The Madison River in
Ennis, Montana

Your two day expedition will begin from Ennis, Montana. Ennis is a small town about 60 miles north of Yellowstone National Park with a population of about 1,000 people. It’s a ranching town at heart, but fly fishing is the blood of the community. The Madison river passes the town on the east running north to Ennis Lake. We will have breakfast at a local favorite, the Pic-a-nic Basket and depart for the river early in the morning on our first day.

Navigating the expansive rivers of western Montana is often best accomplished from a vessel called a Drift Boat. Drift boats are commonly designed to accommodate 3 passengers; two guests and a rower. The boat will be packed with everything we need to fish, camp, view wildlife, and enjoy the Madison valley for the next two days. All you will need to bring is appropriate clothing and layers to protect you from the elements.

“Of course, you can just fish if you want to. But when’s the last time you took two whole days to talk and think about what makes you happy?”

Lyon’s Bridge

We will launch our boat from the Lyon’s Bridge public access site in Cameron, MT. Depending on your comfortability with a fly rod and casting, we will spend an appropriate amount of time learning or reviewing a few techniques that will help you during your expedition. We will also talk about boat safety and what you need to do to stay safe. Although the Madison River has very little in terms of “white water” it is a fast river with large boulders in places and we want to ensure that you stay warm, safe, and dry.

Discovery

After preparations are completed and the boat is in the water we will begin our adventure downriver back towards Ennis, heading north from Lyon’s Bridge. At this point in the journey, we will focus our time on discovery. Every adventurer has their own purpose for the River Stoic experience, and we will spend time exploring the themes, topics, and interest areas that are most important to you (this is usually co-planned before you arrive in Montana). The goal of discovery is to establish a foundation of knowledge and trust.

I will ask you questions about your life philosophy, your motivations, the things you cherish, and the challenges you face.

My goal is to learn what you are willing to share with me. I love hearing stories, and I want to know yours. You’ll be fishing, I’ll be rowing, and we will navigate the river, its rocks, wind, and wildlife as we go.

Framing the View

As we continue downstream, we will place mental bookmarks for us to revisit important topics and ideas that are shared in the Discovery process.

We will stop on the banks of the river, take pictures of the scenery, read and explore excerpts from great thinkers, eat some great food, and experience the little slice of heaven we’ve found ourselves in as we go.

While there is time for silence and introspection there are often moments of excitement and fantastic energy when you hook your first trout, experience the frustrations of snags on rocks and logs, or watch as moose, deer, hawks, and eagles wander across our path.

Exploring Ideas

As we row towards the destination and campsite on our first day we will begin to explore ways a philosophy of life may form or shift, and the merits and shortcomings of great Stoic philosophers. This will include modern interpretations of those ancient musings. We will also explore the metaphors, lessons, and benefits afforded to us from time in and with the natural world, and especially fly fishing.

During this component of the trip we often begin to challenge our beliefs and thinking as an exercise for self improvement. “Is that really important?” “Why do I feel that way?” “Is there another way to interpret that situation?” Years spent as an educator and leader helps me question, learn, and prod you in healthy ways.

After about 7 hours on the river, we will reach our first destination and set up camp together. I will cook us dinner while we enjoy the river, wildlife, and the alpenglow cast off the mountains.

Reflection

Although there will be ample time for meaningful reflection throughout the Journey, the evening of the first night is a particularly powerful time to dig into your own thoughts. I will offer prompts related to our conversation throughout the day and before the trip. I try to offer moments of reflection as a means of consistently vetting and iterating your ideas and beliefs. Adventurers do not have to share these reflections, but they are often the grounds for meaningful discourse and personal growth.

Day 2: Direction

The second day on the Madison starts much differently than the first. Coffee and breakfast complemented by a Montana sunrise along the banks of the river is difficult to beat.

We will break down camp and continue our northward adventure while we consider and examine the merits of a philosophy of life and its purpose. The goal of our second day is to identify ways we might better align our beliefs or intentions with our actions.

Conversations often involve ideals of:

Virtue
Duty
Nature
Pleasure
Anger
Wisdom
Tranquility
Happiness

Intentions

What do you intend to do? What are your aspirations, goals, dreams, objectives, or tasks you want to complete? Do you act with purpose? What holds you back?

Big or small we will explore and question the intentions at the root of your life philosophy.

“The tranquility that comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think, or do. Only what you do.”

-Marcus Aurelius

Actions

The last part of the journey is making a commitment to do something different. Make one change or one small act. We will probably talk about why change is hard, and the types of actions that align with your intentions. I might ask you, “Why"?” a few times just to get you to dig in a bit deeper. We will try to talk about ways your actions can really make a difference in your life. We will explore how you can align your philosophy with the things you do every day.

I’ll commit to follow up with you. I’ll at least check-in and see how things are going in the future. I truly enjoy meeting and learning about people, and I want you to be happy and healthy.

Finally, after a lot of fishing, a lot of talking, some silence and solitude, miles of scenery and hours of peace and relaxation we will arrive at our final destination.