My eyes opened to greet the early morning rays of light breaking into my log cabin bedroom windows. I could hear something on the roof, squirrels chasing each other back and forth on the sun-warmed shingles.
Today was Saturday, the first day of the spring we have time to go fly fishing. The aroma of fresh ground coffee, drifting in from the kitchen, lifted me from my bed. The crackling pops of sizzling bacon, my father was frying in his favorite black cast iron pan, was as clear to my ears as the army bugler's early morning reveille.
I hurried, pulling on my blue jeans and denim shirt. The air still had a chill. I reached for a pair of woolen socks. Squirrels were still playing their morning game up on the roof, as I laced up my boots.
The mouth watering aroma of a log cabin breakfast was always special on the first day of fly fishing. While I washed and dried the dishes, my father packed a deliciously enticing lunch, large enough to survive a couple of days in the wilderness.
We packed the fishing gear, maps, paddles, canoe seats, an anchor and rope, carefully placing our deliciously enticing lunch. Lifting the canoe up to the roof racks on the jeep was easy. After securing the canoe to the jeep with strong nylon rope, I checked the supply of bug dope. One of the major secrets of enjoying the Maine woods, is having the correct bug dope.
We headed south, over the mountains, on route 201. The transmission of my fathers old army jeep sounded as loud as a P-47 Thunderbolt and was probably built the same year with P-47 spare parts. The air was clear on the mountain tops. You could see Mt. Katahdin 100 miles to the east. Although I enjoyed the panoramic view from these mountains, my thoughts we...
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...t beer chilled in a mountain steam. The northwestern wilderness of Maine is not a place to mix drinking and driving.
To add one more reason for extreme caution on the backwoods roads, would be the wildlife. Many animals come out of the dense forest to the twisting dirt roads to get away from the flies and mosquitoes. On the trip back from Iron Pond, we saw 38 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 4 moose (Alces alces), and over 100 snow-shoe rabbits (Lepus americanus). Several of the deer jumped over the hood of the jeep. The snow-shoe rabbits practically go crazy when they see the lights of the jeep, hopping everywhere. Many jumped into the path of the jeep before we could stop, and died. Luckily the moose didn't jump.
I would tell you more, but I must sleep. Tomorrow, I'm going fly fishing.
Fiddleheads? Never heard of them!
However, the Donner Party also possessed the American trait of expediency, which ultimately caused their party many deaths. Taking the advice of Lansford Hastings, the author of The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, the Donner Party took the supposed new and faster route that cut under the Great Salt Lake to California. However, even when they were trapped under several feet of Sierra Nevada snows, they didn’t give up; perseverance and optimism prevailed. Soon after many days trapped in makeshift shelters beneath the mountains, the emigrants ran out of food. With their pragmatic minds, they ate every bit of their oxen they could including boiled hides and charred bones. Being practical, they also ate bark, twigs, and leaves. They had to eat something; it was still survival of the fittest.
It was our fifth day in the Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, the halfway point of the trek. I as the Crew Leader was responsible for the other 11 members of the crew, including 4 adults. I was in charge, and amazingly the adults rarely tried to take over, although they would strongly advise me what to do in some situations. Phil, with the exception of me, the oldest scout and the Chaplain for the trip, was my second. Together we dealt with problems of making sure everyone carried the right amount of stuff in their pack to who had to cook and cleanup each day. The trip had gone well so far, no injuries, and the worst problem had been a faulty backpack. As I walked I thought about the upcoming campsite. Supposedly this one had running water from a solar powered pump—so had the last night’s site but the tank was too low to use for anything but cooking because the of how cloudy it had been of late. But today was bright and shinny, and hot, so I didn’t think there would be a problem.
I was almost home from my monthly excursion into Riverton to get my roots colored, stock up on cream soda, and scarf down forty bucks' worth of sushi. Mail waited in my P.O. box, but the huddle of damp flannel on the porch shared with
Many believe that Hamlet does not take immediate action because Hamlet 's character is one of contemplation and unhappiness; not action. Because of these traits, Hamlet needs evidence and assurance that Claudius really has killed Old Hamlet. Hamlet 's philosophical nature allows him to question the Ghost 's existence and collect evidence before acting which delays Claudius ' death. Hamlet 's initial response is to trust the Ghost and act quickly when he says that “from the table of [his] memory [he will] wipe away all trivial fond records,/ And [the ghosts] commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of [his] brain” (Shakespeare 1.5.100-106). Hamlet is clearly comfortable with the situation. However, he later is filled with doubt and whether “The spirit that [he has] seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power t 'assume a pleasing shape. Yea, and perhaps Out of [his] weakness and my melancholy, As [the Ghost] is very potent with such spirits, abuses [him] to damn [him]” (2.2.561-567). It is shown that the Prince is concerned to whether he should believe what he is being told, or if it is possible that it is the Devil and he may be taking advantage of Hamlets weakness. The play which Hamlet wishes to be performed is one involving a murder similar to that which the ghost described, and he decided that "The play 's the thing wherein I 'll catch the
With the onset of the winter season approaching, a series of inventory checks were taken on the provisions we had packed along our voyage, as well as the first settlements were under construction the next day. Notably enough, we were severely limited in terms of food, so strict rules of rationing were enforced until next spring,
In the classic play Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence plays a major part. Romeo and Juliet trusted him entirely as he was the priest of their town. They turned to the Friar for help and advice at a few crucial points in the play. Little did these two lovers know that their decision to turn to Friar Laurence for help would eventually lead to their deaths. Friar Laurence was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because he married Romeo and Juliet, he was afraid of committing a sin, and because of his faulty plan for saving Juliet from a marriage to Paris.
