I'm a suburbanite through and through. I like backyards and manicured lawns and nice, comfortable houses. But I enjoy the outdoors and once in a while want to get out into the wide, open spaces. It's been hard to do so because of my young daughter. Outdoor activities and a 20-month-old don't exactly go hand-in-hand. But recently I made some time. I was at home recently when I noticed that my daughter absolutely squeal with delight when she saw Elmo on tv. Don't get me wrong, I think Sesame Street is great. I remember watching it myself when I was a kid. But I don't want my baby girl to be the type of kid who derives her pleasure from the tube. I want her to be the type of person who experiences the world firsthand, not through Sony. So I figured that it was time I introduced this youngster to Mother Nature.
Fortunately there is a good-sized regional park a few minutes away from my house. Nothing too spectacular, but there is lots of open space with trees, grassland, rolling hills and a few animals like lizards, squirrels, and even coyotes, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions. I loaded up the pack with a few essentials and was soon enjoying a leisurely walk.
My daughter really enjoyed herself. I think she really liked the different environment she found herself in, as she took her time taking everything in. She moved at a very relaxed pace, and seemingly checked everything out. Normally she's a hellion. Here's a few pics of the things that got her attention.
Gratuitous knife shot
I learned a few things today.
1. It's wonderful watching a child experience things for the first time. She was fascinated with things that I barely notice. I'm not just talking about the obvious stuff like birds chirping. She noticed everything -- like lizards, and even spiders on the ground. She even stopped to listen to leaves rustle during a breeze.
2. There is no such thing as packing light when you have a little one in tow. Normally I'd have a few things like a knife, water, snack, and maybe a sweater. Now I have to make sure I bring enough water and food for me and my kid, as well as diapers and warm clothes.
3. Even a two-hour hike is tiring when a kid is involved. I was proud of my daughter when were walking. She was a trooper, she walked and didn't whine at all. But she wanted to be carried on the way back. I was definitely feeling it by the time we got back to the car.
4. Those Finns are on to something. My normal nature walk knife, is a stag handled Blackjack. I decided to bring my Ahti Juhla instead. I'm not a big fan of puukkos because I prefer convex ground or flat ground blades, but toting this Ahti is effortless. I love how I don't have to remove the sheath from my belt when I'm in my car, I can simply position it out of the way. And the entire package (knife and sheath) weighs less than a Buck 110. It's definitely a keeper.
We had a great time. I can understand why so many of you guys spend so much of your time outdoors. Hopefully she continues to enjoy these types of activities, it's great father/daughter time.
The Kindle only offers one Donald Hamilton title and it's not a Matt Helm book.
