I went tramping with Dad a lot when I was younger. Many of my favourite childhood and teen memories involve forests, mountains, rivers, birds, huts, tents, rain, campfires, friends, family, sore legs, snow, card games, hot jelly, scroggin, and coming home tired and stinky.
One particular time I remember as a teenager I had this “cool” bright orange Rip Curl jacket. It wasn’t very ideal for tramping but the one Dad wanted me to take was super ugly so I refused to take it. Of course we woke up the second morning and it was pouring with rain and my “cool” jacket was not going to be sufficient water protection. Luckily Dad surprised me by pulling out the ugly brown jacket from his pack. Despite my rude comments about it before we left he knew that what I had taken with me was not suitable and if there was a big down pour I would need something better. So he carried two jackets with him.
I wore the ugly jacket all day.
It was pretty cold that day and we were following a river up a valley with not much of a track (if any) and at parts with quite steep sides and no river bank. We had to cross the river a couple of times and later in the afternoon I fell in the tiver. Not completely but enough to make me wet and cold. After insisting I was fine and keeping on walking, and refusing to stop to eat some food (I am still super stubborn) I got to the point where I didn’t want to keep going. We were looking for a small hunting hut that was meant to be there but we couldn’t see it. I remember sitting down on a rock and wanting to crawl under it and go to sleep. Dad, along with a friend of his, made me eat something and checked that I was dry under my jacket. Dad and my cousin crossed the river to see if the hut was on that side of the river and I remember thinking that if they weren’t back in five minutes I WOULD crawl under that rock. Thankfully they were back in about half a minute as the hut was right there and I made it to the hut, got on some warm, dry clothes and climbed in my sleeping bag on the top bunk and a few minutes later got some 2 minute noodles in me.
Outside it began to snow.
That’s the Dad I remember. The Dad who carried an extra jacket in his backpack because I wouldn’t. The Dad who made sure I was dry and warm. The Dad who took care of me and encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to give up. The Dad who knew what to do when the weather turned yuck. The Dad who knew a bit of chocolate can make a huge difference to body and mind.
That’s the Dad I know.
“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
One particular time I remember as a teenager I had this “cool” bright orange Rip Curl jacket. It wasn’t very ideal for tramping but the one Dad wanted me to take was super ugly so I refused to take it. Of course we woke up the second morning and it was pouring with rain and my “cool” jacket was not going to be sufficient water protection. Luckily Dad surprised me by pulling out the ugly brown jacket from his pack. Despite my rude comments about it before we left he knew that what I had taken with me was not suitable and if there was a big down pour I would need something better. So he carried two jackets with him.
I wore the ugly jacket all day.
It was pretty cold that day and we were following a river up a valley with not much of a track (if any) and at parts with quite steep sides and no river bank. We had to cross the river a couple of times and later in the afternoon I fell in the tiver. Not completely but enough to make me wet and cold. After insisting I was fine and keeping on walking, and refusing to stop to eat some food (I am still super stubborn) I got to the point where I didn’t want to keep going. We were looking for a small hunting hut that was meant to be there but we couldn’t see it. I remember sitting down on a rock and wanting to crawl under it and go to sleep. Dad, along with a friend of his, made me eat something and checked that I was dry under my jacket. Dad and my cousin crossed the river to see if the hut was on that side of the river and I remember thinking that if they weren’t back in five minutes I WOULD crawl under that rock. Thankfully they were back in about half a minute as the hut was right there and I made it to the hut, got on some warm, dry clothes and climbed in my sleeping bag on the top bunk and a few minutes later got some 2 minute noodles in me.
Outside it began to snow.
That’s the Dad I remember. The Dad who carried an extra jacket in his backpack because I wouldn’t. The Dad who made sure I was dry and warm. The Dad who took care of me and encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to give up. The Dad who knew what to do when the weather turned yuck. The Dad who knew a bit of chocolate can make a huge difference to body and mind.
That’s the Dad I know.
“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings