Good W&S Thoughts in the Busse Forum

Brian,

Great stuff. Good to see back around, you were quiet there for a while....
 
Yeah most kids,these days don't seem to have the appreciation for the outdoors. I was lucky to be born at the end of the 70's before video games and that sort of stuff. Until I was five my parents rented a house on a 40 acre Boy Scout camp. So while my older brothers were at school I was out in the woods making forts, climbing trees, playing in the creek and generally doing kid stuff. Every summer they had a Pow Pow at the camp, that was always a good time.
 
Guys, thanks - I've been working more hours than I've ever done in my life! I do, however, visit here everyday on a regular basis even though I don't have as much time to post right now. The work will ease up and become more even soon and I'll be back around goofing off like normal...:D
 
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I read that thread earlier - had to chuckle when we (this sub-forum) was called somewhat myopic in its attention to little details. It was a true comment - we tend to get all carried away with one or two tasks like firestarting which generates a large number of threads and then we don't discuss the big picture stuff as much.

When I was a kid, and we are talking 20+ years ago, I was one of those guys who just had a natural fondness for the bush. My parents didn't like the wilderness and the only reason they ever went camping when I was a kid was because I begged them to do so as frequently as I did. I did have an outdoorsman uncle who was my role model. I also had a playmate in my younger years who was similar to me. We'd spend every moment we could in the forest, that fortunately I had good access to.

When thinking about it though, even 20 years ago, my friend and I were somewhat odd-balls. Most of the kids our age were engaged in sports and the ubiquitous spontaneous softball or football game in one anothers yard (an interesting aside I find that kids don't play sports nearly as frequently as an unorganized game - rather they tend to play under organized conditions - school, leagues, clubs etc). I did my share of those activities, because one had to learn how to throw and catch if they didn't want to get mercilessely teased - but really what I loved to do was trapse around in the bush.

Curiously, you do find youth today who are as odd-ball as I was. Even if they don't have the wilderness parents, some kids just get drawn to the natural world. It seems to be getting less and less, but I do seem to discover students in this grouping coming to university. So I don't think all is lost in the eagerness to learn front. It is important that skills be passed on though and I think forums like this one help preserve and educate those who are drawn to these activities but are not necessarily exposed to them due to their upbringing.

I'm not totally convinced that you have to be raised on a farm or in a rural area to become a naturalist and outdoorsman. You do have to have the interest and motivation to seek out the wilderness and learn the skills you need to learn.
 
Good post kgd. I agree totally. I grew up with a curiosity of the outdoors, and I grew up in socal. I spent everyday as a kid outside, Had my first crossman slingshot at 6, and my first SAK shortly after. I see kids getting fatter and fatter and it sadens me. When I was a kid we had 1 or 2 kids that were fat in my class. Now it seems like there are 1 or 2 kids who arent. It makes me mad. I cant change everyone, but I do see that MY boys eat right, and teach them skills that make them want to be outside. Flipside to this is now they have the same gear obsession as me!
 
kgd said:
I read that thread earlier - had to chuckle when we (this sub-forum) was called somewhat myopic in its attention to little details. It was a true comment - we tend to get all carried away with one or two tasks like firestarting which generates a large number of threads and then we don't discuss the big picture stuff as much.

When I was a kid, and we are talking 20+ years ago, I was one of those guys who just had a natural fondness for the bush. My parents didn't like the wilderness and the only reason they ever went camping when I was a kid was because I begged them to do so as frequently as I did. I did have an outdoorsman uncle who was my role model. I also had a playmate in my younger years who was similar to me. We'd spend every moment we could in the forest, that fortunately I had good access to.

When thinking about it though, even 20 years ago, my friend and I were somewhat odd-balls. Most of the kids our age were engaged in sports and the ubiquitous spontaneous softball or football game in one anothers yard (an interesting aside I find that kids don't play sports nearly as frequently as an unorganized game - rather they tend to play under organized conditions - school, leagues, clubs etc). I did my share of those activities, because one had to learn how to throw and catch if they didn't want to get mercilessely teased - but really what I loved to do was trapse around in the bush.

Curiously, you do find youth today who are as odd-ball as I was. Even if they don't have the wilderness parents, some kids just get drawn to the natural world. It seems to be getting less and less, but I do seem to discover students in this grouping coming to university. So I don't think all is lost in the eagerness to learn front. It is important that skills be passed on though and I think forums like this one help preserve and educate those who are drawn to these activities but are not necessarily exposed to them due to their upbringing.

