I spent a lot of time thinking if I should document my years or not. I did nothing important or extraordinary in my existence. What took 60 years to experience was all taken from memory and grouped together in a 10 month time frame. I spent a lifetime outdoors and was never a rich man by monetary values. My richness came with having a wonderful wife, plenty of firewood to keep warm, raising four step-daughters and one daughter, being able to hunt, trap and work in the outdoors my entire career. I am thankful to my wife Bonnie for putting up with a lifestyle that takes a lot of work. She is the light that kept me going since I met her in 1977. I had to wait for her for 22 years, but it was worth every day.  

Only first names were used on many individuals described in the text. This was done to protect the privacy of those individuals. It was also felt that several of the characters mentioned in this book should be documented, otherwise they will fully be forgotten in time. If this document had not mentioned the likes of Bill McIntyre, Gene Garrett, Lloyd Paul, Dan Nosler, or Newell Furlong, they would have been totally unknown. I was fortunate to be able to meet most of these people throughout the 60 years I was following some sort of line.

The book contains many photos, probably more than most books. I spent 60 years taking photos, but never thought that any of them would eventually be used in any sort of book. Each photo tells a story and hopefully the reader could relate them all to the particular chapter. I am not a professional writer but tried to describe my experiences so that all would not be lost in time. Everyone has a story. This one happens to be mine.