Once we get a little taste of spring, it is pretty hard not to get excited about the coming of the next season. If I were to venture a guess, I’d have to say that this nice warm-up that we’ve had is a sure cure for my cabin fever. The warm-up, along with being able to look back at some pictures of fun times spent with family at the cabin over the years, has gotten me through the winter.
My grandsons have all spent time at the cabin and in the boat with their grandpa. I can’t say that I have taught them everything about fishing, but I have definitely had an influence on them. Over the years I have had instances when things didn’t exactly go according to plan; for example, when that perfect cast ends up caught in an overhanging tree branch. I have sometimes uttered a few expletives when things don’t exactly go smoothly while fishing. A hook in the hand, line in the prop, motor not running, spilling hot coffee and so on, are things that sometimes bring out the best (or worst) in this old guy. My sons and grandsons, kiddingly, bring up some of those instances when we are together. The one thing that I do not do is get angry at the grandkids when they mess up (which they seldom do any more).
My grandson, Dylan, still likes to fish with his grandpa whenever he can and we usually end up visiting our favorite lake, Spider, at least once a year. There have been a few times when Dylan has brought his friend, Liam, along and sometimes his Dad, Brad, will also go to Spider with us.
We usually plan on spending a whole day there, so we pack snacks and a nice lunch. There are a few campsites on the lake that are free to anyone on a first come basis. When it’s time for lunch, we will look for a site where nobody is staying and pull up there. These sites all have a small camping areas, fire pits and picnic tables. We can enjoy some time out of the boat to stretch our legs and have lunch. It makes for a fun day and sometimes I think that Dylan enjoys the shore lunch as much as the fishing. He usually volunteers to make the sandwiches and pack the food for our excursion.
There was, at one time, a spot where you could pull the boat up and hike the trail leading over the hill to another little lake that has a couple cabins and holds fish. My old neighbor, Gene, and I had investigated this a couple of times back in the late 70’s or early 80’s. I believe that we were more interested in the adventure part of it than the actual fishing. I have looked for that spot many times over the years, but haven’t been able to locate it. I believe that the trail has since grown over. It’s been over 40 years since Gene and I last fished that lake together – where did the time go?
I am really looking forward to visiting Spider Lake again this year. For the last few years, I have been expressing my desire to camp overnight at one of those National Forest campsites on Spider. I’d guess it is kind of one of the things on my Bucket List. My oldest son, Brian asked me this winter if I thought I’d be up for doing that this year when we are at the cabin on our annual week of family vacation. I didn’t hesitate. I said I’d love to do that. It didn’t take much arm twisting to get me on board. Brian knew I’d always talked about doing this and, thanks to him, I will be getting the opportunity to fulfill a dream.
Those are just a few of some very good memories. When the past is in the rearview mirror, we can still look back and cherish those days.
Until next time: The warmer temperatures, along with the sunshine, has a way of putting a little extra spring in the step. It’s a great time to go for a walk and soak up some of that sunshine and the fresh spring-like air.
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