Did you have an "OUTDOOR UPBRINGING" ?

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drljefe

climber

Old Pueblo, AZ

Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 22, 2010 - 01:14pm PT

I'm in the process of going through my late father's endless archive of slides to be sent off and scanned.
After viewing tray after tray there is no question why I am why I am today.
From the deepest wilds of desolate Baja to every nook and cranny of the southwest, my parents took me there, often pulling me out of gradeschool for extended trips.
I developed a love for the desert, ocean, ancient cultures, and the rock.
My folks weren't hippies, climbers, or surfers, they just loved solitude and camping, and they sure exposed me to some bitchin places.

It was only natural that I would revisit many of these places and feel right at home in the outdoors.

Thank goodness video games hadn't been invented yet.

HOW 'BOUT YOU?

Reilly

Mountain climber

Monrovia, CA

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:19pm PT

Yessum, 'cept when I had to come into town...

franky

climber

Davis, CA

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:21pm PT

Nope, my dad used to hunt and fish a lot, but stopped by the time I was old enough to go with. My mom claimed to like the outdoors, but never took us.

Got into it myself during at the university. Kind of a bummer, but maybe if I had started young I would have stopped loving the outdoors in some kind of teen angst rebellion. Who knows.

drljefe

climber

Old Pueblo, AZ

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2010 - 01:22pm PT

Listen pardner, I did some city slickin too.

Tradmedic

Ice climber

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:23pm PT

Hells yes. I still blame my parents for turning me into a semi-exiled outdoor nut. Low-impact/Leave no Trace camping was the norm, along with the occaisional cross-country road trip with stops at seemingly all the parks. Extended trips (canoeing especially) by the time I was 3. And on, and on. Now, my mom is retired and is still one of my best paddling partners, my brother is my best whitewater paddling partner (though he is pretty mean on a mountian bike too, and is willing to second me up damn near anything). Skiing, and winter camping to deal with the cold of Northern Ontario. My parents did what they could to support my climbing, but there wasn't much of a scene or community in my hometown so it was slow at first. They definitely aren't worriers, in fact my mom came out to try ice climbing when I was first getting into it. And barely shake there heads anymore when I spout off about different possible trip plans leading up to some adventure.

I am unbelievably thankful for the 'outdoor education' I received at the hands of my parents, and am constantly blown away by the patience they had to be doing all of this with two young boys!

treeman

climber

mule city

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:32pm PT

Thanks for sharing that with the campfire jefe. My parents weren't real outdoor types, but we camped plenty and did the hunting and fishing thing as kids. But more importantly they instilled in me the freedom to explore things and let me be me. Signed me up for a climbing program in high school, sent me a NOLS semester course long time back, hell even paid for a couple years at Prescott College (Granite Mtn. University)! I'm making sure my own kids are on the right outdoor path. My daughter (3) loves camping and skiing, and our son (10) regularly ditches school to go snowboarding ( got it worked out with the principal that this counts towards his PE).

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, Ca.

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:34pm PT

My folks weren't hippies, climbers, or surfers, they just loved solitude and camping, and they sure exposed me to some bitchin places.

Same here.

I'm trying to do the same with my son. He ain't 2 yet but he's camped at Tahoe, Tuolumne, Yosemite, and Jtree. He digs it too!

matty

Trad climber

los arbor

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:35pm PT

yep, skis as soon as I could stand on them, same with the bike. Winter camping in ice caves, canoeing, sailing, backcountry skiing. No climbing though. It was my pleasure to introduce that outdoor activity to my Dad, who after getting a late start at 56 has climbed 15 pitch free routes, waterfall ice, aid climbed, big mountains in peru and even some valley 5.9! Good job Dad, I'm proud of you. Thanks for raising me to appreciated the outdoors.

Matt

drljefe

climber

Old Pueblo, AZ

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2010 - 01:37pm PT

Treeman- I was thinking of you and how your kids are being raised- Y'all don't have to make an effort to get them out there, it's just how you roll.

happiegrrrl

Trad climber

New York, NY

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:38pm PT

hahah - those cowboy duds are so cute.

My family was a bit outdoorsy, but more in a leisure way than a recreational way. That may account for why I consider the camp time/camaraderie aspect as important as the actual climbing....

Sundays in decent weather would be a "load everyone into the car, along with a picnic" day. In winter it would be - go to church and then lunch at a town restaurant. But in the summer season it was the picnic and communing with nature.

Usually we'd drive in the country and find a farmer field with a big shade tree and that was where we'd stop. Sometimes it was a county park on the way to Silver Lake for swimming.

And the big 2-week summer vacation trip was made in some sort of camper rig, staying at campgrounds along the way.

