You would never believe the very sport that almost ended Emily Blankenship’s life 20 years ago would be the one that gives her life today—as the larger-than-life fly fisher-woman and blogger, The River Damsel.
It all started when Emily went with her husband on a business trip to Anchorage, Alaska, and decided to give fly fishing a go.
With all her rented gear and a few rookie-proof instructions including, “Whatever you do, don’t step in the mud!” she set out on this new adventure.
Unusually quiet for Anchorage, she was by herself peacefully casting on the river. That is until she found her fly stuck on a rock.
In an effort to dislodge it, she inadvertently placed one foot in the treacherous mud she tried so hard to avoid.
Shaking to get out, her predicament would take a turn for the worse—with the other foot stuck as well and slowly beginning to sink knee’s length with no promise of escaping.
It would be over an hour before she finally spotted another fly fisherman who would come to her rescue.
Having cheated death, she vowed to never get in the river again, but four years later, the sport came calling.
“I'm someone that likes a challenge,” Emily says. “I never like to say that I can't do something. I had it in my mind that it couldn't have been all about that first experience. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't have any fly fishing lessons at that time and wasn't giving it a fair shake.”
After submersing herself in classes up to the advanced level, Emily began experiencing the glories of fly fishing and traveling to new places in Montana, Wyoming, and beyond—opening up her entire world.
She’s now been immersed in the sport for 16 years with no signs of stopping and gets out between 80 and 100 times per year.
“Every time it’s an adventure for me,” Emily says. “Nothing is ever the same.”
One of those adventures gave her the opportunity to pay it forward and save some lives on the river herself—the same day she became dubbed, “The River Damsel.”
That time on the Weber River, two young boys and their mother were floating on a tube when they abruptly capsized. Screaming and flailing, Emily saw they needed help. And despite her trouble balancing, she went into rescue mode.
“I had so much adrenaline that day. I don't know how I did it,” she says. “That was one of my best experiences on the river helping somebody.”
Catching her breath on the rock she’d been sitting on, serendipitously a beautiful blue damselfly flew past her and planted itself on the rock next to her.
Damselflies usually stick to lakes, Emily mused, so she was particularly moved. That’s when it hit her, she was “The River Damsel.”
Even amidst all the excitement, fly fishing offers much more than adventure; it’s Emily’s time of peace. On the river, she says, “I feel like I can meditate there and think about things that are possibly going on in my life that maybe I need some answers to.”
And it has helped her through some of her toughest moments.
“Sometimes you struggle and you don't know how to combat that challenge in your life. And this has helped me mentally and physically get over some things. And that's why I also encourage others that need something to fall back on—to think about something else rather than themselves, their troubles, or about their health issues.”
For The River Damsel, fly fishing is intrinsically connected with environmental conservation. She catches and releases all of her fish and spends time cleaning up the environment with her fellow fly fishermen—of which she’s developed many over the years.
Her blog, theriverdamsel.com, has attracted kindred spirits from all walks of life far and wide, and she’s in awe of their sense of community and hospitality—meeting and staying with these would-be strangers turned longtime friends in Tennessee, Georgia, and Canada…to name a few.
“I think I've learned that every person has something in common with you, even though you don't think so. And so what fly fishing has done, it’s brought together a bunch of people in my life that I wouldn’t normally be close friends with."
And the more you're with them, the more you know that you don't just have a fly fishing bond, but there are other things you can agree on and share in life.”
When it comes down to it, The River Damsel’s motto is “Live your life, love your life.” Something she lives every single day between spending time with her family and fishing.
“I totally believe in living life to the fullest, not passing on opportunities that will help you grow. What can you achieve by giving up?”
Without phone service, Emily finds refuge away from electronics on the river, except to take a picture or two for her blog and @theriverdamsel Instagram page every now and again. “It’s nice to get away from that,” she says.
During this time of quietude, she’s gleaned many lessons from the river, including patience.
“I've learned that I have a lot of patience, and I never thought I had much patience. Because you have to be a patient person. You can't rush things. You have to think about things. You can't be upset with yourself.
I have learned that there's a reward if you make adjustments and you become better. Then you're glad you were a patient person and didn't give up.
Your job is never done. You can always be better. And that's the way life is too. You can always be a better person. You can be better at anything if you try.”
"I totally believe in living life to the fullest, not passing on opportunities that will help you grow. What can you achieve by giving up?"