Allen Crater
The Stranger
We were due. I know it's presumptuous to believe a river owes you something, but I did, and could make a strong argument the sentiment...
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Allen Crater
Jun 1214 min read
You Get What You Need
The tent fly, sleeping bags, and assorted soggy fishing-wear flap restlessly on our makeshift clothesline. Thick-cut bacon sizzles in...
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Allen Crater
Feb 66 min read
Where I'm From
Slip N-22 sits about halfway down the marina boardwalk. Our white, 37-foot, center-console bobs lazily in its moorings – manila lines...
217 views2 comments
Allen Crater
Jan 194 min read
My Pal, Joe
The percolator surges on a worn Coleman camp stove, sending savory streams of mahogany up the stem and into the glass top. Sporadic...
230 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Jan 57 min read
Breaking Sticks
For me 2020 began the same way it probably did for many others – with a shiny new gym card. While I’ve never been much for New Year’s...
226 views2 comments
Allen Crater
Dec 22, 20235 min read
The Table That Dad Built
I've recently found myself traveling deep down a rabbit hole of historic Michigan deer camp images since being introduced to a Facebook...
373 views4 comments
Allen Crater
Nov 29, 202316 min read
Finish What You Start
It's Saturday. Wet snow slaps the wall tent in sloppy clumps. Somewhere, not far off, thunder peels – meteorological makings of the...
344 views6 comments
Allen Crater
Oct 15, 20239 min read
Wandering Wilderness
Seger's Against the Wind choruses in the background while lazy wipers slap back and forth and tires hum over damp blacktop...
66 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Aug 24, 20233 min read
River Right
"The earth is not just our environment. We are the earth and the earth is us. We have always been one ..." The words from Buddhist...
242 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Jun 5, 20235 min read
The Truth According to a Fisherman
There's a placard hanging on the porch of the family cottage that reads "Headquarters for Hunters, Fishermen, Golfers, and other Liars."...
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Allen Crater
May 31, 20237 min read
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
It was June of 2019. Blake, Dad, and I were gathered around a fire on a tiny island deep in the Canadian backcountry on a trip that had...
275 views0 comments
Allen Crater
May 17, 20232 min read
Until There Are No More Springs
The first grey hues of dusk begin to settle in, like a house guest who finally unpacks and eases into a comfy chair to share conversation...
449 views2 comments
Allen Crater
Mar 20, 202310 min read
Corps of Discovery
Sweat from every pore of my body was dripping onto the cursed stationary bike when the text from my buddy Mark buzzed through. "When we...
356 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Mar 3, 202310 min read
One For The Road
"There I sat on the ground, feeling really damned exposed, not knowing what to expect. The guide put me in a spot that had been getting...
109 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Feb 1, 202312 min read
Blue Skies and Bench Seats
As Steve disappeared over the snow-covered cliff, I remember thinking He's dead. Day one, and he's already dead. It was June of '94 and...
122 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Jan 10, 20233 min read
For Everything There is a Season
I'm in the kitchen, because it's already dark, and I'm bored senseless; determined to remedy the situation with a few slices of salami,...
208 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Nov 30, 20226 min read
Eighty Octobers
Swinging each leg off the top bunk, I hopped down, my excitement a rolling boil, barely contained by the lid. Stocking feet hit the floor...
208 views3 comments
Allen Crater
Aug 30, 20224 min read
Chasing Blue Lines
Shivering cold, asses wetly planted inside the puddled, hastily assembled tent, soggy feet hanging outside the zippered doors while a...
231 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Jul 6, 202211 min read
Going Native
"A spot opened up for the Bowman Island trip." It's Thursday, February third around 10:30 AM when the text from my buddy, Joe, comes...
365 views0 comments
Allen Crater
Jun 20, 202211 min read
Don't Mention It
"The first rule of this river is that you don't talk about this river. At least by name." That's how the text read. "Understood." This...
562 views0 comments
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