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Faithful Travelers: A Father, His Daughter, A Fly-fishing Journey of the Heart
In Final Rounds, James Dodson told the poignant story of the golf trip of a lifetime with his terminally ill father. Now, armed with a fly-fishing rod and reel, he embarks with his seven-year-old daughter on an equally memorable journey across America in search of clear-running streams, swift elusive fish, and the eternal truths that only nature can provide.
It has been said that life is what happens while you're waiting to go fishing. Only weeks after his eleven-year marriage abruptly ended in an amicable divorce, James Dodson decided to go on a fly-fishing pilgrimage west. His to heal his wounded spirit and explain as best he could the vagaries of life and love to his beautiful, precocious seven-year-old daughter, Maggie.
With his beat-up truck, Old Blue, and his aging retriever, Amos, Dodson and Maggie travel without plans or reservations, following where the spirit--and the lure of America's mighty rivers--leads them, on their way to one of America's grandest Yellowstone National Park. On the way, Dodson discovers a great deal about fishing, about America, and about the special relationship that exists only between a father and daughter.
They travel from the Adirondacks, once a fly-angler's haven, to the mist-shrouded Niagara Falls. From the Michigan lakes where Ernest Hemingway roamed as a boy to small-town county fairs. From the majesty of Mount Rushmore to the mysticism of Harney's Peak, where Black Elk had his legendary visions, to finally the fly-fisherman's paradise of the San Juan River. Together father and daughter are bound by a tie as resilient and unpredictable as a fly-fisherman's line. For as the emotional waters in which they fish become ever more turbulent, Maggie's unspoken feelings of grief, anger, and blame begin to surface--a depth of hurt that forces Dodson to face his own unacknowledged pain and, worse, leaves him feeling helpless to make everything all right in his daughter's life again.
Yet if fly-fishing has taught James Dodson anything, it is the rewards of patience, of following the wisdom of the course of the stream, the unexpected revelations reflected in still pools, and, of course, an abiding belief in plain dumb luck. With a little of each, these faithful travelers will find their way home again.
Literate, honest, and deeply observant, Faithful Travelers is a beautiful meditation on the bond between parent and child and the nature of love and loss. In Faithful Travelers, James Dodson proves that sometimes life isn't what happens while you're waiting to go sometimes it happens while you're there.
It has been said that life is what happens while you're waiting to go fishing. Only weeks after his eleven-year marriage abruptly ended in an amicable divorce, James Dodson decided to go on a fly-fishing pilgrimage west. His to heal his wounded spirit and explain as best he could the vagaries of life and love to his beautiful, precocious seven-year-old daughter, Maggie.
With his beat-up truck, Old Blue, and his aging retriever, Amos, Dodson and Maggie travel without plans or reservations, following where the spirit--and the lure of America's mighty rivers--leads them, on their way to one of America's grandest Yellowstone National Park. On the way, Dodson discovers a great deal about fishing, about America, and about the special relationship that exists only between a father and daughter.
They travel from the Adirondacks, once a fly-angler's haven, to the mist-shrouded Niagara Falls. From the Michigan lakes where Ernest Hemingway roamed as a boy to small-town county fairs. From the majesty of Mount Rushmore to the mysticism of Harney's Peak, where Black Elk had his legendary visions, to finally the fly-fisherman's paradise of the San Juan River. Together father and daughter are bound by a tie as resilient and unpredictable as a fly-fisherman's line. For as the emotional waters in which they fish become ever more turbulent, Maggie's unspoken feelings of grief, anger, and blame begin to surface--a depth of hurt that forces Dodson to face his own unacknowledged pain and, worse, leaves him feeling helpless to make everything all right in his daughter's life again.
Yet if fly-fishing has taught James Dodson anything, it is the rewards of patience, of following the wisdom of the course of the stream, the unexpected revelations reflected in still pools, and, of course, an abiding belief in plain dumb luck. With a little of each, these faithful travelers will find their way home again.
Literate, honest, and deeply observant, Faithful Travelers is a beautiful meditation on the bond between parent and child and the nature of love and loss. In Faithful Travelers, James Dodson proves that sometimes life isn't what happens while you're waiting to go sometimes it happens while you're there.
