Welcome to the Adventure
Listen...
You're never too old to learn something new. I'm just a few years from a half century on this planet, and I still love to learn new things. I may be a little slower and a little more achy than when I was twenty. But I still feel like I have the brainpower and physical ablity to keep learning.
So, in a remarkable (to me anyway) evolution, last year I slowly discovered that I wanted to learn how to hunt my own meat.
I figure I have a pretty solid base for learning to hunt. My USMC background taught me how to shoot and be comfortable around firearms. Growing up with an adventurous Dad also helps, as I have plenty of hiking and camping adventures that have taught me how to enjoy the great outdoors. Both of those experiences taught me how to be comfortable being uncomfortable at times.
But...I absolutely love animals of all kinds, and have always preferred the company of critters over that of humans. So I never considered hunting. Especially since I can easily drive ten minutes to several stores that sell plenty of meat. I've rehabbed dozens of different species back to health and back to the wild, including those who are considered 'game' animals. So why the change?
Well. Lots is happening in the world these days. Politically, economically, climatalogically, etc. Without getting too into specifics, The thought has crossed my mind whether or not I'd be able to survive some wild post apocolyptic scenario.
Now, I'm not a full on prepper/conspiracy theorist/SHTF kinda guy, but I've always had a desire to spend lots and lots of time in the outdoors. I have little flights of fancy while I'm daydreaming and wonder if I could go live on The Island for an entire year or two, or just outside in the back woods for a season or a year. I've spent countless hours reading about and practicing foraging wild edibles and various bushcraft skills and loving every minute of it. I know how to garden, and some of the best meals I've ever had have included veggies that come right from my little front yard spread. I spend some thinking time considering possible scenarios that could lead to societal collapse to the point where we'd need to be self sufficient. And I've spent lots of time adventuring in the out of doors in all kinds of weather. Even taking a 1200 mile canoe trip for a couple months down the Mississippi with Dad. With a lifetime of random outdoor adventures and experiences, I figured that reading up on hunting would be good enough to suffice if I ever needed the skill.
But I also know that there is no experience better than hands on experience. Then there would be no nagging in the back of my mind that my knowledge is strictly "book learnin' ".
Now, my kiddos are getting older, entering their tweens and teens, and although they are truly wonderful, I realize that they don't have the skills that I have aquired over the years. (well, duh.)
They don't teach these skills in school. I learned many from my Dad. They'll learn from their Dad. And with the uncertainty that comes from imbiciles in positions of leadership in our country today, there's no telling what the future holds. In the stories of the Great Depression, it seems the people that fared the best were able to provide food for themselves.
We're a meat eating family. So it seems logical that we learn to make our own meat. In the process, we can come to a better understanding of where the "easy" grocery store food comes from, learn new skills, and have some excellent adventures and build memories together.
I'll need some time to transcribe the adventures from my journal. (After all, if everything collapses, electricity and access to the internet are probably going to suffer, so why not write down everything I'm learning the old fashioned way so my kids can still use it!) But eventually, I'll get caught up and we can all share this adventure together!
Welcome to school!
You're never too old to learn something new. I'm just a few years from a half century on this planet, and I still love to learn new things. I may be a little slower and a little more achy than when I was twenty. But I still feel like I have the brainpower and physical ablity to keep learning.
So, in a remarkable (to me anyway) evolution, last year I slowly discovered that I wanted to learn how to hunt my own meat.
I figure I have a pretty solid base for learning to hunt. My USMC background taught me how to shoot and be comfortable around firearms. Growing up with an adventurous Dad also helps, as I have plenty of hiking and camping adventures that have taught me how to enjoy the great outdoors. Both of those experiences taught me how to be comfortable being uncomfortable at times.
But...I absolutely love animals of all kinds, and have always preferred the company of critters over that of humans. So I never considered hunting. Especially since I can easily drive ten minutes to several stores that sell plenty of meat. I've rehabbed dozens of different species back to health and back to the wild, including those who are considered 'game' animals. So why the change?
Well. Lots is happening in the world these days. Politically, economically, climatalogically, etc. Without getting too into specifics, The thought has crossed my mind whether or not I'd be able to survive some wild post apocolyptic scenario.
Now, I'm not a full on prepper/conspiracy theorist/SHTF kinda guy, but I've always had a desire to spend lots and lots of time in the outdoors. I have little flights of fancy while I'm daydreaming and wonder if I could go live on The Island for an entire year or two, or just outside in the back woods for a season or a year. I've spent countless hours reading about and practicing foraging wild edibles and various bushcraft skills and loving every minute of it. I know how to garden, and some of the best meals I've ever had have included veggies that come right from my little front yard spread. I spend some thinking time considering possible scenarios that could lead to societal collapse to the point where we'd need to be self sufficient. And I've spent lots of time adventuring in the out of doors in all kinds of weather. Even taking a 1200 mile canoe trip for a couple months down the Mississippi with Dad. With a lifetime of random outdoor adventures and experiences, I figured that reading up on hunting would be good enough to suffice if I ever needed the skill.
But I also know that there is no experience better than hands on experience. Then there would be no nagging in the back of my mind that my knowledge is strictly "book learnin' ".
Now, my kiddos are getting older, entering their tweens and teens, and although they are truly wonderful, I realize that they don't have the skills that I have aquired over the years. (well, duh.)
They don't teach these skills in school. I learned many from my Dad. They'll learn from their Dad. And with the uncertainty that comes from imbiciles in positions of leadership in our country today, there's no telling what the future holds. In the stories of the Great Depression, it seems the people that fared the best were able to provide food for themselves.
We're a meat eating family. So it seems logical that we learn to make our own meat. In the process, we can come to a better understanding of where the "easy" grocery store food comes from, learn new skills, and have some excellent adventures and build memories together.
I'll need some time to transcribe the adventures from my journal. (After all, if everything collapses, electricity and access to the internet are probably going to suffer, so why not write down everything I'm learning the old fashioned way so my kids can still use it!) But eventually, I'll get caught up and we can all share this adventure together!
Welcome to school!
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