I think I've now come a full circle. I got volunteered to teach the cub scouts.
My cousins son has a boy in a local cub scout group, and he's been hanging out with his dad and me, listening to us talk about old times when his dad was my younger cousin on my mom's side and he spent summers with us. I took him around alot, and tought him how to shoot, and other things back when we were kids. When I was 13 or 14, my cousin Guy was 6 years younger than me, and got his first shooting lessons and safe pocket knife lessons from me. He still has fond memories of the airgun shooting down in the woods with me, Ev, and Dave Tate.
Now his son Austin has a boy in the cub scouts and he wants me to take on the role of guest instructor of airguns, pocket knives, and general outdoor stuff because alot of the dad's have never been out doing the stuff. This is kind of sad. He's also downloaded some of the stuff I've posted here on the traditional forum, and the dad's have been reading it, and seem as anxious to learn as the kids.
I find myself in a vortex of mixed feelings on this. I now have the oportunity to teach the traditional approach to pocket knives, so these kids will know a stockman from a barlow, and what to do with them, as well as pass on what Mr. Van called "the holy trinity". But I have huge butterflies in my gut knowing I could never begin to fill Mr. Van's boots. It's one thing teaching a grandson, but a dozen strangers and their kids, wow. A little intimidating. Some of the dad's were asking me what kind of knife should they get the boys, and could I teach them how to safley use and sharpen them.
I am wondering if anyone is left in the U.S. who makes a old style traditional cub scout knife? Or even a boy scout knife with the logo "Be Prepared".?
With Camillus and Schrade gone the way of most of the others, I doubt it. Heck, just for a starter knife I wish there were some Kamp Kings left. I guess with the lack of them, I may as well recomend the Victorinox recruit. Sort of similar in size to what we had, and will do to get them off to a good start. I remember when I was a kid, I used to lust after one of those belt hatchet/sheath knife combo's that had the stacked leather washers.
I guess I'd better get busy getting a teaching schedual together. I figure a conventional pocket knife should do them for camp crafts, hobo stew, survival debri huts, and such. Maybe I can teach them enough so's when they get old enough for the boy scouts they'll be a jump or two up. First thing up though will be a hiking staff making sesson like Mr. Van had us do. He always told us a good staff was an important thing to have, and he had us make them out of good hardwood. If one left a bit of nub where a small branch was, you could use if for the nose in a forest knome like face on the staff.
We'll see how it goes.
My cousins son has a boy in a local cub scout group, and he's been hanging out with his dad and me, listening to us talk about old times when his dad was my younger cousin on my mom's side and he spent summers with us. I took him around alot, and tought him how to shoot, and other things back when we were kids. When I was 13 or 14, my cousin Guy was 6 years younger than me, and got his first shooting lessons and safe pocket knife lessons from me. He still has fond memories of the airgun shooting down in the woods with me, Ev, and Dave Tate.
Now his son Austin has a boy in the cub scouts and he wants me to take on the role of guest instructor of airguns, pocket knives, and general outdoor stuff because alot of the dad's have never been out doing the stuff. This is kind of sad. He's also downloaded some of the stuff I've posted here on the traditional forum, and the dad's have been reading it, and seem as anxious to learn as the kids.
I find myself in a vortex of mixed feelings on this. I now have the oportunity to teach the traditional approach to pocket knives, so these kids will know a stockman from a barlow, and what to do with them, as well as pass on what Mr. Van called "the holy trinity". But I have huge butterflies in my gut knowing I could never begin to fill Mr. Van's boots. It's one thing teaching a grandson, but a dozen strangers and their kids, wow. A little intimidating. Some of the dad's were asking me what kind of knife should they get the boys, and could I teach them how to safley use and sharpen them.
I am wondering if anyone is left in the U.S. who makes a old style traditional cub scout knife? Or even a boy scout knife with the logo "Be Prepared".?
With Camillus and Schrade gone the way of most of the others, I doubt it. Heck, just for a starter knife I wish there were some Kamp Kings left. I guess with the lack of them, I may as well recomend the Victorinox recruit. Sort of similar in size to what we had, and will do to get them off to a good start. I remember when I was a kid, I used to lust after one of those belt hatchet/sheath knife combo's that had the stacked leather washers.
I guess I'd better get busy getting a teaching schedual together. I figure a conventional pocket knife should do them for camp crafts, hobo stew, survival debri huts, and such. Maybe I can teach them enough so's when they get old enough for the boy scouts they'll be a jump or two up. First thing up though will be a hiking staff making sesson like Mr. Van had us do. He always told us a good staff was an important thing to have, and he had us make them out of good hardwood. If one left a bit of nub where a small branch was, you could use if for the nose in a forest knome like face on the staff.
We'll see how it goes.
