SNOW!

   Every time we have our first substantial snow of the year, I get the urge to read "Winter, Notes from Montana" by Rick Bass or "Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez.  In the cover flap of :Winter", is this description of the book:

   "In this celebration of winter in a remote valley of thirty inhabitants, the valley in Montana without electricity, Rick Bass describes the wildness and the freedom of the valley people, the slow-motion quality of life as if it were one hundred years ago.
   Impressions abound; trees popping like firecrackers in the dead of winter; white rabbits as large as cats; bull elk eating hay along side cows; the Dirty Shame Saloon, where the people gamble, drink beer, gossip, and watch football on TV. Rick Bass describes the physical dangers of wilderness life: getting lost in a blizzard; how a chain saw can rip open your leg; the omnipresent threat of fire. Winter is a book about the excitement of matching landscape to life, about how one man and one woman have searched for and found that place to call their abiding own."

   I suppose the reason I like to read this book in the winter is because, I too feel the slow-motion when the snow lands here in Utah. I have to admit that snow and winter are not my favorite things. I tolerate winter. The snow really puts a damper on the things I enjoy. I know that there are many outdoor activities that can be enjoyed in snow and cold, but to me it's not the same as my warmer season outings.

   In winter, my mind also turns to the Bear Lake Valley. My ancestors settled in that valley back sometime in the 1860's. What I find fascinating about that valley is the harshness of winter. Winter comes early there and stays late. On the Idaho side of the lake, the population of the towns has not changed much since the first pioneer communities were set up. Many of the families were "called" to settle that area by Mormon prophet Brigham Young. Living there was tough back then and even with modern conveniences, it is somewhat tough today. I once read or heard someone say that the people that are descendants from the original pioneer stock that still live there are tough. The saying is something like this: Brigham Young sent families to settle the Bear Lake Valley. Some  families stayed and died, some families left, so only the tough ones remained. I can sense that attitude with descendants of the pioneers today. If you do a search you can find the names of the families Brigham Young sent to that valley. Even though many of their children have grown and moved away over the years, some have stayed and some have returned. Some have historical lands that are now summer get-a-ways. There are also those who have no attachment to the place other than they like to recreate on the landscape and have purchased summer retreats and to a lesser degree winter retreats for that purpose. As you interact with the different people in the valley, you can tell which ones have a connection to place over a long time versus those whose connection is not as long or as strong.

   The reason my mind turns to Bear Lake in winter, is one of fantasy. I envision myself as the lonely writer holed up in a wood stove warmed cabin, typing out stories of wild  outdoor adventures. A writer who has all the spring, summer, and fall, experiences of hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, camping, and exploring pouring out of his mind and onto a page of blank paper.

   Years ago, I told my mom I could spend all winter in our families summer home in Bear Lake. She gasped and said, "Why would you want to do that? And what about a social life?" I told her that I would write articles and books and would only have to go outside to handle chores and maybe do some snowshoeing, or ice fishing. I told her that social life would be taken care of on Sundays by attending the local Mormon church. That was pretty much the end of the conversation. I think that some people acquaint being alone with loneliness--and sometimes mental illness.

   So I've reached for "Winter" and found "Arctic Dreams" on the bookshelf. I've looked out the window and calculated the depth of the fallen snow. My mind is slowing down and I'm wondering if this will be a long winter. These early snows indicate that it might be a long one.

   I've promised a neighbor that I will take him winter whitefishing on the Weber River this year. I haven't done that for a while. It's one way of getting outdoors. I actually enjoy it when the sun is out.
I think I will spend some of my winter "free time" tying up some flies to use on the whitefish and maybe store up some patterns for summer use.

   Cabin fever is starting early. I know why bears hibernate through winter.