Ode to the Olympics

(SitNews) Klawock, Alaska - In honor of the Winter Olympics, I’ve started my own biathlon.Well, that’s not true. The morning of the not-so Super Bowl my truck died at the river and I had to be towed. So the next morning when I went to the river to fish for steelhead, I had to take my bike. My childhood 10-speed is still in the garage and in relatively good shape, but fortunately for me I have a better, newer bike to take me to the steelhead.It’s not the cross-country skiing and shooting that makes up the actual Olympic event, but there are two definitive parts which require some semblance of athleticism and skill. I felt like it was a big deal, but really it wasn’t. People run or ride their bikes every day regardless of weather. I guess the reason I felt as though my little biathlon was so innovative was because rather than wearing vapor-wicking fitness technology, I had layers of warm clothing covered by my chest waders and a 6-weight fly rod sticking up from my pack. It was also a big deal because a year ago I was wearing shorts all around California, and now I was riding a bike on a 22-degree morning to catch steelhead down the street. It was one of those images I never thought I’d live, one of those moments life provides which makes you think, “wow” rather than, “really?”.See full column at:http://www.sitnews.us/JeffLund/021014_jeff_lund.html