Last summer I got an internship opportunity with a marketing firm in Rapid City, SD by the name of Midwest Marketing. Being from the flatland dairy farmed plains of Minnesota, I was fairly excited to spend time in the granite filled hills that before were merely a vacation destination for my family and I.
After my workday was over and on every single weekend I would hop into my vehicle and cruise toward the pine tree covered hills to explore. My explorations came in many different shapes and sizes, from the simplistic ones like summiting Black Elk Peak (Harney Peak) or taking a drive through Spearfish Canyon. To more advanced efforts like backcountry overnight trips deep into the wilderness. Although I had a variety of different adventures, one that seemed to happen more often than others was me with a line in the water.
My first love has always been hunting, to me there was just something so profound about the serenity of the hunt. Being in the woods or on the plains completely alone with just you and wild animals, there was a feeling of contentment that I could find nowhere else. Fishing in Minnesota did not give me the same feelings of contentment that hunting did. Boats whipping around the lake, engines screaming isn’t exactly a serenity setting. Until I spent my summer in the Black Hills I thought there was no other way to achieve that kind of feeling that hunting gave me, I am pleased to admit that I was wrong.
Hiking through the pines to a stream or pond filled with trout connected with me on the same level that I had hoped to find all these years. I could sit all day and not catch a fish and frankly, that would be just fine with me. Being in the pines with just the sounds of the birds and squirrels was enough to make me a very happy camper. Although, every once in a while, I would get lucky enough to battle a fish on the end of my line. While the fish would fight hard it was by far not the toughest battle that I faced in my time in the hills. The beautiful Black Hills sunsets were far and away my toughest competitor.
For some odd reason, the sun would love to set earlier than I would ever want it to. I would fight the sunset for one more cast or one more fish but often times I would not win this battle. Although it was a battle that I would usually lose, it was a battle that I’d love to fight and will continue to fight time and time again.
So essentially, I would like to say a sincere thank you to Midwest Marketing and all of the wonderful and amazing people that work here. You have provided me with countless learning opportunities and experiences that have been invaluable to me as an individual and you have helped me discover another true passion of mine. Thank You.
Respectfully,
Bret Mattice
A Thankful Employee
