Honoring Those Who Taught Us

[foakes]

Andy started a great thread entitled -- "Me As a Young Angler"...

Lots of fun and nostalgic memories --

Got to thinking about how I acquired this appreciation for the outdoors -- fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and all of the other wilderness outdoor activities -- and realized, that was handed down from parents, grandparents, uncles, and friends.  I owe them a lot -- and that is exactly what Andy is also doing -- in looking back, we should also honor those who taught us these skills and appreciations of the outdoors.

So I would like to start a slightly different thread that honors those in our lives that have already gone on -- who might have introduced, and kept alive our passion for the outdoors.  And this is also our responsibility to the next generation -- we never know what we may do to instill this appreciation of Nature into those who we may mentor -- kids, nieces, nephews, etc. -- but we need to keep it going.

So, please add to this thread with stories and pics from around the world -- that are important to you.

I will start off with our story --

Best,

Fred



This was Deer Camp back in the 20's -- Grandpa and Grandma were farmers out on the West side of Fresno County -- they had land, were poor -- but did not worry much about it -- they had what they needed -- and were happy.  In those days out around a small town called Tranquility, the summers were over 100 degrees most of the time, the mosquitos were thick, there was no running water until a little later, they had an outhouse, and little cash money.  

But every year, they would pack up everything for a 2 month stay in the High Sierras -- tent, woodstove, Dutch Oven, cots, fishing and hunting gear.  Food was canned peaches, tomatoes, pasta, biscuits, pancakes.  They always bought their deer tags and licenses -- but they were up there from around mid August to mid October -- so meat was generally a young doe shot with an old Savage .22 -- this would last a couple of weeks -- always had potatoes, onions, flour, etc. -- in 50 pound gunny sacks to go with the venison.  Lots of trout.

This was illegal, but in those days -- the few Rangers and Wardens would also welcome something hot from the Dutch Oven that was always ready -- and the hot black cowboy coffee -- also always ready to pour.  And the Wardens knew that they were protecting the resource by just taking a deer sparingly, as needed.

Just before leaving to go back home in October, they would fill out their deer tags with fresh shot bucks -- then bring it all back home for Winter eating.

This was likely around the upper Kings River, close to the Crown Valley country.  This was before Pine Flat Dam, Wishon, Courtright.  They would access this area by driving up the Kings River, heading up through Balch Camp and Black Rock -- would take two days to get there.  We do it in a few hours now.

They stayed up there at around 7500' until first snow -- this gave everyone an added bonus of beating the Valley heat back at the farm.



Grandma Lena fishing at San Simeon around 1955 -- she was 72.



Breakfast



Found stuff and stuff used by Grandpa & Grandma



Sue, Stephanie, and I on a 9 day, 55 mile backpacking trip into Evolution Valley, via Florence Lake -- this is Colby Meadow, and we are heading for a camp at around 10,800' -- further up.  Tom, Steph's husband, is taking the pic.  This was about 10 years ago.  This was special to us -- Steph passed on a couple of years later, after a bout with breast cancer.  She always said this was the best trip of her life.  One of their kids is a back-country firefighter, and their daughter is a professional guide -- with worldwide experience from Alaska, Machu Pichu, Australia, the Sierras, Rockies, and Europe.

[steelhead_killer]

Great idea!  Im going to see my mother at the end of the month and hope she can find pictures or my grandfather and uncles fishing over the years.  They were really outdoorsman.  Grandpa grew up on a remote goldmine in northeastern Oregon.  I don't know how many pictures if any were taken of this time but I would love to have them. 

[STRIPER LOU]

Great family history Fred. I wish we had saved more pictures on our end. And your correct  Fred, everyone had little or nothing, still managed to get by, and always seemed to be quite happy! We always looked forward to Thanksgiving as it was a game dinner of everything we shot. Life was much simpler then, wasn't it!!!!
Regards,  ..  Lou

[Shark Hunter]

Awesome Fred!
My Uncle mainly taught me how to fish and shoot. He is still with me. I see him now and then.
He is in Ohama now. Retired and working at Cabela's as a firearm inspector.
Being from Kentucky, My family on my Mom's side were coal miners.
They lived in Whitesburg Ky. Really close to Virgina. They owned their own mountain back then.
I will have to try and dig up some pictures. Lots of good times on that mountain.
I have a license plate on the front of my truck, that says We Dig Coal.
Most of them are gone from me now.
When my Son was born. I have a picture of Him and me, My Mom, My Grandma and my Great Grandma. 5 Generations.
Life is Good!

[anglingarchitect]

When I was 13 I spent three weeks on a shrimp boat, that my fathers step father was the captain of. We We left from Apalachicola. Through the intercostal all the way to Mississippi where we shrimped for a week at a time. We caught an incredible amount of interesting creatures large and small, I wanted to be a marine Biologist at the time so it was fascinating for me but hard work, your hands got so sore from getting fined by all the little cat fish, shrimp, and other trash fish that after a few days it was difficult to close your hands.

The best part was all the stories he had from a lifetime of Shrimping. He taught me how to tie a haywire twist, and how to make a cast net and throw one expertly, patch the shrimp net, and clean fish like a pro.



We called him Uncle Bud, his name was in fact Adolph Miller

[Newell Nut]

Sixty years ago Mama caught this grouper out of Ponce Inlet, FL on the same reefs that I fish today. She had gotten a bird nest in her reel and after getting it all cleaned up the grouper was on the hook and she still complains because nobody would help her reel it in. It took me a long time to catch a bigger grouper than that one. Looking forward to the opportunity to get my grandson out on the water and fishing the same reefs.

[Marcq]

Sixty years ago Mama caught this grouper out of Ponce Inlet, FL on the same reefs that I fish today. She had gotten a bird nest in her reel and after getting it all cleaned up the grouper was on the hook and she still complains because nobody would help her reel it in. It took me a long time to catch a bigger grouper than that one. Looking forward to the opportunity to get my grandson out on the water and fishing the same reefs.

You haven't changed much

I love old black&white pictures 

Marc..

[Alto Mare]

Great idea Fred, very nice...

[Tightlines667]

My grandpa used to travel up to Canada, and fly in to Lake Macintosh every summer throughout the late 40s and 50s.  It was a big event for the small farming town when everyone returned with boxes full of huge Northerns. They even brought a priest with them so they could hold sunday mass at the remote camp.













And my dad fighting his first Blue Marlin in Bermuda in 1986...



I have a whole bunch more hunting and fishing photos of my grandpa, friends, dad, auts and uncles from the 50s, but don'the want to monopolize the thread.

[foakes]

Great pictures so far, Everyone! --

Thanks for sharing.

Keep em coming -- we all like the historical pics.

Best,

Fred

[Alto Mare]

Love the old pics.
John, for a moment I thought your dad was Kevin Costner  .

Sal