Sometimes life smacks you in the head, pushes you down and gives you a crossroad to chose from. 2023 was one of those life altering years for me. Without going into the gory details, I'll just say that a life of fighting demons finally caught up with me and knocked me to the lowest point in my life, altering all plans that I had set in motion years before with my life partner, removed my daughter's from the equation of the Yakutat trip this year, and changed the course of my life forever. I am extremely proud of all of them calling my BS, and it is their tough love that is helping me to get healthy both mentally and physically for the first time in my life.
As I sit here on January 11 of 2024, I finally feel like it is time to get back to posting and sharing trip details of our Yakutat 2023 trip that couldn't have come at a better time to get me out of my head and onto the right path long term.
This year, two new members joined me in Yakutat who were there for me when I needed them the most. My life long friend from my childhood Jeff Porter, and my brother Ed Wingert. Neither had been to Alaska before, and river fishing for coho salmon was relatively new to both as well. They were the perfect guys to join me in helping me pick myself up off the floor, get out of my head and personal pity party and face life with a new perspective.
I will post the daily details, highs and lows in the coming days... but felt it was important to get the monkey off my back, brush myself off, get back on the horse, put an iron lock on the seatbelt holding me on the wagon and get on with it.
I am extremely grateful for all of you who have stood by me, as well as those of you who have rightfully asked for time and space to heal as I was nothing but a train wreck, not only this past year, since COVID started without a doubt, and really I have battling with a lifelong disease that turns me into a person I cannot stand and too many of us face here in the US. I am extremely grateful and blessed to have the friends and family that I have.
Commentaires