How a Fly-Fishing Trip in Montana Taught Me to Open Up

06.11.2024 - 19:23 / cntraveler.com

This story includes references to suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, there is help available. You can call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, where a trained counselor can talk to you and connect you with further resources.

“Get ready for some active fishing, boys,” says Bozeman native Dan Newhall. “I’m gonna take you to this super juicy spot.” We’re floating down the Yellowstone River in Montana’s Paradise Valley—a stunning 100-mile stretch of the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states where Dan rows us to a rocky riverbank in our 15-foot drift boat. It doesn’t take long for our boatmate’s pole to start jumping.

Joel Greenberg, a clinical psychologist from Des Moines, Iowa, hooks an 18-inch rainbow trout, but like most men on this trip, he's new to fly-fishing, so Dan grabs his fly rod to help reel in the catch. The gesture doesn’t faze us neophytes, but later that day, as we slowly float between the majestic Gallatin and Absaroka mountains, Dan opens up. “I’m sorry that I grabbed your pole,” he says. Quite perplexed, Joel responded honestly: “But, I was totally lost.”

David Knowles (right), a member of the local Bozeman Journeymen, who cooks nourishing meals for the retreats, surveys a field in Palisades Campground along the Madison River in southwest Montana for his group, including South African Shane Alcock (left), to camp.

And that’s when it hit me: Joel allowed himself to be guided by another man with the expertise, advice, and wisdom to assist him in the moment. Sure, it was to help catch a fish in this beautiful natural setting, but the lesson learned that day was as crystal clear as the Yellowstone’s waters. As men, we often don’t allow ourselves the chance to be witnessed, guided, or—more to the point—to have open, honest conversations with other men about what we may be struggling with at any given time. That’s exactly why I’m in Montana.

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, nearly one in ten men experience some form of anxiety or depression, but less than half seek treatment. Additionally, national suicide rates have risen, and men die by suicide at a rate four times higher than women, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

By all accounts, men require support for various mental health issues, including but not limited to PTSD from military combat, substance abuse, marital or family problems, plus the gamut of work-related stress that ultimately piles up. Why men don’t seek the support they need is complicated—shame, lack of resources, and fear of stigma are a few reasons. A collective called The Journeymen is trying to change all that, one adventurous trip at a time.

"If it's a cultural problem,