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guide, a participant who donated money to the organization, a current or retired NHL player, and a wounded veteran.
The teams caught a smorgas-bord of trout: browns, cutthroats, cut bows, brookies, rainbows and tiger. Along the stretch of river, triumphant cries could be heard when a big fish was landed and then released. The biggest single catch on Saturday was 24 inches.
The battle to healSome of the veterans’ injuries
are obvious, but most are not; a few are rehabilitating battles injuries, and others suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. After time spent on the river, life’s problems seem far away.
Joe Vigil of Pueblo is a wounded warrior, having served in the Army National Guard, and he has been fishing many times with Healing Waters.
“This is actually about having fun and forgetting,” Vigil said.
Vigil originally didn’t want to participate in the program.
“A friend told me about this, but I was so shut down that my sergeant had to order me to come,” Vigil said.
Vigil said there was something about catching that first fish, and that angling is the only time he forgets about his pain. He has moved from being a beginning angler to helping newcomers learn the lines.
“On the trip up, people are
complaining about the military, but on the way back, all of it is fish talk,” Vigil said.
To other wounded warriors, Vigil said: “Anybody who comes out here will be hooked.”
A history of healingRegional coordinator Gary
Spuhler, a retired lieutenant colonel, said many of the pro-gram’s participants served in Iraq and Afghanistan, but some served in other wars going back to World War II.
“We’re proud to do the right thing, because the goal is to make these soldiers better,” Spuhler said.
Project Healing Waters Fly
Fishing began at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2005; it now has 103 programs in 37 states and Canada. The program has 3,000 service members and disabled veterans.
Gordy Rothoff brought Project Healing Waters to the Bailey area, and while he didn’t serve in the military, he feels this is his chance to help.
“We see big changes in soldiers from when they first come here,” Rothoff said. “At first they are sul-len and tight-lipped with civilians, but as they start to catch fish, their attitude changes.”
Jim Johnson, a former NHL defenseman, had caught and
released almost a dozen fish by noon Saturday. While his catch was impressive, he was even more impressed by the Healing Waters program.
“This is such a worthwhile cause. Our veterans do so much to secure our freedom,” Johnson said.
The weekend’s event was filmed by the TV series “Fly Rod Chronicles,” seen on the Sportsman Channel network.
Angling for a catch Fly-fishing has its own special-
ized language: Call them anglers, not fisherman. The round ball on the line isn’t a bobber — it’s a strike indicator. And don’t call it a fishing rod; it’s a pole.
There are rules as well. A beat is a fishing spot on
private land, and the first person there has right-of-way.
Fish for no more than an hour and move on.
Just as it’s invasive to stand too close to someone on a sidewalk, the same goes for fishing too close in a river.
Watch out when an angler is casting his line; the tiny hook can catch clothing or skin.
Tom Dorl of Colorado Springs serves in the Air Force, and during the morning he had caught only one fish. A second fish had other plans.
“I told that fish he was coming in, but he said no and waved his middle fin at me,” Dorl said. “Luck will get you there, but skill will reel them in.”
Dawn Gwin of Grand Junction is the event’s only veteran female angler. She spent most of her time
on the southernmost end of the property along with guide Jack Moreno of John Hagen Outfitters, which supplied the equipment and guides for the event. By noon Gwin had caught six fish.
“This is so serene, so peaceful,” Gwin said. “It’s an artistic picture out here.”
Gwin served in Afghanistan and has worked with different programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She said most women gravitate toward yoga, but she found she needed more — and spending more time around water was the next step.
Now in love with angling, she ties her own flies and has her own equipment. She thinks more women would participate if they knew how peaceful the experience can be. Standing in the water with pole in hand, Gwin talks about the river with a gentle, serene smile on her face.
“It’s really beautiful out here,” she said.
Mauritz has been fishing for more years than he cares to admit, and he’s owned the 240-acre property since 1990. The ranch also grows hay, along with being a permanent home for Mauritz and his family. Watching the anglers catch big fish and taking in the healing waters, Mauritz said the idyllic setting is the perfect place to work.
“It’s not a bad office out here,” Mauritz said.
Contact Barbara Ford at [email protected] or 303-350-1043. Check www.HighTimber Times.com for updates.
20 News Wednesday, August 24, 2011 www.HighTimberTimes.com
veTerAnsFrom Page 1
Photo by BArBArA Ford | The Times
Jack Moreno, a guide with John Hagen Outfitters, helped at the Battle at Boxwood Gulch, a fund-raiser for Project Healing Waters.
10 News Wednesday, August 24, 2011 www.HighTimberTimes.com
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