First years of camping
What do you remember about your first experiences camping? My dad driving 5 hours to a campsite, 3 kids in the back asking the age old question. My mother cooking supper on an open fire, only to h...
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My dad started taking me camping when I was 5 or 6. We camped on 'the river' and fished all night (or at least as long as I was able to stay awake). We had a couple of different locations that we used. One place we could drive to, but the other we had to hike in with all our camping and fishing gear. That was a tough haul.
It was on these trips that I learned things like how to swim, telling which way is north by the north star, telling time by the big dipper, and getting my first glimpse of the 'new' Russian satellite (Sputnik). Didn't take long to develop my mindset and skills for a lifetime of enjoyment of being in the outdoors. My little brother followed that same path a few years later.
We did camp as a family on a few occasions, but 'the river' was too dangerous for that since we sometimes had to move fast to get out. We didn't have cell phones with radar, so we had to check the water level every half hour to be sure a flash flood wasn't headed our way unknowingly! By today's standards, I would probably have been considered and 'endangered child'!
That bonding time with my father was irreplaceable...wish I could go back in time. Actually, I think I just did!
It was on these trips that I learned things like how to swim, telling which way is north by the north star, telling time by the big dipper, and getting my first glimpse of the 'new' Russian satellite (Sputnik). Didn't take long to develop my mindset and skills for a lifetime of enjoyment of being in the outdoors. My little brother followed that same path a few years later.
We did camp as a family on a few occasions, but 'the river' was too dangerous for that since we sometimes had to move fast to get out. We didn't have cell phones with radar, so we had to check the water level every half hour to be sure a flash flood wasn't headed our way unknowingly! By today's standards, I would probably have been considered and 'endangered child'!
That bonding time with my father was irreplaceable...wish I could go back in time. Actually, I think I just did!
