An Outdoorsman's Journal

   The Golden Years!

Hello friends,

   I am happy to say that as of today, I feel that I have passed through the very dark tunnel of the effects of Giardia and Ecoli. I kind of lost 23 days of my life and now I am going to make up for it by heading to Montana, tonight, and checking out new elk country, then to Idaho to load up Selina's possessions and then to Calgary, Alberta Canada. All in all, this roughly 4500-mile trip will be another test of that great thing called life.
   This week I am going to write to you about my 8 golden retrievers that I have had since 1982, and it will tell you a lot. Thank you for bearing with me as I died and then came back to life!
   1981. I rented a farm with a friend for $100 bucks a month. Twenty, 40-pound pigs were purchased, chickens, calves, rabbits and most importantly, my first golden retriever who I named Ranger. Like the next 7 over the next 45 years, Ranger would become my best buddy.
   1985. I moved to New Lisbon in late ‘82 after realizing I was not going to make my first billion in farming and became a steel fabricator at BarBel Fabricating. Some of best men that I would ever meet became my coworkers and I loved those guys. In ‘85 Ranger gave birth to Ben who would become a superb, hunting dog and partner in crime with me.
   Losing a downed duck did not happen with Ben. Ben was with me for a 1244-mile trek of The Appalachain Trail and carried his own pack. I hand wrote this column, and snail mailed it to my editors in Deforest, Dick and Molly Emerson. Ben was a massive bundle of gold who weighed 113 pounds the last time he was weighed, and he was built like granite.
   1991. I decided to canoe the Wisconsin River; Ben was getting long in the tooth and needed a mate. The day before I left, I purchased Star. Star was fairly close to crazy, mixed with super tough and learned from Ben that losing downed ducks and pheasant was not an option. Star would give birth at deer camp to my next pup and would pass away at deer camp at the age of 10.
   1995. This situation was the dumbest coolest trip ever where I had a new pup. While canoeing the entire Chippewa River I met a gal in Glidden, I then moved to Glidden. I was kind of a wildman back then and this column was taking off in a lot of newspapers. Star gave birth to Ben's pup Pearl, Ben passed away weeks later. Ben was an avid sled puller and carried his 20-pound pack well over 1500-miles.
    I had the extremely insane, no plan idea to hike the 170-mile ice of Lake Superior, from Superior to Saxon Harbor on the ice with Star pulling a sled and 8-week old Pearl in it. This was the no plan trip, I found a place in Superior to stash my very beat-up Chevy pickup and just headed east on the ice, no tent and I lived on the ice for 17 days.
  Twice I fell through the ice while attached to my sled, and about a million times I jumped leads, which is open water while pulling my sled. I would have Star stay 50-yards from the lead, do my jump after a very long run, and then have Star follow with Pearl in the sled, zero failure, ever.
   2003. Pearl gave birth to Ice at deer camp. Ice was a dandy, another massive mongrel with a brain to go with him. Ice was a superb hunter and as cool a best friend as one could hope for, like the other goldens, he pulled a sled in the winter and carried a pack in the summer.
   Lake Superior was the trip that created the idea but I had decided to do all of Wisconsin in silent sports on the outside border, can you say crazy? A map, a compass and will power, my pups and I did everything but Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River on the Illinois border. I would be trespassing the entire section and after nearly being shot on a man’s land, while asking to cross it, I passed and moved on to other subjects.
  Christmas 2009. I purchased Fire who my dream was to keep my genetic line going with Ice. On Christmas morning Selina was greeted to Fire, and it was her pup, she looked at me and said “Daddy I don't need any more gifts," that was my favorite Christmas. Ice came down with Anaplasmosis when Fire was 8-months old and it killed him, a major setback!
  2012. Fire gave birth to Ruby. When Ruby was 8 weeks old, Fire decided to take Ruby for a stroll and came home without her. I live in wolf country, and it is heavily forested. For two weeks I put out signs and stopped at houses and walked a lot. On the 14th day I made a final effort. On the last remote dirt trail, I was going to check out I came to a closed-up cabin. I put a sign on the door and started calling. Something caught my eye in the woods, it was a very skinny Ruby, maybe 50 yards away, sitting and staring at me. Without a doubt, Ruby was the toughest dog I have ever owned.
       2022. Ruby gave birth to Red in April of 2022. Michelle Chiaro was my life partner and passed away unexpectedly 9 weeks after Red was born. The next year or so was a pure fog, I had zero cares about training a hunting dog. Red on the other hand is the coolest, most intelligent golden retriever that I have ever owned. Last week, I was figuring that I would get a pup out of Red but she only gave birth to one and that one is spoken for.
  As you can see, much of my adult history is tied around my goldens and will be as long as I can!
  I read the following on a beach bathroom wall in Hawaii, many moons ago, “The only true wealth, is good health!” Get Giardia and you will agree.

  Sunset