Skookum: Good Hat Is Hard To Find

Last week on the Interstate heading to a new trout haunt, one that I was assured was severely under fished and little known, the yellow hat leapt from my head and spun behind me on the asphalt. Several semis and the usual summer throng of traveling families in minivans, SUVs and Winnebagos bore down on it. I watched it disappear in the rear view. I wanted to stop, but danger said no. There were other reasons. My instincts told me keep driving. It was time to let go. To move on. To wear one of the other hats that I keep in a pack and don’t wear for reasons I’ve never addressed. Despite the fishing at the new spot, which required a long trek on a two-track over BLM land that seemed ideal for the cacti that grew there, I couldn’t stop thinking about the hat. “It’s just a hat,” someone said. “I’ll buy you another.” It’s true, but I looked for it anyways on the way back without sighting it/ Raph Bartholdt , Skookum Photography. More here .

DFO: Today, I’m introducing a new blog to the North Idaho Blogroll — Skookum Photography, with Ralph Bartholdt, St. Maries Gazette-Record, at the helm. You’ve seen Ralph’s photography and read his writing here before. Enjoy. I will.

Question: Describe your favorite hat.