Some Land Nav, Signalling, And Other Stuff...

[Mistwalker]

Weekdays are usually pretty busy for me...and sometimes the weekends too. So on the weekends when I can I like to get the little one out of the house for some fresh air and exercise. She loves school and her friends, and for that I am thankful, but physically the classroom is a lot like being in a cage for her and I like to get her out into open spaces where she can just cut loose. Plus we can work on skills and environmental awareness, and just get out and see the world

She has more energy than she knows what to do with so she entertained herself with the gate as I got our gear out and our snack ready.

Since she was so full of energy, I decided to let her run some it off as we worked on signaling and hearing loud whistles from a distance just in case we ever get separated or something goes wrong. We experimented with seeing how far away we could hear each other blowing our whistles, and how far away she could see the reflection from a signal mirror. I like to do these sorts of exercises in the winter months because there is less worry about snakes, spiders, and other various insects, as well as toxic plants. We can work on those things later on in the year. We also talked about the pre-sets on my phone and how pushing any number and holding it will connect her to someone in our family if anything ever happens to me while we are out and about.

She likes the whistle. The TOPS emergency whistles are really loud

After that it was snack time. She picked out some new spicy chips that she had never tried, which is cool, I encourage her to try new things and keep an open mind. She really liked them, but she was also really glad for the water!

Our other gear for the day was my maroon handled Yuma by T.M. Hunt Knives, which by the way fits very well in the BK-17 sheath that is mollied to my water bottle carrier, a D2 BK-14, my Tibo that I let her carry around her neck since she didn't have a belt on, and a couple of different compasses.

We worked a little on orientation and land nav, and then I just let her play with the compass and signal mirror while I stowed things away and got ready for the hike.

North

South

East

West

End Part 1 of 3

 

[Mistwalker]

As we stepped away from the truck I spotted some chives and wild onions. She loves onions, especially the wild ones. I showed her how to use a knife or a stick rather than hands to clear around things because you never really know what is hiding under the leaves. As well as how you can use a knife to hold things still that you want a better look at without touching them with your hands when the wind is blowing.

She heard a lot of frogs croaking and asked what the sound was, so we made our way to a little pond so she could see where the sound was coming from. She had to stop and fix her shoe, and we had a talk about recognizing poison ivy vines.

I go to this pond a lot in the summer months due to all of the different animals that converge there. It's a cool place for wildlife photos. So I had a feeling she was going to like one tree in particular that has some large muscadine vines growing around it. I was right, she had a blast climbing and swinging on the vines.

Then we walked around the pond and she found a balance beam

When we got back to the truck she entertained herself with the gate some more as I was putting theings away, I looked up just in time to catch one series of her gymnastics with full auto shots. This little girl has a muscle structure and a six pack that's impressive, but I still made her stop doing gymnastics on the gate. You can see the "why" on her face as she was stopping. Though it was nothing I hadn't done on the farm growing up, the thought of her slipping and landing on the lower bar worried me...but it gave me ideas for a project at home at her playhouse. So...she sat there for a minute, and went back to playing on the lower bar...

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End Part 2 of 3

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[Mistwalker]

Apparently she wasn't content with borrowing my neck knife, she grabbed her knife out of the console and started whittling.

Soon we were both hungry so we headed out with thoughts of tacos running through our minds. After dinner we headed to Rembrandt's for hot cocoa/coffee and desert. We got there just as the moon was coming up, so she ran inside...still having more energy than she knows what to do with...picked out what she wanted, a brownie this time, and we sat outside talking as we watched the moon rise then went for a walk through the art district. By the time we got home, got her shower and brushed her teeth, she was asleep before I was halfway through reading Horton Hears a Who.

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[JRB65]

Looks like you two had yourselves some quality time
Thanks for sharing!

 

[lmalterna]

Mist,
Another great post. While we are teaching them facts, they teach us a new way to see the world and just how easy it is to enjoy life

Bill

 

[bacpacker]

That looks like one fine day had by all. She just added a ton of memories as did you.
Thanks for taking us along.

 

[amunderdog]

That was great.

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
Forest E. Witcraft

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mistwalker]

Looks like you two had yourselves some quality time
Thanks for sharing!

Glad you enjoyed the post, and yep we had a blast!

Mist,
Another great post. While we are teaching them facts, they teach us a new way to see the world and just how easy it is to enjoy life

Bill

Thanks Bill, and yeah, she's good at reminding me of things I have all but forgotten about Life was once so simple...

