Pilgrimmages

Hello Fishtrap Friends,

“I decided that if I committed to the process of writing, the reason for writing might present itself.” – Pam Royes, Fishtrap writing workshop participant

Summer Fishtrap registration is open, and you can commit yourself to the process of writing by joining us for a writing workshop, or come for the subsequent Gathering to hear from those who have made that commitment for a lifetime. Or do both. Some workshops are already full, but there is still plenty of room. Go to www.fishtrap.org/sft2010.htm. The theme is “Matter and Spirit.”

I have been on a few long foot journeys – pilgrimmages, perhaps – in my life, including an end-to-end hike on the Appalachian Trail (2,167 miles, as I recall) back in the year 2000. On that particular trail, there are many fellow travelers, and I met and became close friends with one in particular, a devout Catholic, whose “trail name” was Gilligan, for the little white hat he always wore. And for being a very, very funny guy. As we walked north, we talked of everything under the sun, including, of course, religion. My trail name was “Mossy Old Troll,” for being hairy and old. And for being a very, very unfunny guy.

Twenty years his senior, I thought I had a few things to teach him, like cribbage. I carried a tiny, folding cribbage board with me, and proceeded to initiate him into the mysteries of the game. Funny thing was, he never lost. Not from the very first game. After a few hundred miles and a couple of dozen defeats in a row, I finally found myself in an unbeatable position. It was in the Grayson Highlands of Virginia, the high open meadows a welcome change from miles of leafy green forest. We had stopped to enjoy the setting, while other hikers marched by, intent on Maine, still 1500 miles away.

I was 25 holes ahead of him, in the “dead hole,” the last hole before going out. Finally, victory was a sure thing. I looked at him and said, “Gilligan, if you beat me in this game, I’ll convert to Catholicism.” A sunbeam played across the hillside as he proceeded to lay down a 20 hand, with another 12 in the crib. I was dead, all right.

I never have made good on the promise. About the closest we ever came to going to church together on that hike was when we got to Maine in October, and, with our “trail family” of Yak, Yetti, and Flipper, built ourselves a sweat lodge out of sticks and tent flies. Gets the toxins out of your system, they say. We all worked up a good sweat before diving, naked, into Nahmakanta Lake to the accompaniment of loons.

A couple of years later, Gilligan came to live with me for the summer. With the enthusiasm of youth, he decided I needed a sweat lodge in my back yard, and dug out a 15 x 15 platform for the lodge and a bathtub. Then he left. A local old-timer cowboy, Sam Loftus, bequeathed me an equally old bathtub before he passed away, and now the bathtub sits on that gravel pad in my back yard.

Although it took six and a half months, the Appalachian Trail was not the longest trail I’ve hiked. That honor belongs to a seven year journey I am just about to complete here at Fishtrap. After five years as Fishtrap’s first Development Director, and two years as its second Executive Director, I am stepping down to make way for that person who has the skills, commitment, and love for writing to carry Fishtrap on the next part of the journey.

When I was asked to step into Rich Wandschneider’s shoes (bigger, both literally and figuratively, than my own), it was with the understanding that, beyond an initial one year commitment, the future was open. Now, after two years and by mutual agreement with the board, I will be moving on. The timing is good. Programs have been going well, our finances are in good shape, and all the pieces are in place for a wonderful Summer Fishtrap.

I’m not leaving this afternoon. I’ll be hanging around camp to help out a bit while we wait for the next Executive Director to come out of the woods and join Fishtrap’s trail family. In cribbage parlance, you might say I’m in the dead hole. But I will have left before Summer Fishtrap starts. I’m afraid if I did come, Brian Doyle would make me make good on my promise to Gilligan.

If you’re interested in the job, or know someone who is, there is a position announcement available for download off Fishtrap’s website. Go to the home page at www.fishtrap.org, and look for the link at the bottom of the left hand side of the page. To be considered in the first round, submit a cover letter, resume, and references by April 14. You can email them to elizabeth@fishtrap.org or sbadgerjones@eoni.com. There may be other rounds. The start date is negotiable.

What’s next for me? Well, I think I’ll name that bathtub “Nahmakanta Lake,” and get that sweat lodge built. After that, who knows? Maybe I’ll go to Norway. I hear there are trolls there.

Cheers,

Rick Bombaci
Executive Director