I got a call the other day from a friend I hadn’t talked to in awhile. He indicated he was coming to Island Park to go snowmobiling with some friends from – well, let’s just say another state (known for producing the world’s best carrot snappers.) There would be four of them on high-powered, back-country sleds. They wanted to know the very best, top-secret spots to go riding.
Now, here’s the dilemma: I like this guy (I don’t know his friends so I can’t vouch for them but I like him) and I’d like to help him out. But what do you really do in a situation like this?  Do you roll over and give them the top-secret, most favored spots (you want them to think — when they’re done — that you know a good spot when you ride on it) or do you give them the good spots, but not the best spots?
This is an age-old question. Fishermen have been dealing with it for years:
“Hey, Bob. That’s a beauty. Where’d you catch him?”
“Oh, on the Henry’s.”
“Really? Where at?”
“Oh, you know. Kind of down there by the big rock.”
Yeah right. Even your best friends will never know where you caught that lunker. And they won’t be bummed you didn’t dish with the info. They know some things are sacred. You might tell them enough to get them within a couple of miles. The rest is up to them.
So there’s my answer. As in fishing, little white lies (or minor mis-directs) are part and parcel of the culture. Were I to give away the location of my favorite spot, I’d be breaching a cultural protocol that has existed for years. Heck, I’d probably have my snowmobile permit revoked — or worse.
So I did it. I got my friends within a few miles. The rest was up to them. Do I feel good about it? Of course. I’m an upholder of the traditions of my fathers and their fathers before them. I can only hope my sons will honor those venerated traditions the same as I have. So when somebody asks you for your favorite riding spots remember, “Shhh! It’s a secret.”