I'm not totally convinced that you have to be raised on a farm or in a rural area to become a naturalist and outdoorsman. You do have to have the interest and motivation to seek out the wilderness and learn the skills you need to learn.
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I have to agree. I always ended up playing in baseball and football games as well but I always remember part of the day being in whatever local woods that could be found. There was one section that we could get into that had ponds and a creek close by - that always led to fishing as well.

I can't wait to get into more outdoors activity when my son gets just a little bigger but he loves being outside. My wife has already said she would be interested in going hiking and camping - I should be good then, providing I can get away from work enough - I will make the time for them!

And, I have to say:
kgd said:
...I was one of those guys who just had a natural fondness for the bush.
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I couldn't agree with that more and still enjoy that fondness! :D Couldn't resist. ;)
 
Thanks Brian for posting this over at W&SS, and thanks Mike H and all for sharing.

I have always liked fishing and the outdoors since I was a boy, but being raised by only my mother(who did a fine job) I didn't get to experiance it till I was about 12. I got to go to the Pocono Mountains in PA with a friend's family. It was the first time I saw a forrest, Deer, chipmunks, etc in the wild. I was blown away. I would spend every day just walking around in its beauty. Unfortunately these camping trips only lasted a few days, and two years later they moved away. I never got the chance to learn any skills as I was too focussed on walking through the woods.
Growing up in the Bronx, NY a knife was a weapon and not a tool. It wasn't till I joined the Airforce and befriended some great people that I learned what kind of tool a knife could be and the importance of wilderness skills. I learned some basics and that kept me going as my priorities at the time were more in the lines of girls, boose, fishing. Mostly in that order.

Fast forward to now. I have a great woman and a wonderful daughter. But I still haven't learned all the skills I wish to have. I have come a long way do to the people of these forums. I now live in a small town in CT. There is alot great trails pretty close by and I take my daughter along as much as I can. She is only 3, but she loves coming out with me. I am yet to take her camping, but we did do some back yard camping a few weeks ago and she had a ball.

I look at all my neighbors and none of them have a clue. They think I am nuts having a stockpile of water, food, etc. They don't understand why I have a knife on me at all times, and you should see their faces when they see me practicing skills in my back yard.

A few of the their kids come by, and really get into it. I have been trying my hand at a bowdrill fire and it amazes them when I get smoke. (no coal yet) I made a couple of figure four traps for them, and I see them setting up dead falls with their toys outside. So there is still hope for our youth.

Ofcourse I want my daughter go to college and be successful in her life, but I also want her to appreciate the simple things and learn to work with nature as well. As far as me I have alot to learn and am taking some outdoor skills courses as well as getting out there as much as I can.

Thanks for listening and thanks all for the hundreds of posts and advice I have recieved during my short time here.:thumbup:
 
Norcalblacktail made a great point about some of us youngsters. I am another young buck. Y'all have all seen what this east Texas farmboy wants to do for a career in another post: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=561740

I love the outdoors. Grew up helping the family run their 500ac farm. I was the one always cutting cedar posts and digging post holes. Always quick with a .22 if I felt like fried rabbit. Never got to learn how to trap. Even in BSA we didn't do that. I thought BSA was the lamest experience of my life because we did 1 or 2 days of camping every few months and went out and shot bb guns once in a blue moon. At the young age of a Cub Scout, I felt as though I had already forgotten much about the outdoors and survival than my Den Leaders knew. Thankfully, my dad saw that and decided to use the monthly Scout dues to invest in outdoor adventures for us.

My middle brother is a Marine, but certainly not the outdoor type. He used to spend days in front of the PC. My youngest, at age 10, is an outdoor nut. My mom makes him change in the laundry room or hose off outside nearly every day. He just loves to be outdoors and run and bike and is actually going to go hiking with me probably around Labor Day when I see him again.

I feel sorry for the lil twits my age, I am 24, that can't imagine a day without TV. I don't even own one. I own the laptop for work and to pick y'all's brains, but I have certainly ducked the technology as best I can...
 
This is one of those finger wagging posts that comes up occasionally. You know, the "nobody appreciates the outdoors/survival skills/fill-in-the-blank like we do anymore".

The modern world and it's trends all happened for good reason. Trapping, hunting, bushcraft, etc is hard, inefficient work and probably unsustainable for anyone but us few hobbyists. And lets not kid ourselves, we are hobbyists. I see this a good thing. Modern human specialization has allowed the species to thrive in ways that were simply unbelievable 100 years ago. People don't learn these primitive skills because modern skills are much more fruitful. They run away from those primitive skills, pretty much forever, at the first opportunity. To me, mourning the loss of the old skills needs to be tempered by remembering the real threats that came along with living in those times, uncertainty, disease, ignorance, backbreaking labor, waste, etc. It's one thing to take pride in bucking modern trends. It's another when your ancestors had no choice in the matter. What do you think they would choose?
 
