I've always been interested in writing, and seeing as I now have quite a bit of free time (thanks Michigan economy) I figured I'd find a way to tie it in with my passion for the outdoors.
I grew up learning about the outdoors from my dad. Despite that, I have actually gained quite a bit of actual knowledge throughout the years. He tells everyone that he taught me everything know. To which I respond, "Yep, took all of three and a half minutes.After that I had to figure it out myself." He has yet to laugh.
The earliest memory I have of the outdoors is getting lost. My dad was going out to build a ground blind in the woods behind the house and I wanted to go along. He didn't know I was following, mom figured he knew I was following. Surprisingly my two and a half year old legs couldn't keep pace and for some reason I never said anything. It wasn't long at all until I was by myself on the edge of a cornfield along a tree line. So I just waited. I don't know if he didn't come home the same way he went out or if I was just wandering through the corn and he didn't see me. (Or possibly he did see me and thought it would be a good time for me to learn that life is scary) Anyway, he got home and my mom asked him where I was. He said he thought I was at home the whole time. My mom, being the calm rational person she is, grabbed our Brittany Spaniel, Jacques, by the neck and said "You get out there and find that boy." To his credit, he did just that. And he stayed with me until my dad caught up. To be honest I only vaguely remember wanting to go along, and then him carrying me home on his shoulders.
You would think that such an introduction to the outdoors would cause a bit of wariness on my part, but it didn't. In the years to follow I would endeavor to find other ways in which to misplace myself in the wilderness. I spent a lot of time outside with my family and as the years went by I developed a terrible disability. I became addicted to hunting and fishing. Only fellow addicts can truly appreciate the despair and heartache this causes. I have numerous cases studies from my own life on just how these addictions effect a persons life. So come on back sometime and I'll tell ya all about it.
What to do when you've misplaced yourself.
One of the best dogs ever.
It's even easier to get your little Michiganders into hunting.
