Backcountry Fly Fishing On The Other Side

I was told that my friends made a makeshift stretcher from some branches and logs, and carried me out of there that very day. Broken bones, and all. And yes, it took a long time, as in years, for my body to fully recover from the life-changing beatdown that I’d endured in that massive flash flood. And people–doctors, nurses, friends, family, even clergy, all agreed and swore to me that it was an absolute miracle that I’d even survived. To this day, I have no doubt that’s true.

I mean, how does one survive nearly drowning? And having most of one’s bones broken by a once-in-a-lifetime flash flood, chock full of all kinds of heavy debris? Then somehow, also, stay alive for two nights in near freezing temperatures in one of the most remote areas on the East Coast. No, it’s not likely. And maybe, it’s not even humanly possible.

But if I’d learned anything from my near death experience, it was that all things are possible, if you can connect with the conscious source on the other side… that’s also inside of you, too. At the same time.

Still, one thing that wasn’t possible for me to do until now was to explain to anyone what had actually happened to me during those two long days that I’d spent in those reeds beside the West Fork, teetering on the knife’s edge between life and death. And I can tell you that no one on this earth was more curious to know about everything that I’d seen on the other side than Dave. My friend, who’d found my dying body and rescued me.

You see, he’d seen a glimpse of the other side, too.

And he knew, somewhere in his heart, that, my spirit had been hanging around them the whole time, while my body had been lying, nearly dead, only a mile or so upstream of our campsite on the West Fork. He even called to ask me about it, once.

Telling me that he’d seen a blue light. An orb, an entity, or something. Three times, on that fateful trip to the West Fork. And now, he just wanted to know what I’d witnessed on the other side. Cause he was sure that I’d seen something beyond belief. Especially since he also swore to me that he’d distinctly seen a light burst into my chest. And something, or someone, pushing on my body, if only for a split second, right before I’d snapped back to life.

But it was too soon to tell him. And I was having a hard time understanding it all back then. I mean, psychologically, it took me years to integrate the whole experience into my human existence. So I just told him, all those years ago, way back then, that, as I lay dying in those reeds beside that pool on the West Fork, that my spirit was finally set free from my body.

And that, I just left this earthly world to go fly fishing with my Dad on the other side…

And someday, I was looking forward to going back there again. But not until my whole story was told to all those who will listen. And so it goes on and on …

Backcountry Fly Fishing On The Other Side: If you want to go:

If you’re looking to outfit yourself for fly fishing in the backcountry. I’d recommend reviewing the following articles I’ve written:

1. My Hike-In Fly Fishing Gear List, which will help outfit you for fly fishing day hikes into wilderness waterways.
2. My Luxury Lightweight Backpacking Gear List, which will help outfit you for overnight camping trips. Just don’t forget your fly fishing gear.
3. The Top 3 Backpacking Backpacks of 2023, if you’re planning a longer trip into the backcountry to fly fish, then you’ll probably need an expedition backpack, which is covered in more detail in the above article.

By the way, if you’ve enjoyed this post, then you’d surely love reading my adventure fiction book, ‘Big Thunder-Hearted River’, which is the ultimate ghost story and deep exploration of the other side, as well. You can learn more about it and get yourself a copy, here!

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Backcountry Fly Fishing Bonus:

The top 5 places for backcountry fly fishing in the East:

1. Hazel Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some nice browns in there, but you need a permit to camp. And a boat ride across Fontana Lake.
2. Linville River, North Carolina. An expert whitewater stream and very rugged backcountry. I found a nice campsite in there after hiking into the gorge, years ago.
3. Cranberry River, West Virginia. I’ve kayaked the whitewater section of the Cranberry just downstream from the wilderness fly fishing area. It’s a huge wilderness area, for the East, which only permits foot traffic. So backcountry fly fishing is the rule. Legend has it that the wilderness area offers stellar fly fishing.
4. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. This is where I learned the art of fly fishing for brook trout. There’s many notable streams off the east and west slopes of the park. Big Run, Rapidan, Rose, Conway, Jeremy’s, St. Mary’s, Whiteoak Canyon, etc. I’ve fished many of these. But it’s best to fly fish them in the Spring, early Summer, or Fall. And not after a significant dry or hot spell.
5. Penns Creek, Pennsylvania. Not exactly a backcountry fly fishing area. Nonetheless, Penns Creek has a special regulations section about 4 miles long that smacks of backcountry fly fishing. As there’s no vehicular access. So you might want to come prepared for a lot of hiking to access some of the best wilderness fly fishing here. Some of the hatches on this magical stream are prolific to say the least.
6. Out West. Too much to cover here.

Backcountry Fly Fishing On The Other Side is dedicated to R. E. O.

Gary Alan

After a long career in the publishing industry, Gary Alan left his corporate job to pursue his next adventures in life as a blogger, writer, investor, fly fisherman, hiker, and traveler. He is the author of the adventure fiction book, 'Big Thunder-Hearted River'.