That looks like one fine day had by all. She just added a ton of memories as did you.
Thanks for taking us along.

Thanks man, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip

That was great.

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
Forest E. Witcraft

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked the post, and that's an awesome quote!

 

[sicily02]

Hi all,

Great pics, wow she has the energy just like you said.

Looks like you 2 had a great day.

Bryan

 

[tman038]

awesome thread! looks like a great time. I have a little girl who is 4.. I would love to be able to do these kind of things with her when she gets a little older. thanks for sharing

 

[Ethan Becker]

What fun......That is one adorable child......You are a lucky man.........

Ethan.....

 

[The Warrior]

God stuff mist.

 

[Enluzenment]

It's awesome to see a youngin (esp. a girl) having so much fun in the wilderness! Sometimes it seems all the youth of today care about is Xbox and the mall. I was especially impressed when I saw her eating wild onion straight out of the ground and whittling, thats awesome! Keep up the good work, you have an adorable little girl.

 

[Psyop]

Great day thanks for sharing

 

[LG&M]

Not only is it great you are spending time outside with your daughter you are teaching her valuable lessons. :thumbup:
I have had my BK24 since last summer all the Becker goodness + D2. You will like it.

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Another GREAT post my brother!!!

 

[RogueBowie]

This thread really warmed my heart! Great pics. I have a little girl too, though mine is younger. The time we get to spend with them is really special, this was a great reminder. Thanks for the post Mist!

 

[omniviking]

Looks like an outstanding time.. Thanks for sharing your day. nothing like getting out and about with the kids.

 

[JV3]

nice pics, brian! your daughter is growing up fast!

i'm not familiar with vines - will that muscadine drip drinkable water when cut?

 

[Mistwalker]

Hi all,

Great pics, wow she has the energy just like you said.

Looks like you 2 had a great day.

Bryan

Man she seriously has more energy than she knows what to do with! So, I just try to nudge it in positive directions

awesome thread! looks like a great time. I have a little girl who is 4.. I would love to be able to do these kind of things with her when she gets a little older. thanks for sharing

The wife and I started taking her to the woods before she was old enough to walk, and we/I just took things slow after she was old enough to walk. I'm glad that she still loves going and learning about them.

What fun......That is one adorable child......You are a lucky man.........

Ethan.....

Thanks Ethan, it was a blast. She can be adorable. Yes, I am a very lucky man and very thankful for all that I have been blessed with!

God stuff mist.

Thanks man, glad you liked the post.

It's awesome to see a youngin (esp. a girl) having so much fun in the wilderness! Sometimes it seems all the youth of today care about is Xbox and the mall. I was especially impressed when I saw her eating wild onion straight out of the ground and whittling, thats awesome! Keep up the good work, you have an adorable little girl.

Thank you. She really loves the autumn edible hikes with all the nuts, berries, passion fruit, and persimmons. She gets a kick out of being able to pick things and eat them, but I waited till she was old enough to understand the words poison and toxic before I started showing her those things.

Great day thanks for sharing

Thanks man, it was an awesome day.

Not only is it great you are spending time outside with your daughter you are teaching her valuable lessons. :thumbup:
I have had my BK24 since last summer all the Becker goodness + D2. You will like it.

Thanks man, I want her to understand that there was food available long before there were grocery stores, and fun to be had long before there were playgrounds and video games

Another GREAT post my brother!!!

Thanks bro, I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

This thread really warmed my heart! Great pics. I have a little girl too, though mine is younger. The time we get to spend with them is really special, this was a great reminder. Thanks for the post Mist!

Thanks man, I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. My favorite memories from my childhood were from times spent in the woods and along the coast with my father. I learned at an early age that life can change very suddenly and unexpectedly. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, so I try to spend as much time with her as I can, and teach her as much as I can.

Looks like an outstanding time.. Thanks for sharing your day. nothing like getting out and about with the kids.

Thank you, I love spending time out and about with her. Personally I prefer the woods, but I like to take her to town too. I want her to experience some of it all.

nice pics, brian! your daughter is growing up fast!

i'm not familiar with vines - will that muscadine drip drinkable water when cut?

Thanks J, and yes she really is. Hard to believe she will be eight this year!

The muscadine and grape vines here will drip water, but not so much this time of year.