Here we go again. Time to get outdoors and enjoy it. 

I’ve been away from the keyboard for a while, long while actually. It seems age is starting to tell me I must change how I enjoy the outdoors. No longer am I first to the top of the mountain with the heaviest pack or first to the river with my fly drifting before anyone else. Nope, now it takes planning, organization, careful packing of gear, informing family where I’m going how long l will be gone, and last and most important arguing with and convincing my old bones and muscles to do what I ask of them. Sometimes I win that argument but mostly not.

Heart surgeries, pacemaker and new mechanical heart valve are a much heavier load than the backpacks were way back in the olden days. 

So, with all that pile of excuses out there now, here we go. A new focus with a new tempo to life. No more winging it. Now it’s all on a map. If the map has snow or bad roads or big wind, then we just do the virtual outdoorsman for a day or two. I’ve found some pretty good adventures of others on YouTube. I can watch the younger folks and get my outdoor fix and even bark at the TV once in a while saying, “No!” Don’t shoot that one. Or “Hey you’re gonna get busted.” “Stop moving!” Or “Hey that’s the wrong call you silly.” 

Used to be I remembered the good times being long hikes and lots of country visited. Now, I feel blessed to get out there and see a few critters from the car. 

With all the complaining out of the way now, here’s the good stuff; I have two grandsons now, their mom -my daughter-in-law loves to fish. Oh, what a great excuse to finally get that boat I’ve been stashing $ in the cookie jar for 25 years for. It’s perfect. An old 18 1/2-foot Lund with all the whistles and bells for the 1988 model year it is. Rumor has it, it’s a real fish catching dream boat. We’re gonna test that rumor out as soon as possible. 

Life is a bag of hopes and dreams strung out over time. We try hard to catch up to the good ones and duck out on the not so good ones. 

The older one gets the more philosophical one gets. Why? Because it takes a lot less horsepower to sit and think than it does to bounce up a mountain for entertainment.

So, now where do we go? 

My hope and plan are to get out and keep building memories outside. Share them with folks who would be entertained by my antics and efforts, successful and maybe not successful. Life is short, tomorrow is not promised. So, strive to live every day you can and do it on purpose.

Make a plan, fishing, hunting, hiking, driving dirt roads, hitting Oregon Trail spots for metal detecting or narrow mountain streams with a gold pan. Take the binoculars out for a drive and find that old buck that made another season. Take the predator call out for a conversation with a coyote or another toothy critter most ranchers would rather not see in the pasture with the calves or lambs. Sometimes it feels like a successful hunt just to get a great picture of something outside. 

Life is different now. I used to be that hardcore go gett’em guy. Now my son affectionately calls me “Old Codger.” I’m grumpier than I used to be. On the bright side, I’m also softer (in a good way) than I used to be.

Our hope here at the Telegram is to help inform outdoor folks about outdoor happenings if we can. Is your little one in a small-bore shooting competition, give a call or a message. Archery? Camping trip with the scouts maybe... Let us know. You have a mountain lion camped out in your backyard, give us a call after you contact game and fish. How ‘bout a bear, if you have one hibernating under your deck, we’d love a picture, give us a call. 

There are enough tough news stories out there, let’s share some good ones. Let’s share some of what we all love about Wyoming.

Local newspapers are a wonderful thing. I’ve been printing them for 50+ years. I know this is the core of an informed and entertained community. We will do our best to be the place you come for your connection to your hometown. I’ll give it my best shot to hit the bullseye for outdoor information and my own view of outdoor entertainment. 

If you have news, events, happenings or suggestions, even if you have a complaint, send it to me at wanderson@torringtontelegram.com