After having a fantastic time at the 2022 TU Teen Summit in North Carolina, I returned in 2023 as a Captain. This time, the Summit was based out of Georgetown Lake in Anaconda. As a fly fisherman, Montana had been a dream destination for years, so getting to reunite with good friends in the state was nothing short of spectacular. Driving through the mountains and valleys, I was amazed by a surreal mountain landscape like I've never experienced back East. Though the area may have been a natural paradise, the anthropogenic impact on the landscape, as well as its fallout, was glaringly visible. With a diminishing mining industry, mountains that have been scraped away for ore are being abandoned, leaving toxic waste sites in their wake. Additionally, without a strong source of jobs, the once-bustling mining towns have aged and been neglected, creating issues with poverty and drug use. While the mining may have left a nasty scar, the natural Montanan beauty still shone through. During the Summit, we constructed analog beaver dams to benefit native cutthroats trout, spoke with a local conservation officer, fly fished some famous waters, visited the Berkley Mine Pit, and explored the surrounding cities and forests. To read more about the 2023 Summit, check out the Service page or read my blog at https://thecurrentangler.com/2023/07/26/2023-tu-teen-summit/.

During February break 2023, I was supposed to travel to Peru on a school trip. Unfortunately, due to tensions and violence in the country, the trip was cancelled. In an attempt to still experience some of the Peruvian culture and cuisine, some of the '24 Global students planned a trip to Sazon Peru in Lawrence. When we arrived, however, the restaurant was closed and boarded up. We pivoted and enjoyed lunch at a Mexican restaurant, where we tried tacos, enchiladas, mole, and other Mexican foods.

The 2022 Trout Unlimited Teen Summit, a national gathering of youth conservationists and fly fishers from around the nation, was held in Asheville, North Carolina. This Summit was my first ever, and took me to the part of the country I never imagined visiting. Though New England is also home to the Appalachian Mountains, the culture and environment of the southern Appalachians was a far cry from that of the northern range. Though Asheville was a bustling mecca of southern art and progressive culture, the rural area surrounding the city, including our home base at Lake Logan in Canton, was quite impoverished and outdated. Still, the homey hospitality of North Carolinians was evident, as was their reverence for the environment. During the Summit, we engaged in a plethora of conservation-related activities, including snorkeling the Pigeon River, participating in citizen science and electrofishing on Alarka Creek, and getting a front-row view of the elk restoration project in the Cataloochee Valley. To read more about the 2022 Summit, check out the Service page or read my blog at thecurrentangler.com/2022/07/18/the-future-of-fly-fishing-and-conservation-is-strong/.