As the first rays of the sun peak over the horizon, penetrating the dark, soft light illuminates the mist rising up from the ground, forming an eerie, almost surreal landscape. The ground sparkles, wet with dew, and while walking from the truck to the barn, my riding boots soak it in. The crickets still chirp, only slower now. They know that daytime fast approaches. Sounds, the soft rustling of hooves, a snort, and from far down the aisle a sharp whinny that begs for breakfast, inform me that the crickets are not the only ones preparing for the day.
For those who are curious about fishing, but never seem to have any luck, here are a few simple guidelines to follow which will have you reeling them in in no time. Catching fish can be really easy to do if one has the correct equipment, location, weather, and presentation.
Hamlet has long-been associated with the name of William Shakespeare as a masterful work of literary art. It is one of the most debated, celebrated and studied pieces of all time; a marvel of showmanship from one of the most famous authors to ever pick up the elegant pen of words. Those who have read the drama often marvel at the complexity of Hamlet himself, and debate his hesitancy of action throughout the tragedy-namely, the supposed murder of Claudius which he ‘must’ commit. While many scholars agree on Hamlet’s reasons for delay, critics have yet to narrow their thoughts on Hamlet’s overlying motive: why does behave the way he does? More importantly, what were Shakespeare’s motives in portraying Hamlet the way he ultimately does? Hamlet’s hesitation is not the most convoluted and interesting of the subjects; his rationale of purpose is what drives the entire work to be the complex enigma that it still is, to this day.
On our way out to our favorite fishing place, all the houses along the lake were still dark. The boat ride to our spot was only about twenty minutes, but it was hard to drive fast in the predawn light. My dad taught me that the best time to catch fish in clear water was in low light hours, when the fish couldn’t see the boat. Only one other fisherman was out as early as us, but we both knew that more latecomers would be arriving with the light. Finally, we arrived at the spot where we loved to fish. Every year we went to the exact same place on the lake because this is where we have always caught the most fish. I always liked to sit in the back of the boat and fish straight out behind us. My dad went up front and controlled the trolling motor, pushing the boat perfectly over the drop-off where the walleyes liked to float and wait for food.
Although this is a time for the acquired survival skills to be tested in the field, spending the night alone gives the students the opportunity to reflect on their journey thus far and think about what lies ahead. When the night arrived for me to venture out on my own, my attitude showed nothing but confidence. My parents had raised me on camping and backpacking trips which gave me a unique advantage over some of the “at risk” teens who were sent on the course as punishment. Surviving the night with just a sleeping bag and pad, small pot, flint stick, and a fixed blade knife seemed fairly simple for anyone who's spent any time in the outdoors. Sometime around three o’clock in the afternoon the course leaders sent our group out in different directions for the night. It was just becoming sunset by the time I had discovered my camping spot for the night; a small flat hidden just under some tall trees overlooking Ross lake in which we were traveling north by in canoes. As the mosquitos came out and began to bite up my neck and arms, heavy rain clouds overtook the sky and it was clear that night was
As illustrated through his speeches and soliloquies Hamlet has the mind of a true thinker. Reinacting the death of his father in front of Claudius was in itself a wonderful idea. Although he may have conceived shcemes such as this, his mind was holding him back at the same time. His need to analyze and prove everythin certain drew his time of action farther and farther away. Hamlet continuously doubted himself and whether or not the action that he wanted to take was justifiable. The visit that Hamlet recieves from his dead father makes the reader think that it is Hamlet's time to go and seek revenge. This is notthe case. Hamlet does seem eager to try and take the life of Claudius in the name of his father, but before he can do so he has a notion, what if that was not my father, but an evil apparition sending me on the wrong path? This shows that even with substantial evidence of Claudius' deeds, Hamlet's mind is not content.
Macbeth is a brave man who is not naturally inclined to perform evil deeds, yet he desperately wants and desires power and succession. At the end, he is not happy with what he has accomplished, "I am afraid to think what I have done; look on `t again I dare not" (Shakespeare Macbeth 2.2.51-52). He kills Duncan against his own logical judgement and later drowns in paranoia and guilt. Macbeth is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after the witches' prophecy that he will be made Thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a powerful man and...
It was the morning of November 22nd, 1998 and as I sat at the table eating the eggs my mother had made for me I was sure today was the day I was going to get my first Vermont buck. I had packed my bag the night before with all the essentials: 2 quartz of water, sausages, snickers bars, extra gloves, extra socks, extra compass, knife, matches and extra bullets. I was excited and yet tired at the same time. The three-week deer season had taken its toll on me and it was the last week so I knew how importan...
It was one of those days where you’re glad to be awake early in the morning, before the afternoon gets scorching hot. The feeling of the cool breeze gently caressing your arms and legs is always something to look forward to, and many people would be swayed into taking a nice walk outside under the trees.