#Blindscentz: Blind on the Fly!

Some friends come into our lives for a brief moment. Some friends stay for a few years or chapters. I have a friend of a lifetime. We have been friends for most of our adult lives. I first met her two weeks after she moved her family across the country from Newfoundland. We have laughed together, cried together and shared some of life’s biggest moments. My friend Gloria  was amongst family that stayed with me during the five months in the hospital recovering from heart transplant and adjusting to blindness. She is more than a friend. She is a soul sister.

Recently she invited me to her cabin on the Gander River. After all these years and life’s busy moments I finally said yes. I was even prepared to fly across the country on my own as my confidence is growing, however my partner was losing his mind over this concept. I compromised and invited Gloria’s niece who is from Newfoundland to accompany me as my sighted travel guide.

We took the red eye and arrived in Newfoundland at 1:30 pm. Gloria left her husbands Grandmothers 104^th birthday party early to pick us up from the airport.

We arrived at her beautiful cabin with the loons calling my name and reminding me of the peace and grace of spending  quiet time in nature. It was so quiet and peaceful there. No human noise of any kind.

The following day while getting my license Gloria left me to gather a few items. When she returned, she started to laugh, as her stepfather Terry was standing right next to me. Terry and I have been friends for many of the years Gloria has lived in Fort St. John.! I knew then I was in sync and right where I needed to be.

The night before we were to head out fishing, Gloria’s husband Bob gave me a refresher on my fly rod casting. This was the first time casting since blind. It went well! Just like riding a bike. 

We went on the Gander River in a flat bottom canoe. The first place we stopped we just left the line out and reeled in slowly. I caught a couple of fingerlings. That qualified as me catching the first fish. We then moved upriver to the secret fishing spot where I stood up and began fly casting. Bob saw that the fish were rising to my fly and directed me which direction to cast. It wasn’t to long when I caught a wild Atlantic Salmon! We were all so excited. Gloria’s sound effects were priceless. I don’t know who was more excited me for catching the fish or for them watching me catch the fish. It was a real fighter. It took me over  eight minutes to reel it in. As soon as we got it in the boat the hook fell out of its mouth!

Bob tells me it was just under the threshold. Any bigger and we would have had to throw it back! There was enough fish to feed the three of us for two meals. I must say it was the best tasting fish ever.

When I called my partner, he said that I did not suffer enough and that was way to easy! Ha! Ha! Coming from the guy that fished for days without a nibble.

I must say that I am hooked and will now be searching for more blind on the fly moments. I am pulling out my old fly rod.  A great big thank-you to Gloria for the invitation and making this trip happen. Love you to the moon!

Edwina Nearhood is a long time Fort St. John resident sharing her vision loss journey.  Please remember, every person’s vision loss experience is as unique as they are.