Giving is the Clay Feats theme of the year

Interesting how themes become a part of a column. The three or four weeks before Christmas feature Christmas gifts. The last of the year article recaps the writings of the year.

The second week of February is the anniversary of this column and, therefore, is a review of all the years before the current one.

The first writing of the year has become a call to arms, a rallying call, to give back to the outdoors. This tradition has become a chance for me to challenge you to ask yourself, "What can I do to contribute to the wellbeing of the outdoors?"

Picking up litter

The simplest and easiest way to give back is to pick up after the inconsiderate slobs who discard soda cans, candy wrappers, worm containers and other litter throughout the great outdoors. No one should throw out such trash, but for some reason people feel it necessary to deposit trash at the campsite, along the trail or alongside the road.

I'm lucky to have friends who feel it is good karma to pick up some of the items. Encourage your friends to do the same, young or old. The youth are easily trained to do so and adult friends usually catch on after awhile. But there are some rules involved.

Picking up a beverage can is fine and so are candy wrappers and Styrofoam worm containers, but my friends and I don't mess with broken glass or larger items. When hunting we don't pick anything that will make noise in the backpack.

Teach someone about the outdoors

We all know it is our duty to teach our youth outdoor skills, but don't forget the inexperienced adults. For example, there are adults who have never learned fishing skills. Their parents didn't fish, so they didn't learn how to fish. Now they have a son or daughter who is curious about the sport and wants to participate.

The annual Kids Fishing Day was a superb avenue to teach youth how to fish. However, I understand the annual event is in jeopardy this year.

Adult angling classes should be considered by those who schedule community school classes. Lacking such classes, adults who are interested in learning to fish should contact an angling friend. Reversing this course of action, an experienced angler should ask a non-angling friend to accompany him on a fishing trip.

The Washington Outdoor Women conduct various workshops teaching outdoor skills in a variety of subjects, such as archery, fly fishing, backpacking, kayaking, outdoor photography, spin fishing, big game hunting, shotgun shooting and many others. However, all of their workshops are on the west side of the state, which to me is another example of the Cascade Curtain.

Perhaps it is time for me to organize an event, but I would make it family oriented. The State of Oregon offers a two-day camping workshop for entire families. The object of the weekend clinics is to teach the basic camping skills.

There have been a couple of organizations that have organized one-day events teaching shooting, Dutch oven cooking and other outdoor skills, but we need to plan another.

Day trips

My parents are to blame for my enjoyment of day trips. Unexpectedly on a Saturday or Sunday during any time of the year Dad would tell us to get our things as we were going on a road trip. Mom would make a lunch and off we would go.

Readers can expect more road trip information this year, where road by road instructions are given, but it is also fun to start off with no particular route in mind. Just drive in one direction until another direction is desired.

Think about this scenario: A family of four, two adults and two children ages 6 and 8, is in the car and the father drives west on Highway 17. At the junction where the road splits and heads to either Soap Lake or Ephrata, the 6-year-old is allowed to decide which direction the family will proceed.

At the next junction, it's the mother's turn, next the 8-year-old will decide and so on throughout the day. The family may end up at Grand Coulee Dam or Davenport or both.

When Dad would tell us to get our things, he wanted my sister, Denise, and I to get clothing appropriate for the day, along with toys and books. We were trained to take extra items in case the weather was cooler or warmer than expected.

These days, with the variety of camp stoves available, it is easy to take along a stove, along with a pot or skillet and cook a hot meal somewhere along the way.

If a no-cleanup meal is desired consider using paper plates and plastic spoons to throw away. Another tactic I use is to cook a large stew and freeze meal-size portions in hard-plastic containers. The stew is then removed from the container and sealed in a FoodSaver bag.

When ready to fix lunch, fill a pot with water and get it boiling, then drop the stew bag into the water. When it is hot, cut a corner and pour the food into a bowl. There is nothing to cleanup, unless the plastic spoons are to be saved, cleaned and reused.

Not only are such trips fun for the entire family, it is possible day-trip excitement will be instilled in the youth involved to the point of becoming a lifetime event.

It is up to you

Your contribution to the outdoors is dependent upon your willingness to give back. Each of us could walk past the same discarded soda can for years, or reach down and pick it up the first time we see it.

We can also take a disabled person on a day trip, teach an adult or youth to fish or introduce a family to camping.

The choice is yours, but do something as your part of giving back to the great outdoors.