Give back remains theme for first column
Dennis L. Clay
The paper coffee cup was standing on the snow-covered road as if the owner had opened the door and set it in place. This piece of litter was not thrown, helter-skelter, out of a window. This was an intentional act, no doubt.
I released the gas pedal and the Ram drifted to a stop. My passenger was Dr. Thomas Steffens. He jumped out of the cab, grabbed the cup and placed it in the garbage sack.
"Good Karma," he said.
Good Karma in our minds was the act of performing a good deed with the idea of future positive happenings presented to us.
We were hunting moose in the mountains north of Colville. Thomas held the moose tag, I was the driver.
My hunting buddies and I have been tuned into the idea of giving back to the Great Outdoors from the time we began hunting together. It isn't unusual for any one of us or all of us to return to the Ram after a morning of hunting and empty several items from our pockets or backpack.
Items such as soda pop cans, beer cans, rusted tobacco containers, Styrofoam worm containers, peanut containers and the list continues to include most all items taken into the hunting and fishing areas of the Pacific Northwest.
When a hunter pauses to eat a candy bar, why can't this person simply place the empty wrapper back into his pack or pocket instead of dropping it? Thus we have a few of us who are picking up after the inconsiderate slobs who leave such litter scattered about.
Picking up litter is the easiest way to give back to the Great Outdoors. If a soda can is spotted in the hiking trail, pick it up. The same goes for other litter.
Youngsters adapt readily to this philosophy and will continue the practice the rest of their life. If reinforced from time to time through example, it will become a habit, one they can teach to their children. This way of thinking has the possibility of becoming a custom, tradition and ritual for the entire family.
There are a couple of cautions worth noting at this point. My buddies and I don't touch disposable diapers or broken glass. Enough said.
Another way to give back to the outdoors is to teach outdoor skills to someone else. This person may be a 6 year old or a 61 year old. Yes, believe it or not, there are senior citizens who have never been fishing or on a hike to wild areas.
A wild area may be a hike to the Lake Lenore Caves, which isn't really considered wild for many of us. However, if a person has only hiked the asphalt paths of a city park, the caves might be considered a bit on the wild side.
These people, young and older, should be taught the preliminary aspects of hiking for sure, but also what to do if encountering a rattlesnake or a cougar.
Taking this step about outdoor instruction to the next level, teach a family the joys of camping. Potholes State Park is an excellent campground for beginners. There are primitive campsites with gravel and dirt, but also sites with grass, which allow tents on Friday and Saturday nights only.
Conducting a dress rehearsal in the backyard at home is a good idea. This allows most difficulties encountered by beginning campers to be corrected. However, Potholes State Park is close enough to most cities in the Columbia Basin to allow a trip home for forgotten supplies to be reasonable.
I encourage all families to keep a journal. This can be a notebook of some sort where all members can make entries whenever desired. Or each individual could maintain their own journal.
Each journal could be as detailed as desired, recording the wildlife seen, the pitching of the tent, cooking of the meals and recounting the fun of time with family and friends spent around the campfire.
These are valuable records which can be shared years later, perhaps decades later, and become valuable family records by future generations.
Spending time in the great outdoors is fun. Sharing this time with family and friends is fun. Teaching others about the outdoors is fun. You get the idea.
With a little practice and with the correct mental attitude, everyone can figure out ways to give back.
All of the above will provide opportunities for you, your family and friends to create memories which will last a lifetime and possibly will last for generations into the future.
So what happened to Thomas and his moose tag? He shot a respectable 40-inch bull not far from Colville. I'm saying part of his luck was the result of the good karma provided by removing a coffee cup from the side of the road.
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