Hatching a Plan

As I am wont to do lately, I would like to quote Carl Sagan.  Specifically, he stated, "For all its material advantages, the sedentary life has left us edgy, unfulfilled."  Lately, I have felt a strong connection to statement.  I haven't deer hunted since mid November.  A trip that I had planned with my middle school fly fishing club was cancelled due to a frozen lake.  I've been busy with a lot of responsibilities as well as some fun things with friends and family.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  I'm just saying that there has been a component of my life that has yearned for attention and that part can only be fulfilled with time outdoors and a little bit of adventure.  I am beginning to feel...edgy.

To make a long story short, a plan is being formulated that includes  my good buddy Justin. It involves  some fishing and some adventure.  We are planning on getting up early one day next week and head to southwest Missouri.  This is a refuge for fishing enthusiasts from northern Missouri during this time of year.  In my neck of the woods, fly fishing is limited to stocked trout (not that there is anything wrong with that) and dragging flies along the bottom of lakes.  Southwest Missouri offers a few smallmouth opportunities and A BUNCH of trout opportunities.  We are hoping that the latter will afford us the satisfaction that we are hoping for.

So here is our plan.  We want to head down to Bennett Spring State Park to catch some trout in the park in the morning and evening.  Between those moments, we hope to float some of the Niangua River to give my new raft it's first drift experience and maybe catch a few trout along the way.  This entire trip hinges on the idea that Justin and I stay healthy enough to make this trip.  Influenza A has run rampant through the school that we work in and last Monday, we had approximately 200 students absent with one illness or another.  All of us, as teachers, are holding a collective breathe that we can stay healthy during winter break and enjoy some time off from teaching.

It would be a safe bet that there will be a follow-up post in the future either for better or for worse.  Regardless, I will keep you posted on how things go.  Hopefully a future post involves fish being caught and a raft making its first float down an Ozark stream.  The worst case scenarios involve a sunken raft, and/or not catching any fish, and/or testing positive for Influenza A.  "We make plans and God laughs" is a popular saying, rooted in Yiddish.  I suppose we will just have to wait and see what life has in store for us.  No matter what, I will let you know what transpires over the next few days.