A decision was made. We would go camping. Yay! Only, I would pitch the tent to sleep in and my pic chick would have the SUV with inflatable mattress, etc… .

OK, good enough for me. At least my snoring would be a non-issue. Actually, another benefit was the tossing and turning factor; I could waller all I wanted to and not worry. Plus when daylight broke, I could get up, rig the rod and hit the water running. But, to tell the truth, there was no running to it. We were on a small creek that had been restored to its native trout species: the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. My mission: see if I can catch one.

Ok, so it wasn’t a lunker, unless you consider the fact that this was reproduction from the recent restocking. That made it special for me. It, and others like it, will never achieve a lot of size, but that’s not the point. It is a true Southern native, and that’s all that matters. Back home again. What a feeling. Thanks to all the hard work by the SABT committee and the SC DNR. You guys know who you are.