The day trips were more often excursions to historic places(Fort Ticonderogo, House on the Rock) and the "Roadside America" attractions along the way. I still adore those kitschy stops.

They might stop somewhere and let us kids run around in a big park or something, but we never did hikes or anything. If we found our way to the top of a high point, it was because the station wagon took us there.

But, we did live out in the country, and had a woods out back after heading through 2 farmer hay fields. I always enjoyed wandering that woods.

Batrock

Trad climber

Burbank

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:39pm PT

As much as you can living in Burbank. My dad was a fireman and had lots of time off during the week. I remember spur of the moment trips where he would come home from work and tell us that we would be missing the next few days of school and we would load up the jeep and head for the Mojave or the Sierras. That was reason enough for me to follow in his footsteps to become a fireman.

This picture was taken by my brother of me, in the foreground and my dad in the background bouldering around at the base of Williamson Rock. Exact location is near the Leaning Pillar for you Williamson folks. Picture was taken in 1978.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:43pm PT

Oh yes, most definitely.

Bush Alaska in the 60's.
Bush planes
Snowmachines
River boats
Dog sleds

Then down south, long cross country road trips, lots of time with the cousins out in the "back 40".

I was very lucky that way, and have tried to ram it down the throa.........er......I mean share it with my kids too!

hossjulia

Social climber

Eastside

Jan 22, 2010 - 01:48pm PT

Sorta, by economic default.
Meaning camping was all my parents could afford. Found out later they both hated it. Which is a great credit to them that they took us camping and taught us some things about the outdoors anyway. My Dad was big on survival skills. My Mom says I seemed to just know things about the wild and that I taught them a lot.
I remember one year they had to cancel a trip, might have been 69 when it was a wet summer in Cali. Anyway, I went ballistic and was a complete bitchy 10 year old brat for months afterward, earned me less presents for Christmas that year. I remember screaming at them about ruining my life and that I just wanted to live in a tent and camp out for the rest of my life! (and I meant it. Those of you who know me, you know how that turned out! LOL.)
We did do the desert racing thing when I was younger too, which included some great trips to Baja to pre-run and scout the Baja races. Probably responsible for my love of the desert. (and chorizo)
Numerous trips up 395 from San Diego to Carson City to visit grand parents made me fall in love with the Sierra and particularly Mono Lake. Now, some 30 years later, I live right next to it. But I gotta tell ya, it smells kinda bad and the pogonip fog in winter is brutal!

My Mom and Dad both say I was born wild. I call myself feral these days.

drljefe

climber

Old Pueblo, AZ

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2010 - 01:55pm PT

Thanks Mom!
When I came of age, she was fully supportive of me living out of my bus in some rainshadowed pinyon juniper playground.

I can thank my dad for the inherited wanderlust.
Hopefully I can use it a bit more responsibly than he.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jan 22, 2010 - 02:11pm PT

I can thank my dad for the inherited wanderlust.
Hopefully I can use it a bit more responsibly than he.

Dude....never leave me hanging like that.
C'mon, spill it.

Don't make me send the Toaster down on yer azz!

At least enough to quench my curiosity.
I won't send the Toaster to squeeze any deep family secrets outta ya...

drljefe

climber

Old Pueblo, AZ

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2010 - 02:32pm PT

Bruce-
Dad bailed. Prototype deadbeat Dad. Evaded responsibility (and authorities) by sailing the entire west coast of North America until his death in 2000.
I definitely have the "bail" gene, but would prefer balance.
There.
(just didn't want the BLT to choke me out!)

NEXT!

Buggs

Trad climber

Corrales, New Mexico

Jan 22, 2010 - 02:48pm PT

Yes my parents helped alot with my outdoor enthusiasm. Father career Air Force fighter pilot. We moved alot.

Colorado Springs, Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylenvy, Nevada, California, Nebraska, Wyoming. Cheyenne was my first real recognition of the outdoors. Favorite trips were to Veedavou and our cabin in Red Feather Lakes outside of Ft Collins CO. I think that's where my fondness for moving over stone began. Unroped of course.

Air Force picked me up and the adventure continued. Survival instructor for ten years. Formal climbing and all the outdoor skills I would ever need. Took me to Washington State. Then to Alaska.

Great thread Jefe. I'll post some scans of me as a young'un when I can sort through my boxes in Bruce's hay barn.

drlBuggman

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jan 22, 2010 - 03:09pm PT

Jefe,
I'm sorry to hear that man. But he gave you good genes and started you down the path you're on. And thanks to your mom and probably partly him too, you've turned out to be a great human.

You know the Toaster would only ignore me if I sent him after somebody anyway.......

Now if someone did wrong to his GodDaughter, my Amber, there might be some serious chokin' goin' on!