Hello Everyone! I hope that everyone is alive and well. Let me start by telling allof you that I miss you very much. I should let all of you know that I am in Gardiner, Montana the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park and I am and have been working for Warren Johnson (the man who Luke, David and John all worked for) I have been here since June 20th and I'll probably return home November 29th. I've been working as hard as I can and have not had a day off since I got here. My experiences have gone from getting bucked off of multiple horses to riding over the top of the absaroka divide at 10:00 PM in a blizzard with 15 mule loads behind me alone to driving home from the yellowstone park hellroaring trailhead at 1:00 at night also alone and almost hitting a black bear and a wandering lone bison within ten minutes from one another on my way home. Suffice it to say I'm getting an education in toughness, both mental and physical, and common sense. Right now it is snowing and 20 degrees which means that the elsk should be here for the beginning of General season (Sunday). I just thought I should update all of you and tell you I love you. Hopefully you're all visiting Grandma as often as possible...I can't wait to see all of you!
Peace be with you all!
With love and prayers,
Wim
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8 comments:
Nice note! Tie up an elk for me. I'll be there November 11th!!
Wim,
Great to hear from you! You are getting an education in toughness I'm sure! Mom loves it when you've called to chat with her. Keep up the good work. We love you too. I'm glad it's not reaching those temperatures here right now!
Katie and the Thornhills
William, work your ass off. Again: Work your ass off. Make them know you mean business. When you're tired and cold, remember: what you do, how you react, how you interact, in the time of the biggest, basic challenges is what what defines you internally. You will know yourself pretty dang well when its all said and done. I respect what you are doing. Make your own self proud.
bpr
William Roach,
I cannot tell you how happy I am that you are there.
Many in our family had the life-making experience of working in Alaska, but the sage Warren Johnson has provided an equivalent (and I would submit, harder core, though different) experience.
I always said to myself, while I was at ND and wondering what in the bloody hell I was going to do with my life, that if it got REAL bad, I'd follow my brother Luke's example and go hang out with Warren for awhile to figure out what to do with my life.
The truth is, while Warren is beyond all doubt a philosopher, the times you get with him to actually discuss such things are few and far between during the fall. Most of your time is spent breaking colts, wrangling horses, wishing to God you had a partner on a pack string, wishing to God you had a woman waiting for you in Gardiner after 33 days in the backcountry (still a record, I think), killing elk, breaking more damn colts at the wrong time of the year, etc.
I can't wait to share stories with you when you get back, cuz. But then again, if you even read this, you haven't been in the backcountry long enough. ;)
Wim,
It is great to hear of your experiences in Montana. Martha Washington said that, .."The greater part of happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances."
It sounds like you have some pretty miserable circumstances to deal with occaisionally, but you sure sound happy!
Thanks again for letting us in on the fun.
Love ya,
Bill
Wim,
Keep your head up, you are going to remember these days all your life (even if they aren't all great). Someday you will be man enough to fish in Alaska like the real men (just wanted to take a dig :)
I think it's great you are spending your time realizing what life is all about. You don't get that education behind a desk!
Can't wait to hear the stories!!
JDR
Wim,
It literally brings tears to my eyes thinking about you up there...I really admire you for making the leap, sucking it up and pushing yourself beyond what I am sure you ever thought possible.
The stories I have heard about living and working in the back-country are truely unbelievable. Unless you have been there, I think it is difficult for the greater family to know exactly what you mean by leading a 15 mule pack train across the divide alone. I have seen it done, it is a true test of one's courage, confidence and determination!
Luke wrote a great short story about an "Italian Cowboy" crossing the divide in the snow with a pack train. I think it was for one of his applications to college or med school, I can't remember. It really catches the spirit of what you are doing...
Maybe John or my dad has access to an electronic copy of it and can blog it for everybody to read.
Can't wait to see you! Take care of my dad when he gets there---he is almost 60 you know!!
Kiss Aimee and Sue for me,
Shannon
dear all, thanks for your words of wisdom... I do love what I'm doing here and I am relishing it. the hard work can also be fun...I should have said that i dislike not one aspect of this job. miss you all
wim
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