It's all my Grandad's fault !

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
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When I was knee high to a grasshopper my parents bought me a toy explorer kit, this contained some Binoculars, water bottle, magnifying glass, compass and a folding knife......the quality of these items was pretty poor as it was just a kids toy !
Anyway while out in the woods exploring with my kit I managed to lose the knife, my dad was quite annoyed as I hadn't had it very long but my Grandad happened to call by and smoothed things over. Not only did he point out to my dad that he too had lost his share of things when he was a kid but he also presented me with a Victorinox SAK that he'd been and bought to replace my lost knife. This SAK was my first quality knife and it was also the one that got me hooked on knives and the great outdoors from that moment on !

I was taken on holidays with my Grandparents virtually every year as a kid and it was nearly always to Scotland where I'd explore the mountains and Lochs always having my SAK along for the adventures.

My grandad passed away just after I moved to Canada and his last words to me before I left was " I wish I was coming with you !"

Well I still have that SAK, I don't carry it nowdays as it has too much sentimental value. As I'd been thinking of my grandad I decided to take that SAK with me today and use it to get a fire going, something I'd not done with it before.

After using the main blade to scrape some Cedar bark and cut some shavings,I decided that the Can-opener was the best tool for striking the ferro-rod ~

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A couple of strikes later ~

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Here is my first SAK next to my current one ~

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Found some great patches of resin today, this must have been close to an inch thick in places....pretty sad when you get excited about resin eh !

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While looking for fatwood I came across this spider, not sure if he's dangerous or not, kept clear anyway just in case !

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I then sat and drank my thermos of tea as I took in the view and watched the Turkey Vultures !

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A pic of the man responsible for my knife obsession !

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I think he'd be proud of making a difference in your life. And it sounds like you're proud of him
My grandfather was of the opinion that you should always carry a knife, some string, and a box of matches.
Well, these days I substitute a bic for the matches, but I try to continue the tradition.
Good luck.
G
 
Great story Pit, and a real treasure for you to remember him with. He must be smiling! I never got to meet either of my grandfathers sad to say, but I have good memories of an uncle who gave me my first pen knife and taught me to carve designs on "snake sticks", sticks with a forked end. And, yes, I managed to eventually lose that knife :-) Thanks for sharing that story and jogging my memory.
 
that is a good story man thanks for sharing. just think, maybe one day you can pass that on to a child of yours or someone else's and perhaps teach them to be a knife / outdoor nut as well:cool:
 
My grandpa (and dad)was similar. Used to spend my entire summer holidays at his farm to get away from the stepmomster who grandpa had little use for or good things to say of.
4 weeks of that was just the two of us at the family lake.
My first was a single blade barlow from him at 6.

On arrival to the farm for the summer at 7 yrs old there was a brand new single .22 behind the coat rack in the solarium!!!! and two box of long rifles. At 10 there was a youth sized single 12guage with one of his old web belt's cut down and customized by him that held 12 shells.
Kid heaven with all the gophers, sparrows and pigeons.

He was a big gruff old german farmer and would just say "go hang up your coat Bradley"......summer in saskatchewan.....no coat..... the first time I stood there looking dumb for about 5 seconds then the light went on and stampeded to the coat rack!!!!
It became the catchphrase I lived for, like Santa in the summer when I first walked through the door.
Was not always a gun, new fishing rod/reel, new bike, the two guns. Whatta guy!

Would never talk about any of them and cut off my frantic thankyou's with.....Just get out there and use it or I'll give it to someone else.
As long as I stayed on the property at 12 he let me drive the old dodge 3/4 ton to the sloughs for some shootin and fishin (two had aerators and stocked trout)

"Sonny" passed just this sept at 93 years old. Lived in his house on his own until 89. Said that if he added up all the goose pits dug in his life he could have learned to speak chinese! He retired at 47 to a life devoted to hunting, fishing and bullsh##ting at the cafe. Would only help his brothers at harvest and chartered American hunters from 1960's to 1980's on our 6 sections of land. Probably why he lived so long and healthy.

The man largely responsible for my outdoor passion other than dad who was very similar.
 
Great story, Pit. I didn't get to know either of my grandpas very well, they both passed when I was quite young. From what I have heard, they were just like me, though. Even though I didn't know them well, I still ended up like them.
 
Brad "the butcher";10792840 said:
My grandpa (and dad)was similar. Used to spend my entire summer holidays at his farm to get away from the stepmomster who grandpa had little use for or good things to say of.
4 weeks of that was just the two of us at the family lake.
My first was a single blade barlow from him at 6.

On arrival to the farm for the summer at 7 yrs old there was a brand new single .22 behind the coat rack in the solarium!!!! and two box of long rifles. At 10 there was a youth sized single 12guage with one of his old web belt's cut down and customized by him that held 12 shells.
Kid heaven with all the gophers, sparrows and pigeons.

He was a big gruff old german farmer and would just say "go hang up your coat Bradley"......summer in saskatchewan.....no coat..... the first time I stood there looking dumb for about 5 seconds then the light went on and stampeded to the coat rack!!!!
It became the catchphrase I lived for, like Santa in the summer when I first walked through the door.
Was not always a gun, new fishing rod/reel, new bike, the two guns. Whatta guy!

Would never talk about any of them and cut off my frantic thankyou's with.....Just get out there and use it or I'll give it to someone else.
As long as I stayed on the property at 12 he let me drive the old dodge 3/4 ton to the sloughs for some shootin and fishin (two had aerators and stocked trout)

"Sonny" passed just this sept at 93 years old. Lived in his house on his own until 89. Said that if he added up all the goose pits dug in his life he could have learned to speak chinese! He retired at 47 to a life devoted to hunting, fishing and bullsh##ting at the cafe. Would only help his brothers at harvest and chartered American hunters from 1960's to 1980's on our 6 sections of land. Probably why he lived so long and healthy.

The man largely responsible for my outdoor passion other than dad who was very similar.
Click to expand...

Great story buddy, he sounds like he was a man after my own heart !
 
Thanks for sharing this.
I currently live 100 yds from my grandfather(he's 93) and we share a chicken coop and a large garden space.
Now my sons get to collect eggs, garden, etc with him.
I learn something everyday from the man. Wise, wise man he is.
 
Kudos to your granfather, Pit!

Great story and pictures! I always have a SAK with me, and I'll make sure my grandson has one as soon as he is old enough!

best

mqqn
 
Great story, Pit. Always nice to see your posts.

Does anyone else see the evil face on the spider's back or is it just me?
 
Good for you Pit! Keep it safe, but use it! I never got to know either Grandpa, they died too soon, but I have the first knife that my Dad bought for me, a Vic from a dept store in Frankfurt, Germany called Herties, I think. I can't hardly trust myself to use it, but I do hold it from time to time and remember him...
 
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