Umsaskis
New member
Just now I read through a thread which started simply enough but ended up talking about the humorous comment, "your mother doesn't live here anymore." Which made me think - it's awfully nice to have had a mother and father who got me interested in the outdoors and hiking. They took my sister and I up South Branch Mountain when I was small and round-faced, and I have 3rd- or 4th-grade pictures from the top of Katahdin with my dad. Canoe trips with old-fashioned gear left over from my parents' youth, their patience as I repeatedly toppled over on my short little kid skis, learning to paddle stern from my dad, learning the names of birds and flowers from my mother, and she later teaching me the complete reliability of a compass. My older sister and her intense love for bushwhacking added to the mix, and I'm very grateful for it all. I have very few pictures in my album of my family inside a building - most are gathered around a campfire, on the top of a mountain or smiling from the seat of a canoe. And still when we get together,we invariably climb something or paddle somewhere or strap on the skis.
It would be fun (and encouraging) to hear other people's stories about who got them started - particularly if there are any memorable trips or events that really made a difference in how you do things in the woods.
(oops, I just realized I posted this in "Q/A" instead of "General Backcountry" - whoever is responsible for moving it can do so, because I don't know how. )
It would be fun (and encouraging) to hear other people's stories about who got them started - particularly if there are any memorable trips or events that really made a difference in how you do things in the woods.
(oops, I just realized I posted this in "Q/A" instead of "General Backcountry" - whoever is responsible for moving it can do so, because I don't know how. )
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