{"data":{"id":"caf7766d-6cb2-49ea-ad3d-404aa7d4c3cc","updated_at":"2024-04-13T12:10:12Z","template_id":"73046548-86ec-431a-aca0-75b53bc936f3","localized":{"blocks":[{"id":"ff5c8be3-8bc1-4025-964e-33dd6ce2e8d8","kind":"richtext","template_id":null,"content_html":"

This picture is of me holding an Atlantic Salmon I caught fly fishing on the George River.

This is me in my happy place.

When I’m tired, stressed out and aggravated about things I know it’s time to visit the George for some much needed mental recovery and renewal.

The headwaters of the George rise in the high plateaus of Michicamau lake on the Labrador border, southeast of Schefferville near the 55th parallel and about 1,250 kilometers northeast of Montreal. From its source, the George flows 575 km north until it reaches Ungava Bay making it one of the largest Atlantic salmon rivers on this continent.

I find spirituality in rough environments similar to what Luke Skywalker would experience in the Star War movies. Other people find their spirituality climbing Mt. Everest or walking the Camino de Santiago. I find mine fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon at the George. When I’m there

I feel small in comparison to the river with it’s treacherous, untamable, wild rapids, and visible submerged boulders.

Sometimes I think fishermen have to be a little crazy being willing to stand hour after hour on precarious, greased boulders with wind and ice-cold drizzle lashing their faces hoping to catch a salmon. The wind might not blow all the time on the George, but it does most of the time. Usually it gusts from the Arctic Circle in an upriver direction making every cast a major effort. I can’t believe how much the weather can change there during the course of a day. One minute, golden sunshine, the next, sheets of rain and the hills crowned by brilliant triple rainbows silhouetted against black clouds. Five minutes later gusts of snow or sleet or freezing rain might coat your hat. Then the sky will clear again, bringing full circle the never-ending cycles.

Oh, and did I mention the blackflies? They are the icing on the cake.

But despite all the unpleasantries the George has cast a spell on me. It’s become a part of me and I feel the need to return there year after year.

Solitude in the wilderness is a beautiful and healthy thing.

The George is the one place where I can escape from the noise because thankfully, nothing works up there. This means that the only thing a person can do is eat, sleep, fish, and think.

I compare it to the silent retreat monks go on where they don’t talk to anyone. They just spend quiet time alone with their thoughts.

When I’m alone in the wilderness my mind is stripped of all distractions. Everything slows down and it allows me to do my deep thinking.

This is where I reconnect with my heart and soul.

I’m drawn to the “awe” and ruggedness of the George and it’s where I feel closer to God and the universe.

Going there clears my mind and gives me an opportunity for some much needed deep thinking, reflection and renewal.

The river has a way of opening up my mind. It's a place where I get to look deeply at my life and think about why I was put on this earth. It reminds me not to give up and that the mission I’m on matters.

But let’s not forget about the important role the salmon play.

Fishing has been a long time passion of mine and nothing gets me into the present, into a flow like state than fishing for Atlantic Salmon on the George. It puts me into the “zone” the mental state one achieves when performing an activity that is completely immersive and enjoyable.

When I’m trying to fool a salmon into taking my fly, time slows down and my focus sharpens. I can stay out there all day in the heat, rain, or cold it doesn’t matter to me when I’m in the zone fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon.

A better version of myself always emerges while I’m at the George. My enthusiasm and confidence for what I do returns and I’m excited for what I plan to do next.

Everyone has their go to place a place where they can get away to gain some needed perspective and recharge.

The George does that for me.

Where is your happy place?

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Mike Drak is a Senior Contributor at Booming Encore and the Author of the best-selling book Victory Lap Retirement, Retirement Heaven or Hell and Longevity Lifestyle by Design. Along with being an Author, Mike is also an award winning blogger, retirement coach and public speaker and has made appearances on BNN, CBC Radio and iHeart radio. He is a thirty-eight year veteran of the financial services industry and lives with his wife Melina in Toronto, Canada.

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