Woman who followed her fly fishing dream encourages others
‘Just live in the moment and take the next step’
DURANGO, Colo. — Shelley Walchak fell in love with fly fishing at age 59. The woods and the water became her church, allowing her to examine her thoughts and connect with living things.
At age 62, she decided to pursue her love and follow her dreams. She left her stressful job in 2012 and hit the road, fishing a different river every week for a full year in the Rocky Mountains, which included seven states.
“The experience was about being able to stand in the middle of a river and see all this beauty around me and to be able to understand the river well enough to get a fish out of it,” Walchak said. “There are so many different things that need to come together to make that happen, and some of that is science, and some of it is art.”
Walchak, director of the Pine River Library, completed the trip in 2013 and wrote a blog-turned-book titled “52 Rivers” to document the adventure. She has given more than 100 presentations about her experience and encourages women to chase their dream.
The Bayfield resident attended a conference in 2012 about risk-taking and realized she needed to get uncomfortable to fulfill her dream. She wanted to show a woman could master the art of fly fishing, and do it alone.
Walchak said her father had died and left her some money. She bought a 13-foot camper, fishing gear, camera equipment and supplies and set off in January 2013, starting her trip on the South Platte River near Denver.
She worked her way through Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico, taking photos and journaling along the way. She would post to her blog daily and had 2,000 followers by the end of her journey. For Walchak, it wasn’t just about the fishing; she wanted to share her experience to inspire others to take chances.
Walchak said she wouldn’t have accomplished fishing 52 rivers if she thought of all the things needed to make it work. She had to take small steps, like learning about how to match a fly with a bug and knowing where to find fish on a sub-zero day.
In “52 Rivers,” Walchak wrote: “One of my goals for this year was to encourage others to follow their passions … and to try fly fishing.”
Find people who support your dream. Carol Oglesby was one. Oglesby met Walchak at a fly fishing show when Walchak was looking for encouragement.
“No man has done what she’s done,” Oglesby said. “She stuck with it and saw it through, even during the winter months. She’s a gutsy woman.”
Walchak learned to face fear and tackle small goals. During the yearlong trip, there were plenty of challenges, but nothing she couldn’t handle. She felt accomplishment with each river fished and felt stronger as a woman.
Walchak said her husband was supportive, and she found friends who understood her passion.
Walchak got snowed in her camper for five days, fished in minus-11 degrees and locked her keys in her truck the same day she dropped her camera in the water.
She looks back on the year and says there wasn’t anything that was too hard to deal with on her own.
“I think fear really gets in the way of a lot of things,” Walchak said. “We can’t do anything about our past, and we have no idea what the future is going to bring. So we better just live in the moment and take the next step.”
Walchak said toward the end of her trip she focused on turning her blog into a book. This became her next goal. After publishing, she worked on perfecting her presentation and encouraging women to take chances.
What’s next for Walchak? She plans to recreate the fly fishing adventure in France.
“Does it seem a little intimidating? Yes. But right now, I just have to figure out how to take it one step at a time,” she said.