclaimed in unison.  “”Ya catch any?” he asked.  They talked about the ones that got away and what a great day they had just enjoyed.  “Best fishin’ in the world, right here” he said in his cowboy twang.  “Yeah, I done caught my share” he said as his voice trailed off.  The got to talking and of course, started sharing their “fish tales”.  It seems that a common theme among fishermen is the propensity to exaggerate about their fishing prowess.  Maybe that’s where the term came from because as the afternoon turned to evening the size and scope of his fishing talent grew.

               He was obviously a life-long smoker; his fingers and nails were stained from the nicotine and as he drank thirstily from his beer the foam gathered on his yellowed mustache; a crusty character indeed.  At first, he asked them about their fishing luck that day, and of course, they returned favor by asking about his favorite places to fish.  He talked about how, over the years, he had become a great fisherman and knew all the little “holes”.  Of course, the topic of size came up, (doesn’t it always?) and he described his fish as being “roughly this far between his eyes” as held up his wrinkled thumb and forefinger to demonstrate about a one inch span, a respectable size for a rainbow trout in that location.  “Wow, impressive!” Nick said and the cowboy’s eyes lit up with delight.  You could sense there was more to his story.

They talked more about fishing and then he started sharing more about himself.  It turns out his wife had died in the last year and he missed her terribly.  His eyes welled up when he talked about their life on the “ranch” where he had worked as a “hand” his entire life.  “Raised two yunguns” he said, “they both went off to college and run off to the city”.  Ada Jane was the love of his life.  They met as young adults in the early 1920’s.  She was a wonderful wife and mother and had recently fallen ill and died suddenly.  “’Caught me off guard” he said, “I dint even know she was sick, she kep it to herself.”  “But let’s talk ‘bout fishin’” he said, “Ah got some stories I could tell you!” he exclaimed as he shook his head and his eyes danced with delight.  He was touched by her memory but obviously wanted to switch topics.

               They wanted to hear more of course, because the plan was to fish early in the morning before heading back west to Wyoming.  “I’ll tell you ‘bout the time I caught a big ole whopper right down the road here”, “how big?” they asked in unison waiting for the next exaggerated estimation.  He thought for a minute and he said “well, I reckon it was roughly this big between the eyes” and he held up his thumb and forefinger with an estimation of at 2 inches.  “Aw now, that’s impossible Nick chided, there’s no fish in these parts that big; ‘you sure?” as he cracked a smile.  The old fella just smiled back and took a swig of his beer and pulled on his cigarette, “yup, I’m sure” he said “and, I caught even bigger fish than that!” 

 

“Oh boy!” Nick said as he and Katie both laughed and he started up with his next fish tale, and, just as they expected it, he ended the story with “I wanna say he musta been roughly this far between his eyes” and held up his thumb and forefinger signaling an even bigger catch.  They all laughed and Katie said, “I’m just going to call you “Roughly” for the rest of the night”.  He smiled and they all laughed.  The continued to have a few more beers and listened to a few more “Roughly” stories before they had to leave for the night.  As they said goodbye for the night the old cowboy hugged them both and they were filled with the connection they had shared with such a sweet man.

The bartender told them that Roughly would remember this night for a long time; he loved to share his fish stories and since his wife died he as at the bar every night trying to fill the empty void.  She thanked them and said “you were the highlight of his day, I guarantee!”  As they left they smiled and both acknowledged they would never forget fly fishing in Glacier National Park but most of all, Roughly.

For years “Roughly” would come up as a topic of discussion between the two of them as they recounted their first big fishing trip together.  Neither of them ever forgot the fish they caught as they retold their own fish-tales and the size of the fish they caught as being “roughly” (and they would demonstrate some exaggerated size by holding up their hands to whatever size) this big!