Never doubting where it's going

“What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else.” – Hal Boyle

 

During 30 years with the Associated Press the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hal Boyle wrote 7,680 columns.  He is best known for his work as a war correspondent and writer at conflicts and troubled spots around the world.  But in later life, he switched to writing about the natural world. So when I snapped this photo of the North Fork of the South Platte River in Park County, Colorado, I was reminded of his quote above.

To see and hear Boyle, who was born in 1911 and died in 1974, check out the 1945 film dramatization of Ernie Pyle's book, The Story of G.I. Joe, where Boyle portrayed himself.  That’s the same movie, by the way, that made actor Robert Mitchum a star.

Boyle’s column became a staple in over 700 newspapers, and he was one of those “must read” writers for those of us interested in becoming journalists.  I highly commend to you a book of his columns called The Best of Boyle.

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