On Consciousness

The interdisciplinary field of neuroscience has been my centre of focus for the past year. It is, needless to say, a subject of great depth (being an academic cocktail of biology, chemistry, and psychology), and requires a certain degree of self-discipline. As students, we learn of the mechanisms that control automatic processes such as breathing and heart rate. We've also spent time learning about the muscle and sensory systems. As astounding and intricate, delicate and elegant the brain clearly is, what many neuroscientists and students likely consider to be its most intriguing characteristic would be its product of consciousness.

Consciousness is perhaps the most complex product of the brain's many complex processes, considering we still don't know exactly how it's processed. A short and simplified definition of it is self-awareness: the awareness of one's self and his/her surrounding world.

The awareness of my existence amongst the trees, the rivers, the lakes, the mountains; the awareness of the life existing around me, as well as existing in me. The knowing of billions of stars in the sky that sleep in galaxies far beyond our reach; the feeling of insignificance amidst a significant universe. This is consciousness in its simple, beautiful sense. Without it, I would be unable to enjoy the outdoors. The thrill of the harvest. Consuming life as it consumes me. And to think that we are only beginning to really understand what consciousness is...

The First Fishing Trip of 2014

Ryan and I headed to Waubaushene to test our luck (and patience) with largemouth bass, pike, pickerel, and anything else in season worth throwing on a grill.

The drive was about two hours north from Ryan's place, and the scenery leading up to our destination was beautiful. There were rolling green hills, farms, and forests to stimulate our sights. When we finally reached the small town of Waubaushene, we prepared the canoe, and launched it. There isn't much to say about this trip in terms of action, as we didn't catch anything; however, Ryan had two large fish on the hook, only to lose them shortly after the fights began. Afterwards, it was quiet. We had fun nonetheless, as we paddled along the weed beds in search of promising fishing spots.

Our legs and backs eventually became sore from sitting in the canoe for over three hours, and so we decided to stop at an island in the middle of the bay. We stretched, walked around, observed the wild flowers and other plants growing on the island, and talked about coming back to Waubaushene despite not catching anything - after all, we knew the fish were there, but it just wasn't our day. That day will come (in 2014, hopefully!). Furthermore, the bay is apparently a great spot for waterfowl hunting in the fall. I've already begun planning the trip in my head. I'll update here when I obtain a waterfowl license.

Pictures of the island:

Into the Wild, and Back Again...

...So we hopped in the car, with the spontaneous notion in mind that we were going to head north, shoot some clays, and call it a day. Everything went well. The ride was smooth. We got there, put on our trekking boots, grabbed the gun, and even a hand axe, as we had hoped to make a small fire. It was but a grasp away, and then, as we entered the trail and into the woods, the mosquitoes came...

Mosquitoes... everywhere - to the point where we had to turn back and go home.

Yep. That's what happens when you pack everything and forget about mosquito repellent in the summer. They ruined it. No shooting. We'll be back though, and we won't forget the repellent this time.

(I counted 19 bites all over my body, and there may be more - I just don't know it yet).

The massacre didn't stop us from taking a quick photo in the woods (though this picture was extremely hard to take).

The New Layout

Along with the recent statements of a return to the wilderness and a revisitation of old hobbies, it seemed like the right time for a makeover. Thus, Silent Ranch receives its first full-body makeover in over five years. I've readjusted the banner to fit the template's new frame, and in addition, the colour scheme has a new look. Lastly, I've added a Videos section to the blog which will contain our YouTube videos. So far, there has been a total of 3 posts in 2014, further demonstrating my return to the old habits of blogging.

Outdoor adventures are expected to begin soon, so, as previously stated, stay tuned...

Revisiting Old Hobbies

Without shooting for some time, I'd say rust has likely developed in my skills. A friend of mine has repeatedly requested that I take him shooting with me the next time I venture out. So, we've planned on going skeet and trap shooting some time this month. How exciting! The Benelli SuperNova has been sitting in its confines since I used it last - in 2009! Obviously, courteous inspection of the firearm is long overdue, considering all mechanical items are prone to problems over time, especially when they've been inactive for 5 years! So I should probably get that done...

As I had mentioned in the previous post, my mind has been set on so many other things (mainly school and a certain girl - teehee ^_^) that I have virtually disregarded all other aspects of life. I made a promise to myself that I'd get back into the old hobbies like #hunting, #fishing, and skeet/trap shooting in 2014. Moreover, I have promised that I'd try my best to actively write here again, as it keeps my mind occupied, and maintains my writing skills - another beloved hobby of mine that had been abandoned for a while.

Stay tuned...

A Return to the Wild

It is, as the title suggests, a return to the Canadian wilderness for me. One might notice that this blog's last post prior to this one was in 2009! I can't believe it has already been five years since I was semi-active on this blog. School has clearly possessed my interests to the point where I forgot about the things I loved to do on my time off. Today marks the day of my hunting license renewal; and next week, I will be renewing my gun license. It's a good feeling all around, and I intend to go hunting and fishing a lot this year. More importantly, I will post of my adventures on this blog like the good old days, where life was much simpler and less stressful.

Stay tuned...

Native Rainbow, Straight from 'The Creek'

We've had the opportunity to go fishing more than usual this year, and our luck was great considering the limited chances we possessed. Sunday, Nov. 1 was our third time headed to The Creek this year. We went once in April (caught nothing), and once in September (hooked 3 salmon, lost them, and pulled in 5 baby rainbows). The last time, however, was just a normal day. We reached The Creek around 3:00PM to try and get some fishing in.

We waded under the bridge for about an hour and a half and got nothing. I watched an ill-looking salmon swim by me in a very weak manner, but that was pretty much the only action I saw. Needless to say, it was a quiet day. To make things worse, I had the flu that day and wasn't feeling up to putting effort in. I was just there to see if I could get lucky, while Ryan was at the top of his game - as usual. He was constantly switching to fresh roe, raising and lowering the depth of his setup, and making sure he had a top-notch presentation with the intentions of catching a weary rainbow trout, while I was sitting on a rock, trying to keep warm while suffering from muscle aches due to that wretched flu. Because I was sick, we only planned to stay there for 2 hours, and that's all we really needed.

Around 4:30PM, just when I was going to say we should head back to the jeep and call it a day, Ryan watches as his float gets sucked down into the water. He sets his hook and the fight was on! I jumped off the rock I had been sitting on for the last hour and a half, and asked him if I should run for the net which was behind him in the water. He fought the fish for a bit, thinking it was a salmon due to its brute strength it had displayed. He was convinced he had a salmon hooked, and told me to come by him in the river and grab the net. I did just that. I was standing right behind him holding the big net while he fought this guy. As the line swung from left to right, I was trying to see the fish in the merky water, but couldn't spot him. I wanted to see what we were dealing with here. I then suggested that we walk this guy closer to the shore so we can be close to land if I were to scoop him up. We did that, slowly wading to a small piece of land while the fish still put on a fight as if Ryan had just hooked him. Every time it seemed the fish was getting tired, he would get this burst of energy that would bolt him way out into a distance.

Rather than getting impatient and anxious which can cause the line to snap, Ryan kept calm and paid more attention to the line's drag. He was always adjusting the drag from loose to tight. At last, the fish was spotted in a clear patch of water and Ryan first identified it as a Brown Trout. We then saw it for a second time and now realized its true beauty. The sun shone on the side of the fish, flaunting its beautiful pink and purple colours. Now we knew what we were fighting. It was about 15 minutes of fighting time before the Rainbow Trout finally gave in and got closer to my net, where I had scooped him. I estimated at least 15 pounds in that net as I carried him back to land where Ryan and I celebrated and took pictures. We received an applause by the other fisherman watching us fight this guy after we scooped him.

With the horrible flu ruining my day, the Rainbow Trout was like my medicine. On a slow fishing day, this beautiful fish made it a great year! Ryan had revived and released him back into the river after we were done taking pictures. Take a look!