The Boys, S. Fk. Malheur River, 1986 Doesn’t that water look inviting back there?
My dad took me, my mom and a slew of kids camping each Summer. It was the once a year camping trip to a couple different places that centered around fishing and were there enough other campers to increase the likelihood of girls?
My dad didn’t fish. He built a camp and because it usually rained at some point he brought lots of old canvas tarps, rope and duct tape. We had great camps. The kids were free to head out to fish and look for those girls. We were guaranteed breakfast, lunch and dinner often cooked not on the Coleman stove but over an open fire.
I never listened to my Dad discuss how to camp. I just watched him do all these different things and it computed.
In later years, I did the same thing and had so much fun in providing my kids and their friends with what I believe were great camping/backpacking experiences in far flung places. Today, all my kids are capable of creating their own camping experiences. My oldest son is headed out this week to camp with his family. Perhaps time around those campfires, or sitting out the storm in the old tent trailer or under a tarp really did have an impact?
The Boys, Minam River, 1987 (SwittersB)
Yes, to be sure there were upset stomachs, falls, stings, cuts, heat stroke, sunburns and the like, but they weathered it all well.
With day hikes, fly fishing, back packing and camping my kids and their friends all benefited from the outdoor experience and learned how to prepare and manage their own gear and ultimately how to share that with others.
The old rig in the Steens Mountains, 1990 (SwittersB)
