Quiet Places of the Wilderness

We just went through a month of sub-zero temperatures along with a couple of feet of snow.However today it was 35 above. Can you believe that? 30 below to 35 above in 24 hours!It didn't take me long to get on the line looking for a fishing partner. My neighbor, Tom, is usually always ready to jump and run at a minutes notice. That's just what we done.I keep my truck hooked up to the trailer with my Arctic Cat track rig loaded. I keep my fishing gear in the box in back. The poles, auger, propane heater, chairs, are all in the box. All we do is make a thermos of coffee and throw a couple of sandwhiches together, and we are off. I have this procedure down to a couple of minutes.We also have our survival gear in case something goes bad. We never have had to use it, but this country doesn't give second chances. With our gear we could easily spend a night or two out on the ice. I have good cell phone coverage and several friends that could come and rescue us if things got nasty. I even carry a GPS. I could call in the location, and a copter can come straight to us if some one was really injured.Planning for the "what if's" is what saves our bacon much of the time. I would never even THINK of going out without the gear to keep us through an arctic night.Today, the wind wasn't blowing but we had mostly clouds covering the sun. The propane heater kept us toasty. I was able to wear a down vest over my wool shirt without having to put on my big coat.I brought my video camera and got some nice shots of turning loose a couple of big rainbows.Actually we released every thing we caught. Just being out there on the frozen lake was enough. No one was there but us and the cry of an eagle on a distant ridge. The snow on the lake showed the tracks of several wolves, coyotes, and fox. Late in the afternoon an old trapper stopped by for a visit. He was checking out a couple of wolf kills. The wolves had killed four moose in the last week. They had only returned to the moose kills one time to eat before killing again. That is only one of the reasons that I don't like those wanton predators.The trapper was soon off down the lake on his snow machine, leaving us in the quiet solitude of the wilderness.Some folks enjoy the crouds and the company of the hoards of city dwellers. Then there are a few of us who would much rather hear the cry of an eagle or the howl of a coyote on the prowl. I'll take the cold crisp wind of an alpine valley over the smell of car exhaust any day.I would much rather watch a cow and calf moose feeding in a willow thicket than a soap opera.Life is pretty much what you make of it. I suppose most folks are satisfied with the rut of the city-urban life-style.To each his own.The pioneer spirit is pretty much gone in the lower states. The old days and the old ways are just parts of some distant history. Then there is Alaska...and the pioneer spirit is a part of every day life.I came to "The Great Land" in 1969. I only wished I'd have done it sooner.
Bubba Hunt, "walking the wilderness trail".I would appreciate your comments