Local Legend: Chris Smith
by Rex Meikle
Chris is a local legend because of her lifelong impact of making outdoor adventures fun and memorable for all those around her. I grew up in a family that did not fish, but I was surprisingly always infatuated with the sport. I believe this is due in large to having such fond early memories and exposure to the sport. Chris was one of many people who introduced me to fishing at a young age, but no one had more vigor, enthusiasm, and fun when showing me the ropes. From then on, fishing always carried that same fun-loving energy for me. For that, I’ll always be thankful for Chris.
Chris invited our family year after year to spend a few days every summer at her family’s A-frame cabin on the shore of Washington Island. We swam, paddled out to Hog Island, built great campfires, and caught crayfish, but more than anything, we fished. It never felt instructional or serious. Fishing was just fun, and being outside felt easy. Those trips shaped how I still experience the outdoors today.
1. What does spending time outdoors give you that nothing else really can?
Spending time in nature can fix us. Ancient cultures understood this. We are pretty broken now. The wonders of nature are meant to make us feel insignificant and in the big picture we are. If you spend time outdoors observing nature I think you understand how it can help us escape the chaos.
2. Washington Island and the surrounding waters clearly hold a lot of meaning. What is it about that place that keeps pulling you back?
Washington Island is our family retreat. Building the cottage in the seventies was a group effort involving relatives and friends. It's a place for hunting and fishing and canoeing and sailing. What I like about the island is that it hasn't changed much. The water levels go up and down but the island looks and feels the same which is comforting.
3. You’ve always had a way of making outdoor time feel light, fun, and welcoming. Where do you think that approach comes from?
I was raised in a large family and my father knew that if he didn't keep us busy we would get into trouble. He provided us with bikes and boats, skis and skates, go karts, sleds, fishing poles, pogo sticks and even a unicycle. We even had a pool with a jukebox and a basketball court. Being outside was a blast. There were always enough cousins and friends to make teams and to play kick the can on a warm summer night.
4. When you think about introducing someone to fishing or the outdoors for the first time, what do you hope they feel more than anything else?
I hope they feel a sense of belonging. Let's do this together, it'll be fun. Every summer when my grandkids come for Cousin's Week, fishing is our go to after dinner entertainment. They love it. Funny things happen. They make a mess with the line, hook everything imaginable besides fish, and I've seen them throw their entire rod and reel in the water while casting. It's hilarious. We talk and laugh and feed small rock bass to baby muskrats. If the fish aren't biting we explore the shoreline and throw rocks. We make memories.
5. Do you have a moment outdoors, big or small, that still sticks with you years later?
My kids, grandkids and I take a family camping trip every June. We've been to New Mexico, the Dakotas, Gulf Shores, the UP and many of our great state parks. Fishing has become a big part of the trip. We go through a lot of worms. Sitting around the camp fire telling stories of growing up is huge. I'm usually the first to crawl in my tent. I fall asleep listening to them teasing each other and laughing. That is what will stay with me forever.
6. What do you hope people carry with them after a good day outside, even long after they’ve left the water or the trail?
A feeling of contentment. Just thankful for what you have. I started fishing with an old cane pole. I don't think it had a reel. I could follow the path behind the old railroad depot and head down to the bay and fish off the Standard Oil dock. It was simple and easy. My son and I bought an old fishing boat last summer. We named it the Harper Lee after his daughter, my grand daughter. We had so much fun fishing on Clark Lake. Harper stands on the back of the boat pulling in crappies and all three of us go home feeling pretty content unless we lost a big one.
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Some of us were born to be outdoors. We are Door Born.
