The Chadwick Ram
I’m in The luxurious dining car of a Canadian Pacific Railway train, rolling westbound out on the vast Canadian prairie, chasing the sunset. The ride is smooth, the dinner excellent, and the company interesting. The gentleman sitting across from me, Robert, is a fellow hunter heading out west to go elk hunting. I’m heading that direction as well, to go on a mountain hunt for a very different species.
Earlier in the day when I introduced myself he immediately recognized my name, Lee Sherman Chadwick, and knew of my association with the Chadwick car. We spent quite a bit of time chatting about this, along with hunting of course. Continue Reading
The Great River and the Black Sheep
The silence is broken by a red pine squirrel; I swear he is scolding me. Chastising me, actually, but possibly no worse than I am chastising myself. Here I am, on my first trip as a professional naturalist, and I have already made grievous mistakes.
The latest mistake, last night, had almost gotten me and my companions drowned. We were part way up the Stickeen River, with the water in full flood stage. Another mistake, just being here. Probably two weeks too early, but when we left Wrangell, Alaska, I was too impatient to get going and did not listen to reason. As always, man plans and the gods laugh. Continue Reading
The Best There Ever Was
Four years passed, and Old Man McDougall, as he was now known, never hunted sheep again. The winter was turning to spring, and a heavy winter it had been. Snow was piled high. Once again Scotty slowly recognized the sound, the Chinook wind, just a whisper at first. And then a roar. Continue Reading
Legends of the Fall
With his destiny flashing before his eyes, George slid into shooting position. To his dismay, he found he could not hold a steady bead. His sights, unsurprisingly, wavered on and off the magnificent animal. But the next time they were “on”, he took his chance.
The rifle crack echoed off the mountains. Through the shaking scope, George watched the mighty beast stagger. This was George’s moment, his chance for greatness. This was the place where life intersected with destiny, where a legend was about to fall, and he would be part of it. Continue Reading