I nominate my oldest son, William. He will be turning 18 in January, and I was planning to purchase his first high-end fixed blade outdoor knife for him to celebrate the occasion.
A bit about the young man:
Eagle Scout (earning camping, wilderness survival, emergency preparedness, fishing, rock climbing, and many other merit badges along the way)
Honor Roll Student every semester of high school
Recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award
https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/about
As a father, I've made every attempt to foster in him a love of the outdoors that my father was able to instill in me, and I believe it has been successful. William enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, etc. When he is not playing soccer, spending time outdoors, or engaged in his studies, he seeks opportunities to volunteer to better the community and his fellow man.
As a "pay it forward" twist on the generous knife donation offer, I've budgeted $200 for the purchase of a knife for him (a fairly modest sum for a high quality knife...but I have 3 teenagers in private high school with William off to college next year), and I will donate the $200 to a great charity I recently learned about - The Joshua Chamberlain Society -
https://www.chamberlainsociety.org/ which supports fallen and wounded heroes for life. I encourage everyone who reads this to check out the JCS and consider supporting the organization.
A pic of Will taken after winning the Boy Scout axe throwing competition during the summer camp out in Gunnison, CO this past summer:
RLO and I had the pleasure to get to know and spend some time talking with him at Trackrock. I know he was well liked in our group and just a great down to earth person that would give you the shirt off of his back. He’d love and cherish his first Fiddleback.