No doubt a caveman would choose a bic. As we progress though, there is a amount of lazyness that comes with it. Ever seen the movie idiocracy? I hope that never happens, but it kinda makes sense.
 
Kids have to be taught... Here is an example of that...
 

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shecky said:
This is one of those finger wagging posts that comes up occasionally. You know, the "nobody appreciates the outdoors/survival skills/fill-in-the-blank like we do anymore".

The modern world and it's trends all happened for good reason. Trapping, hunting, bushcraft, etc is hard, inefficient work and probably unsustainable for anyone but us few hobbyists. And lets not kid ourselves, we are hobbyists. I see this a good thing. Modern human specialization has allowed the species to thrive in ways that were simply unbelievable 100 years ago. People don't learn these primitive skills because modern skills are much more fruitful. They run away from those primitive skills, pretty much forever, at the first opportunity. To me, mourning the loss of the old skills needs to be tempered by remembering the real threats that came along with living in those times, uncertainty, disease, ignorance, backbreaking labor, waste, etc. It's one thing to take pride in bucking modern trends. It's another when your ancestors had no choice in the matter. What do you think they would choose?
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While I can see your point, the general idea I got from this thread is not so much the fact that we rely on our outdoorsmanship for sustenance and think other should, but that it is pathetic to see entire generations with no more motivation than to sit in front of the idiot box or pc all day.
 
shecky said:
This is one of those finger wagging posts that comes up occasionally. You know, the "nobody appreciates the outdoors/survival skills/fill-in-the-blank like we do anymore".

The modern world and it's trends all happened for good reason. Trapping, hunting, bushcraft, etc is hard, inefficient work and probably unsustainable for anyone but us few hobbyists. And lets not kid ourselves, we are hobbyists. I see this a good thing. Modern human specialization has allowed the species to thrive in ways that were simply unbelievable 100 years ago. People don't learn these primitive skills because modern skills are much more fruitful. They run away from those primitive skills, pretty much forever, at the first opportunity. To me, mourning the loss of the old skills needs to be tempered by remembering the real threats that came along with living in those times, uncertainty, disease, ignorance, backbreaking labor, waste, etc. It's one thing to take pride in bucking modern trends. It's another when your ancestors had no choice in the matter. What do you think they would choose?
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And what happens to people when the power goes out for a few days and the "comforts" aren't there for their daily living? Katrina was a best example of mass urban un-preparedness.

One should be prepared for their living environment. Be it stocking on bottled water and a way to cook or a way to provide. Knowing "primitive" skills may help you get by. You may not have to build a shelter but knowing how to helps.

I have a relative that looks at me "funny" because I like to chop trees down instead of a chainsaw and because I keep an axe in my truck. Well, that axe may allow me to clear a downed tree on my path home and get home where I may be needed. Sure, axes are a lot harder than a chainsaw, but I find it more personally rewarding.

YMMV.

j williams said:
No doubt a caveman would choose a bic. As we progress though, there is a amount of lazyness that comes with it. Ever seen the movie idiocracy? I hope that never happens, but it kinda makes sense.
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I work in public safety. People are truly lazy.

People are lazy and don't know how to provide for themselves or their families. The stores run out of supplies and trying to get things when an emergency is here is no way to survive.
 
shecky said:
People don't learn these primitive skills because modern skills are much more fruitful. They run away from those primitive skills, pretty much forever, at the first opportunity.
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Your right. I should just forget how to do everything outdoor related and spend my time saving up money to buy robots that can do it for me. :rolleyes:

Ever been at the scene of an accident? You know how everyone seems to stand there stunned saying, "Someone should do something". I'd rather be the somebody with the skills to effectively handle a situation than the nobody that just watches. Most modern skills put your faith in someone or something else. Primitive skills give you faith in yourself.
 
ilbruche said:
Ever been at the scene of an accident? You know how everyone seems to stand there stunned saying, "Someone should do something". I'd rather be the somebody with the skills to effectively handle a situation than the nobody that just watches. Most modern skills put your faith in someone or something else. Primitive skills give you faith in yourself.
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This is right on. I am on lots of accident scenes, and people have just stood around and waited for someone else to call 911 even. So 20 minutes goes by and we arent even dispatched yet cause they all thought someone else would do it.
 
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