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milestone in the making of a man

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milestone in the making of a man

Postby Billy Goat » 10 16, 2020 •  [Post 1]

I wrote this Wednesday morning. Best part of this years trip. Hope it copy/pastes out of a word file cleanly!

A Milestone for a Young Man-to-Be

Today is the last day of Colorado’s First Rifle Elk Season. Wed Oct 14, 2020.

At 5:20am, my uncle Scott and I dropped off my 16 year old son, Travis, in the (unspecified via forum purposes....) National Forest at about 11,000 feet of elevation. Other than a few stars and a fingernail of a moon, it was pitch black. His destination that morning was the (unspecified via forum purposes....) Wilderness. Yes, an actual wilderness. It’s a roadless portion of the national forest, accessible only by foot or hoof (horse). Not even a bike can go into the wilderness. Travis carried only a rifle, a backpack and years of preparation.

His goal was a cow elk, which are delicious, but not plentiful. They are a challenging prey with great vision and hearing, but exceptional sense of smell. Travis was hunting them on their turf, not his. To kill an elk a hunter must find them, approach from downwind (always changing in the mountains), catch them off guard, and be ready to kill it when he gets there. The rifle Travis carried is capable, the ammo proven, sighted in at 200 yards, and good to 300. His backpack, heavy.

I realized only later that “dropping him off” both in the wilderness and the world is really my life’s work. At 16, he’s ahead of schedule. Most grown men wouldn’t be prepared for his work today. His mother and I are doing our dead level best to raise God fearing, law abiding, taxpaying citizens who pull their own weight and more in life. They will enter a far more vast wilderness of “life” in just a few years. Today, he leaves the truck for the wilderness, but soon enough, he will leave the house for college/trade school/work/adult life. At 16, he could take college classes (he does) or get a girl pregnant (he hasn’t). Both are options, with radically different ramifications.

To navigate this wilderness requires training (physically, mentally, emotionally), preparation, wisdom, decision making, execution, and responsibility for any outcome. I see many parallels between elk hunting training and training for “life” itself and the becoming of a man.

His pack contains many tools. He understands them all and is capable in their application.
• Compass- almost Godlike- always pointing north, unchanging, and your gold standard in the field. He keeps this “pinned” to the front of his backpack for quick reference all day long.
• GPS – almost a Christ-like device, that can not only point you to north, but let you know how far you have drifted off the best path, and GET you back to north, and indeed, home. Unlike the real Christ, this one can run out of AA batteries, however.
• Binoculars – like a bible in the woods to allow him to see things far away to decide if they were good or bad and discern how/if to proceed
• Knife- to separate that which he seeks to keep (meat) from that which he did not (skin, bone, guts)
• Light- to illuminate hazards his path in an otherwise dark world.
• Walkie talkie- access to informed resources/mentors. A lifeline of sorts to call in help if you need it. Membership in this circle is limited to those who wish only your safety and success (and anyone else in the general public who happens to be using channel “5” today).
• Extra ammo – because you don’t always succeed with your first attempt
• Lighter/flint-steel – because sometimes, challenges encountered force you to spend the night on the mountain in 15F weather do happen. To fail in preparation may mean permanent damage or death.
• Food and water – to sustain and power you in your struggle.
• Rifle – to execute as needed when you, your sights and your objective align. A dangerous tool that can be used or abused. Otherwise inert.

To leave a 16 year old in the dark two miles above sea level in 21F weather in the national forest, bound for the wilderness seems crazy or irresponsible, but isn’t this the moment we’ve raised him for? Isn’t that what happens when they graduate high school and leave our “safe” nest bound for the wilderness that is college frat parties, willing ladies, and illicit drugs? Have we trained him for this moment, and is he pedaling/balanced when we remove the training wheels of on-site parenting for initial flight? Training, equipping, challenging and providing them a lifeline is entirely the project of parenting. Yes, it is, and today is that first flight.

I simply offered the counsel that: “there’s a creek to the west, a trailhead on the east, a road to the north, and a ridgeline to the south. If something bad happens, go downhill to the road (safety). Good luck.” This provided him the reference and encouragement he needed.

At 16, Travis is taking college classes, could teach a Dave Ramsey course, maintains the truck he bought with his money, treats ladies with appropriate respect, and has actually built a home (no really… he has). He (and his buddy Matt) has proven responsible with rifle and ammo, trained in his tools, and prepared for Life’s Wilderness. He does all of this with a degree of confidence not common in men twice his age. He’s not “done” by any means, but he’s well on pace to become a great man, husband, father, employee, leader, servant, etc.

A few more hunting related notes…… He knows that his scent trail is like his past. An elk can smell what he ate last, how long it’s been since his last shower (about 5 days now), brushed his teeth (no clue, sorry mom….) and all that can come back to bite him if he lets an elk get downwind. Clean living and scent management are key to success. The wind is like the rules of this world. Ever changing like corporate policy or politics; always challenging.

His friend Matt is a few miles away walking a similar path, and similarly prepared. “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future” tells me that that both Travis and Matt will do well. They share a walkie talkie channel and will use it as needed.

I wrote this over the course of an hour in a wilderness of my own, raising a young man for the first time. I’m thankful to have had my own walkie-talkie in men like Erik, Lynn, Scott and others on my own trip. My work is not finished, but Travis and his best friend Matt are proof that we’re at least on pace to delivering on this highest of human responsibilities. My compass (God), my GPS (Christ), my binoculars (Bible), my extra ammo (forgiveness for failures) and my knife (discernment) are in my pack.

Shane
10-14-20
Written on a spruce deadfall for a table, in the best hour of my week, and the first apex of my parenting life.
"First teach a child to love God,
teach them second to love their family
and third, teach them to hunt and fish,
and by the time they reach their teens, no dope peddler under the sun will ever teach them anything".

-Cotton Cordell
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Billy Goat
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Re: milestone in the making of a man

Postby Swede » 10 17, 2020 •  [Post 2]

It is obvious you have sent your son off on the right trail. Best wishes to you, your son and his friend Travis. I hope they do great in life and get their elk in the mean time. If they did not get their elk, there will be plenty of opportunities.
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Re: milestone in the making of a man

Postby Lefty » 10 18, 2020 •  [Post 3]

Well done and interesting analogical story.


Keep writing, your grand kids will cherish it.
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Re: milestone in the making of a man

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 10 19, 2020 •  [Post 4]

I love it! Let us know how this adventure turns out for your son. We're wishing him the best of luck!
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