(Rocky Mountain Wild Flowers)I met Michael Brownlee in 8th grade; we both attended Taylor Road Middle School in the suburban town of Alpharetta, GA. I could tell immediately that we would be friends for life. Even though we had different interests we immediately built a bond around our love of the outdoors and a passion for all things "Chattahoochee" (our high school). Throughout high school we pledged our loyalty to Hooch Athletics and became legendary Super Fans, attending at least one of every sporting event that the school had to offer. From our Sophomore to Senior year I think we only missed one football game (home or away). We tailgated before every home pigskin classic and became notorious hecklers, reeking havoc on opposing teams at every one of our home basketball games.
Michael was the first person to actually get me to listen to country music (Charlie Daniels - The Devil Went Down to Georgia), he taught me how to net bait fish in the shallows, throw a fly-line, shotgun a beer and pushed me off my first black diamond ski run. He was there when I got married and was one of the first calls when my son was born. He is one of my closest friends and someone that I wouldn't think twice about driving an extra 800 miles to see.
When I arrived in Edwards I was greeted by a 8 lb side of beef, cold beer and open arms. Michael and his wife, Taylor, had been preparing a feast for my arrival. I felt like the protical son arriving home after a long journey - it was one of the warmest arrivals I had received all trip. I gored myself as I consumed more meat than I had eaten in the past five years and shared stories from my travels across Kansas and Rocky Mountain NP. Before the end of the meal we had set an agenda for the following days that included a day of fly-fishing on the Eagle River, a trip to Moe's BBQ and a summit attempt at Mt Sherman, a +14,000 foot peak about an hour from his house. I was in heaven.
(Early Morning Hike)The next morning we awoke to clear blue skies and ventured off on an "acclimation" hike up to 8,000 feet on a trail you can access just behind his house. This roller coaster pattern hill side is the perfect way to get in shape and apparently is a part of Michael and Taylor's daily routine. The last leg of the hike offers unparalleled panoramic views of the valley, but to be honest, my mind was elsewhere during the hike knowing full well that in three hours I would be consuming one of America's most coveted sandwiches, Moe's Pulled Pork BBQ.
After the hike we descended back to the house for a short rest before heading into to town to pick-up a pair of waders and gather valuable insight on the best fly pattern to throw in the Eagle River. We debated nymphs vs. terrestrials and departed feeling confident about what lie ahead. After the fly shop we made a bee-line for Moe's where I once again gored myself, this time on pulled pork, cole slaw and banana pudding. I even grabbed a sandwich for the road knowing full well that I would be craving one on the river later.
(Brownlee Double-haul'n on the Eagle)We spent the rest of the day fording the Eagle and double-hauling our fly-line in search of rainbow trout all the while reminiscing about old times and trying to piece together stories from high school. By the end of our day we had each landed a fish or two but never netted them so our tale of the tape will forever be a mystery, just the way I like it. Back at home we dined on a gourmet meal of double stuffed potatoes and the hind quarters of what appeared to be one of the largest cows that ever lived. With nausea setting in from my triumphant victory over the beef I slipped off to bed with the anticipation of climbing a 14k foot mountain in the morning.
Until Tomorrow.
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