Spring Ridge Club, PA

August 2007

August 14 and 15 the soldiers of Project Healing Waters were once again invited to fish the historic trout waters of the Spruce Creek as guests of the Spring Ridge Club. This event was the 3rd annual fishing trip for PHW to fish these waters; and what a trip it was.

We left early Tuesday morning in convoy formation with CPT Eivind Forseth and his son Tristan, CPT Dave Folkerts, 1LT Ferris Butler, SFC Grayson Galatas, and SGT Diane Corchran. The PHW volunteers were Ed Nicholson and RC Jones. Once we got to the club we met up with CPL Bill Johnston (USMC) and SSG Russell Martin, and were introduced to the guides who all volunteered their time and talents to help the soldiers. We had a wonderful lunch with more food than anyone could eat. Then it was time to get to matter at hand. Everyone met up with their respective guides, and it was off to the river.

The fishing was great. Everyone had fish on soon after getting the line on the water. It was truly remarkable that fish 20 to 24 inches were caught on almost every cast, and most of the anglers lost count of the number of fish they caught. The largest fish of the afternoon was caught by Bill Johnston, who hooked into a 26 inch, 6 pound rainbow that took his line to the backing. It was an exciting thing to watch and even more so for Bill to land.

During the afternoon fishing the Channel 10 news crew was there filming and interviewing a number of the anglers. They got some great footage and thoughtful commentary from the group.

That evening we were again hosted by the club for a superb BBQ of chicken, wild game chili, and delicious desserts. After dinner the president of the Spring Ridge Club, Donnie Beaver, presented Ed Nicholson with a check in the amount of $19,200, collected from donations by the Spring Ridge members. Additionally, everyone was given a copy of Fly Waters Near & Far, written by Barry and Cathy Beck. We hit the stream again and fished until dark, continuing to pull in many large trout. After the evening fishing, we sat around the campfire telling the fish stories and eating smores.

Wednesday, we were all up early, served a fantastic breakfast and it was off to the river again. The fishing was somewhat slower, but the consensus -- it’s great to be on the water. After another fantastic lunch, we said our thanks and goodbyes and it was on the road again back to Walter Reed. Before departing town completely, we were given a tour of one of the many caverns in that area of Pennsylvania. It was a nice end to a great trip.

R.C. Jones
PHW Volunteer