279 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 1998
2 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
James Dodson
62 books44 followersJames Dodson is the author of seven books, including Final Rounds and Ben Hogan: An American Life. He lives with his family in Southern Pines, North Carolina."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2020
Listened to this one. What was there was good but it was rushed and could have been fleshed out. Still enjoyed it.
August 1, 2017
This a well written wonderful book. If you like deep thoughts about life, Americana, road trips and camping this book is a good choice. I really want to make a cross country road trip now.
June 9, 2025
This book satisfied my quest for adventure and to reinforce the need to keep loving even when it’s difficult.
August 12, 2024
Poignant and lyrical. A gentle journey of Father and Daughter navigating the West and life's unexpected changes.
November 16, 2024
Armed with a rod and reel, this newly divorced father sets off with his 7 year old daughter on a summer adventure of fly fishing, camping and bonding as they travel to Yellowstone National Park- enjoying numerous stops along the way.
When I was 8 my father and I spent a month traveling thru national parks including Yellowstone. It provided a lasting impression and inspiration for me. I hoped this book might trigger memories and lend a father's perspective to our journey.
James Dodson is a sports writer and has written biographies of famous golfers among others. This story is autobiographical and so he elaborates on his inner thoughts about nature and family relationships. I was surprised to be more stirred by the places they visited and the real world events going on the world that I also remembered... than I was by the father- daughter relationship which unique to them.
An interesting journey peppered with historical and geographical facts, humorous anecdotes and sensory descriptions of the places they visit. A gentle story of family values and the lure of nature. Not quite what I expected but short enough to inspire me to stick with it to the end.
When I was 8 my father and I spent a month traveling thru national parks including Yellowstone. It provided a lasting impression and inspiration for me. I hoped this book might trigger memories and lend a father's perspective to our journey.
James Dodson is a sports writer and has written biographies of famous golfers among others. This story is autobiographical and so he elaborates on his inner thoughts about nature and family relationships. I was surprised to be more stirred by the places they visited and the real world events going on the world that I also remembered... than I was by the father- daughter relationship which unique to them.
An interesting journey peppered with historical and geographical facts, humorous anecdotes and sensory descriptions of the places they visit. A gentle story of family values and the lure of nature. Not quite what I expected but short enough to inspire me to stick with it to the end.
April 6, 2009
A beautifully written story of a father, his daughter and a fly-fishing story of the heart. This is a true and perfect daddy-daughter story.
From inside the front cover:
"In Final Rounds, James Dodson told the poignant story of the golf trip of a lifetime with his terminally ill father. Now, armed with a fly-fishing rod and reel, he embarks with his seven year old daughter on an equally memorable journey across America in search of clear-running streams, swift elusive fish, and the eternal truths that only nature can provide."
From inside the front cover:
"In Final Rounds, James Dodson told the poignant story of the golf trip of a lifetime with his terminally ill father. Now, armed with a fly-fishing rod and reel, he embarks with his seven year old daughter on an equally memorable journey across America in search of clear-running streams, swift elusive fish, and the eternal truths that only nature can provide."
May 4, 2016
I read this book when I was about 8 or 9 and loved it then. Picking it up over ten years later has been one of the best decisions as it managed to captivate my heart and soul even more. Beautifully written with raw emotion, humor, and stunning descriptions of the landscape out west, it left me feeling ready for lifes biggest challenges and a desire to travel and fish with my dad, my best buddy.
May 28, 2008
I read this book before I was married and before I was a parent. I was touched by the emotions of the father and daughter but I read it again recently and connected with the story in an entirely different way.
November 24, 2010
I liked the book but not as much as his other two. It is the story of a summer road trip for a soon to be divorced father and his seven year old daughter. Very touching in parts, lots of bits about fly fishing and a look at family dynamics and life in general. A worthwhile read.
April 22, 2011
The story of a father and daughter travelling across America looking for fishing streams. Nice bonding / fishing book. I enjoy Dodson's travel books. They usually include family too.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews