Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them. 2 Peter 1:12a
Peter wanted to remind a group of believers of some important truths that they had been taught. He knew they knew, but reminded them anyway because of the importance.
So, even though I know you know, let’s remind ourselves anyway. It’s gonna be hot. It’s gonna be grueling. It’s gonna be tough as ever as high schools all across the country get two a day’s started in just a few days. What does that mean? Don’t forget to monitor your players closely. Make sure they have plenty of water, rest when needed. We live in a different time than 20 or 30 years ago. For a little humor and a look at the past on hydrating during practice, see the August 12, 2010 blog, It’ll Make you Sick, in the archives. I think you’ll get a kick out of it.
Also, allow me to remind you that as coaches it is up to us to build up our athletes not only physically but mentally, socially, and spiritually. What does that look like? Well, that’s a lot but let’s look at mentally real quick. Make sure your players are getting some sort of positive feedback every day. Even the annoying ones? Yes, even the annoying ones. Even the “trouble makers”? Yes, even the trouble makers. Remember, we don’t know everyone’s home life. We might be the most important influence in their lives. It’s up to us to build our athletes up.
There are plenty of tips on www.chiefpigskin.com for coaches to help their athletes in all areas so be sure to take advantage of all there is to offer on that site. OK, I’m done with THOSE reminders. Now, good luck to everyone as they begin practice this week and good luck on your upcoming season. This is an exciting time!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Let's Play a Game of Scrub
“Let’s play a game of Scrub.” That would be my old buddy, Bernie Lee, who probably taught me more about baseball from the time I was 6 years old until I was 8, when Bernie moved away, than anyone else. Bernie wasn’t the only one that taught me baseball. There were brothers Fred and Rudy Brewster, Steve Hicks, Danny McAvoy, Steve and Leslie McKimmson and many others. But Bernie was the main guy. He had the greatest passion for the game and was always thinking of a way to play ball in the summer. In the fall, of course, it was Bernie that taught my brother Dan and me to play football.
Bernie was 2 years older than me and he was kind of my neighborhood hero. Whatever Bernie did was good enough for me. Remember when you were 6 or 7 years old and an 8 or 9 year old seemed like practically a teenager? Well, that was Bernie. And boy was he good at sports. I figured he was ready for the pros any day. In the evenings I would go to the Little League Park and watch Bernie play. He was a stocky kid and was the catcher for his team. Back in those days the catcher turned his ball cap around and wore it backwards so he could put his catcher’s mask on. I thought wearing your cap backwards looked really cool, but only catchers did it. That was before the day when catchers wore protective helmets. I could only watch because back in 50’s there was no T-ball or anything like that for 6 and 7 year olds. Little League started at 8 years old, period. You just had to wait until you were old enough to play. But that was OK because as I’ve mentioned before, we played sandlot games all day anyway. Heck, I could get in 20 or 30 at bats on the sandlot.
Anyway, Scrub was a really fun game of baseball that we could play for hours. I think Bernie said he learned it from his dad, who played ball in the 30’s and 40’s. Scrub was also called “Workup” by some of the guys. The rules were simple and it worked best when you had 12 or 13 guys. Here’s how it went. We would fill in all 9 positions on the field then let the extra 3 or 4 guys be the batters. Everyone wanted to hit (although I loved playing the field too) so the incentive, or goal, was to work your way up to be a batter. Batters got to stay at bat as long as they didn’t make an out. If you made an out, you went to right field. The right fielder went to center, center to left, left to 3rd base, 3rd to shortstop, short to 2nd base, 2nd to 1st base, 1st to pitcher, pitch to catcher, and the catcher got to be a batter. We just rotated and we would sprint to our new position. A special rule was if you were playing the field and caught the batters fly ball or line drive you just switched positions with the batter. This made for great catches of liners and fly’s since you got to be a batter immediately. Guys would let it all hang out to catch a fly ball.
When I became a PE teacher later in life, I introduced this game to some of my classes. But since my classes usually had 25-30 kids it wasn’t always best. (Unless I had two games of Scrub going on at once). It worked great with my elementary classes because I would throw an orange disc on the ground to show them where they were to be for their position. Once I taught ‘em the rotation, the kids would hustle to the next disc.
Looking back, I realize it was a terrific way to learn the game. I got to play every position on the field and learned how to cover each base, take relay throws, and be the cutoff man. I learned all that from my buddies, and most of all, Bernie. Wherever you are today, thanks Bernie. And thanks to www.chiefpigskin.com for allowing me to tell my stories.
Bernie was 2 years older than me and he was kind of my neighborhood hero. Whatever Bernie did was good enough for me. Remember when you were 6 or 7 years old and an 8 or 9 year old seemed like practically a teenager? Well, that was Bernie. And boy was he good at sports. I figured he was ready for the pros any day. In the evenings I would go to the Little League Park and watch Bernie play. He was a stocky kid and was the catcher for his team. Back in those days the catcher turned his ball cap around and wore it backwards so he could put his catcher’s mask on. I thought wearing your cap backwards looked really cool, but only catchers did it. That was before the day when catchers wore protective helmets. I could only watch because back in 50’s there was no T-ball or anything like that for 6 and 7 year olds. Little League started at 8 years old, period. You just had to wait until you were old enough to play. But that was OK because as I’ve mentioned before, we played sandlot games all day anyway. Heck, I could get in 20 or 30 at bats on the sandlot.
Anyway, Scrub was a really fun game of baseball that we could play for hours. I think Bernie said he learned it from his dad, who played ball in the 30’s and 40’s. Scrub was also called “Workup” by some of the guys. The rules were simple and it worked best when you had 12 or 13 guys. Here’s how it went. We would fill in all 9 positions on the field then let the extra 3 or 4 guys be the batters. Everyone wanted to hit (although I loved playing the field too) so the incentive, or goal, was to work your way up to be a batter. Batters got to stay at bat as long as they didn’t make an out. If you made an out, you went to right field. The right fielder went to center, center to left, left to 3rd base, 3rd to shortstop, short to 2nd base, 2nd to 1st base, 1st to pitcher, pitch to catcher, and the catcher got to be a batter. We just rotated and we would sprint to our new position. A special rule was if you were playing the field and caught the batters fly ball or line drive you just switched positions with the batter. This made for great catches of liners and fly’s since you got to be a batter immediately. Guys would let it all hang out to catch a fly ball.
When I became a PE teacher later in life, I introduced this game to some of my classes. But since my classes usually had 25-30 kids it wasn’t always best. (Unless I had two games of Scrub going on at once). It worked great with my elementary classes because I would throw an orange disc on the ground to show them where they were to be for their position. Once I taught ‘em the rotation, the kids would hustle to the next disc.
Looking back, I realize it was a terrific way to learn the game. I got to play every position on the field and learned how to cover each base, take relay throws, and be the cutoff man. I learned all that from my buddies, and most of all, Bernie. Wherever you are today, thanks Bernie. And thanks to www.chiefpigskin.com for allowing me to tell my stories.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
When Baseball was King
I love football. I've always loved football, ever since I was about six years old. And I love getting on www.chiefpigskin.com to see what’s new. But let me tell you, baseball has always been a close second. You have to remember, I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s when baseball was still king. Especially in the late 50’s, when I was just starting to learn the game, baseball was truly the national pastime. I first became interested in the game in 1957 when the heroes were guys like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, and Warren Spahn. Collecting baseball cards was something every little boy did, and every boy had his own glove.
How many of you older fellas out there can remember this? When I was a kid I rode my bicycle everywhere and I never went anywhere without my glove. I always hung my glove on my handlebars, so that if I saw a game going on in a vacant lot or on the school grounds I could just get off my bike and join the game. I would get up early in the morning, eat some cereal, and tell my mom, “See you later.” I was off to join the local baseball game. How did I know there would be a baseball game going on? Are you kidding me? There were always some games going on. I would play ball all day, come home at night and eat my supper, then put on my Little League uniform to play more baseball.
Regular baseball games are not all we played. We played games of workup, sometimes called scrub, or we played games of 500, wiffleball, cork ball, or any other game we could make up. We didn't need adults, and we didn't need their supervision, telling us how to play the game. We just played. We played “right field is out” if we had to, and we had invisible base runners if we didn’t have enough players. We did whatever it took.
The game of 500 was a good learning experience for all of us. How many of you remember that? One guy would toss the ball up and hit it out of his hand to the rest of us five or six guys playing out in the field. If you caught a fly ball it was worth 100 points, a one hopper was worth 75, a two hopper worth 50, and ground balls worth 25. The first guy in the field to reach 500 or more points got to be the new batter. We use to fall all over each other going after that ball. It taught me how to get a good jump so that I could beat the other guys to the ball and it taught me how to catch fly balls and grounders. It taught me to be aggressive and out jump the other guys in trying to catch the ball. Heck, it was just a lot of fun. If you dropped a fly ball, you lost 100 points. And if you dropped or muffed a one hopper you lost 75 points, and so on. So you had to make sure that when you got to the ball, you fielded it cleanly. We could play 500 all morning and all afternoon. As long as it was some form of baseball.
I realize that these days kids are a lot different. I'm not going to criticize them for playing video games all the time. I probably would've done the same. So as I look back I'm glad we didn't have some of the things that kids today have. I don't think I would've had as much fun. It was a different time, wasn't it? By the way, if you’re not sure what a game of Scrub is, I’ll tell you about it next week. Catch you later.
How many of you older fellas out there can remember this? When I was a kid I rode my bicycle everywhere and I never went anywhere without my glove. I always hung my glove on my handlebars, so that if I saw a game going on in a vacant lot or on the school grounds I could just get off my bike and join the game. I would get up early in the morning, eat some cereal, and tell my mom, “See you later.” I was off to join the local baseball game. How did I know there would be a baseball game going on? Are you kidding me? There were always some games going on. I would play ball all day, come home at night and eat my supper, then put on my Little League uniform to play more baseball.
Regular baseball games are not all we played. We played games of workup, sometimes called scrub, or we played games of 500, wiffleball, cork ball, or any other game we could make up. We didn't need adults, and we didn't need their supervision, telling us how to play the game. We just played. We played “right field is out” if we had to, and we had invisible base runners if we didn’t have enough players. We did whatever it took.
The game of 500 was a good learning experience for all of us. How many of you remember that? One guy would toss the ball up and hit it out of his hand to the rest of us five or six guys playing out in the field. If you caught a fly ball it was worth 100 points, a one hopper was worth 75, a two hopper worth 50, and ground balls worth 25. The first guy in the field to reach 500 or more points got to be the new batter. We use to fall all over each other going after that ball. It taught me how to get a good jump so that I could beat the other guys to the ball and it taught me how to catch fly balls and grounders. It taught me to be aggressive and out jump the other guys in trying to catch the ball. Heck, it was just a lot of fun. If you dropped a fly ball, you lost 100 points. And if you dropped or muffed a one hopper you lost 75 points, and so on. So you had to make sure that when you got to the ball, you fielded it cleanly. We could play 500 all morning and all afternoon. As long as it was some form of baseball.
I realize that these days kids are a lot different. I'm not going to criticize them for playing video games all the time. I probably would've done the same. So as I look back I'm glad we didn't have some of the things that kids today have. I don't think I would've had as much fun. It was a different time, wasn't it? By the way, if you’re not sure what a game of Scrub is, I’ll tell you about it next week. Catch you later.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Let The Games Begin
Did you hear that there is a pretty good football tournament going on right now? The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is holding its Senior World Championships (20 and older) in Austria July 8-16. Three cities are hosting the games, Innsbruck, Graz, and Vienna. I had not even heard of this organization until a year ago and am surprised at how little publicity this organization and its events receive. For a nation that loves our football, this gets overlooked completely. I see nothing on ESPN, other networks, magazines, or newspapers.
There are levels of competitions, Senior and Junior (19 and under), flag football , and women’s flag football. It’s all actually pretty cool and you can check it out on their website at www.ifaf.org. There are more countries from around the world than you might think playing American Football (is there any other kind?) and at the international level the United States is a relative newcomer. That’s hard to imagine, since it’s our game.
Japan became the first ever World Champions of American Football in a 6-0 overtime victory over Mexico in Palermo, Italy in 1999. Four years later in Frankfurt, Germany, Japan again defeated Mexico, 34-14. Japan hosted the 2007 Senior World Championship as the United States entered for the first time and outlasted Japan 23-20 in double overtime to return home triumphant from Tokyo.
As you can see, Japan and Mexico are extremely competitive. Here is the schedule.
2011 IFAF Senior World Championship Schedule
Date Game Time Venue
Fri July 8 USA vs. Australia 61-0 Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Fri July 8 Germany vs. Mexico 15-22 Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Sat July 9 Austria vs. Japan 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Sat July 9 France vs. Canada 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Sun July 10 Mexico vs. Australia 3pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Sun July 10 Germany vs. USA 7pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Mon July 11 Japan vs. France 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Mon July 11 Canada vs. Austria 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Tue July 12 Australia vs. Germany 3pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Tue July 12 USA vs. Mexico 7pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Wed July 13 Canada vs. Japan 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Wed July 13 Austria vs. France 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Fri July 15 Seventh Place Game 3pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Fri July 15 Bronze Medal Game 7pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Sat July 16 Fifth Place Game 3pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Sat July 16 Gold Medal Game 7pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Defending world champion the United States kicked off the fourth IFAF Senior World Championship with a convincing 61-point shutout of Australia at the Tivoli Stadium in Innsbruck on Thursday. Mexico joined the U.S. atop Group A with a 22-15 win over Germany. The teams are in two pools and medal games will be played next week. The two group winners will meet in the Gold Medal Game in Vienna on Saturday, July 16 at 7pm. The two group runners up will meet for the Bronze Medal at 7pm on Friday, July 15. Third place finishers (3pm on July 16) and fourth place finishers (3pm on July 15) will also progress to placement games in Vienna.
The majority of games will be aired on ORF television in Austria and across the European continent by Eurosport 2 and some games will be available via a webcast on www.IFAF.org. For football fans unable to access either the TV coverage or webcast due to international broadcasting restrictions, a daily highlight show focusing on each day's games will be available, along with previews and features at the IFAF YouTube site www.YouTube.com/IFAFinsider. Live scoring updates and details of key plays from all games will keep fans informed through www.Facebook.com/IFAF.org and Twitter @IFAFinsider.
I’m going to follow the games as close as I’m able to and try to have a little fun with this. Football is just around the corner and this is a great warm up. Have fun and continue to visit www.chiefpigskin.com for more football resources.
There are levels of competitions, Senior and Junior (19 and under), flag football , and women’s flag football. It’s all actually pretty cool and you can check it out on their website at www.ifaf.org. There are more countries from around the world than you might think playing American Football (is there any other kind?) and at the international level the United States is a relative newcomer. That’s hard to imagine, since it’s our game.
Japan became the first ever World Champions of American Football in a 6-0 overtime victory over Mexico in Palermo, Italy in 1999. Four years later in Frankfurt, Germany, Japan again defeated Mexico, 34-14. Japan hosted the 2007 Senior World Championship as the United States entered for the first time and outlasted Japan 23-20 in double overtime to return home triumphant from Tokyo.
As you can see, Japan and Mexico are extremely competitive. Here is the schedule.
2011 IFAF Senior World Championship Schedule
Date Game Time Venue
Fri July 8 USA vs. Australia 61-0 Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Fri July 8 Germany vs. Mexico 15-22 Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Sat July 9 Austria vs. Japan 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Sat July 9 France vs. Canada 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Sun July 10 Mexico vs. Australia 3pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Sun July 10 Germany vs. USA 7pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Mon July 11 Japan vs. France 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Mon July 11 Canada vs. Austria 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Tue July 12 Australia vs. Germany 3pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Tue July 12 USA vs. Mexico 7pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Wed July 13 Canada vs. Japan 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Wed July 13 Austria vs. France 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Fri July 15 Seventh Place Game 3pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Fri July 15 Bronze Medal Game 7pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Sat July 16 Fifth Place Game 3pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Sat July 16 Gold Medal Game 7pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Defending world champion the United States kicked off the fourth IFAF Senior World Championship with a convincing 61-point shutout of Australia at the Tivoli Stadium in Innsbruck on Thursday. Mexico joined the U.S. atop Group A with a 22-15 win over Germany. The teams are in two pools and medal games will be played next week. The two group winners will meet in the Gold Medal Game in Vienna on Saturday, July 16 at 7pm. The two group runners up will meet for the Bronze Medal at 7pm on Friday, July 15. Third place finishers (3pm on July 16) and fourth place finishers (3pm on July 15) will also progress to placement games in Vienna.
The majority of games will be aired on ORF television in Austria and across the European continent by Eurosport 2 and some games will be available via a webcast on www.IFAF.org. For football fans unable to access either the TV coverage or webcast due to international broadcasting restrictions, a daily highlight show focusing on each day's games will be available, along with previews and features at the IFAF YouTube site www.YouTube.com/IFAFinsider. Live scoring updates and details of key plays from all games will keep fans informed through www.Facebook.com/IFAF.org and Twitter @IFAFinsider.
I’m going to follow the games as close as I’m able to and try to have a little fun with this. Football is just around the corner and this is a great warm up. Have fun and continue to visit www.chiefpigskin.com for more football resources.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
How To Survive an Anaconda Attack
From a 1970’s Peace Corps Manual
1. Do not run. The snake is faster than you are.
2. Lie flat on the ground, put your arms tight against your sides and your legs tight against each other.
3. Tuck your chin in.
4. The snake will begin to nudge and climb over your body.
5. Do not panic.
6. The snake will begin to swallow your feet first.
7. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time.
8. When the snake has reached your knees, reach down, take your knife, slide it into the side of the snake's mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg. Quickly rip upward, severing the snake's head.
9. Be sure you have your knife.
10. Be sure your knife is sharp.
I like those last two instructions. Be sure you have your knife and be sure your knife is sharp. Now I really don’t know if these were authentic instructions from a Peace Corp manual but it illustrates one thing; when going into the jungle, you’d better be prepared. You’d better be prepared for being a coach, for being a father, for being a husband – heck, you’d better be prepared for going to the grocery store. And you’d darn well better be prepared for the season coming up just around the corner in August. Players are in the weight room, camps are rolling, and coaches are meeting. Everyone is in preparation mode and I always found it kind of exciting just getting ready for the season. In fact, there were times as I began to prepare and thought of all the scenarios we had to be ready for, I sometimes got overwhelmed.
We can’t be prepared for everything, there are situations that come up that no one could have anticipated. But how we react to those situations can be the difference between a win or a loss. Especially in high school if a starter gets injured we may have just lost a position on offense and defense. We may have just lost our wing player on the PAT team and we may have just lost our contain man on the kickoff team. By losing one player we just had to replace four spots on the football team. You get the idea.
Here’s hoping that all of you coaches out there are having a wonderful summer and that all preparations are being made. Take some time with the family and don’t neglect those opportunities that come along at improving yourself and being prepared to being a better father and husband as well as a coach. We’ll talk about that sometime and don’t forget to check out www.chiefpigskin.com for more ideas on being prepared for the season. By the way, has anyone out there ever had to follow those instructions to survive an Anaconda?
1. Do not run. The snake is faster than you are.
2. Lie flat on the ground, put your arms tight against your sides and your legs tight against each other.
3. Tuck your chin in.
4. The snake will begin to nudge and climb over your body.
5. Do not panic.
6. The snake will begin to swallow your feet first.
7. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time.
8. When the snake has reached your knees, reach down, take your knife, slide it into the side of the snake's mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg. Quickly rip upward, severing the snake's head.
9. Be sure you have your knife.
10. Be sure your knife is sharp.
I like those last two instructions. Be sure you have your knife and be sure your knife is sharp. Now I really don’t know if these were authentic instructions from a Peace Corp manual but it illustrates one thing; when going into the jungle, you’d better be prepared. You’d better be prepared for being a coach, for being a father, for being a husband – heck, you’d better be prepared for going to the grocery store. And you’d darn well better be prepared for the season coming up just around the corner in August. Players are in the weight room, camps are rolling, and coaches are meeting. Everyone is in preparation mode and I always found it kind of exciting just getting ready for the season. In fact, there were times as I began to prepare and thought of all the scenarios we had to be ready for, I sometimes got overwhelmed.
We can’t be prepared for everything, there are situations that come up that no one could have anticipated. But how we react to those situations can be the difference between a win or a loss. Especially in high school if a starter gets injured we may have just lost a position on offense and defense. We may have just lost our wing player on the PAT team and we may have just lost our contain man on the kickoff team. By losing one player we just had to replace four spots on the football team. You get the idea.
Here’s hoping that all of you coaches out there are having a wonderful summer and that all preparations are being made. Take some time with the family and don’t neglect those opportunities that come along at improving yourself and being prepared to being a better father and husband as well as a coach. We’ll talk about that sometime and don’t forget to check out www.chiefpigskin.com for more ideas on being prepared for the season. By the way, has anyone out there ever had to follow those instructions to survive an Anaconda?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Staying on the Trail
I take no pleasure in watching any good man take a fall-I still believe coach Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State coach is a good man, but he made some obvious mistakes. I am saddened by the resignation of Tressel at OSU. How the heck does a guy make such poor decisions and lose his dream job? I can imagine his thoughts and tears as he cleans out his office. Does he have to pay the consequences for his actions? Oh, sure. But I'm not going to criticize, there will be plenty of people that do that. Besides, I’ve made my share of mistakes, worse than Tressel’s. I'm not going to rant about all of the other issues that come up with this subject. Yes, the money in college football has become too big. Yes, there is too much pressure on college football coaches to win. The pressure to win overcame Tressel’s good judgement. Yes, the recruiting has become ridiculous. But those are all other stories.
The point is this; we are all one bad decision from losing our dream job or our steps to our dream job. We're all one bad decision from losing our reputation. We are all one bad decision or step away from losing our family. Don't take anything for granted, don't get complacent in where you are.
We've all got to stay on the trail, the good trail of life that God has intended for us. Off the trail is all kind of temptation, glitter, and shortcuts. After Tressel made a mistake (or two) he tried to fix things by taking a shortcut instead of being honest. Shortcuts are tempting. The short cut led to a disastrous patch of underbrush and thistles that became so entangling it cost him his job. We've got to stay on the trail-not get sidetracked-not take shortcuts. When we do get off the trail, and we all do at some point, we must admit our blunders and honestly get back on the trail. We won't be sorry.
The point is this; we are all one bad decision from losing our dream job or our steps to our dream job. We're all one bad decision from losing our reputation. We are all one bad decision or step away from losing our family. Don't take anything for granted, don't get complacent in where you are.
We've all got to stay on the trail, the good trail of life that God has intended for us. Off the trail is all kind of temptation, glitter, and shortcuts. After Tressel made a mistake (or two) he tried to fix things by taking a shortcut instead of being honest. Shortcuts are tempting. The short cut led to a disastrous patch of underbrush and thistles that became so entangling it cost him his job. We've got to stay on the trail-not get sidetracked-not take shortcuts. When we do get off the trail, and we all do at some point, we must admit our blunders and honestly get back on the trail. We won't be sorry.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
North River
North River Campground in the Cherokee National Forest in Eastern Tennessee. I found it in a book that listed campgrounds in the Smoky Mountain area of the Appalachians. It was highly rated for its beauty, quietness, and solitude. Exactly what I was looking for. You see, I had missed my opportunity to take my son on a camping/baseball trip when he was younger (see my past article, "The Trip That Never Was" in my archives). Now it was nine or 10 years later and I got another idea. I wasn't going to miss this one!
In the fall of 1999 I started thinking about a trip my son, Nathaniel, and I could take together that would allow us time to ourselves. I enjoy the outdoors and camping. So I started thinking in that direction. He was a junior at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and his spring break would be in late March. So would mine. Hmmm. Maybe a camping trip in the secluded areas of the Appalachian Mountains would be a good idea. I settled on North River Campground and ran the idea past him. Thankfully, he was all for it. While most college kids were thinking about going to Florida or Cancun over spring break and getting drunk every night, my son was willing to go on a camping trip with his dad. How cool is that for a father?
When the time finally came, we loaded up the pickup truck with our camping gear and headed off from Illinois. The trip out was smooth sailing and it took us about eight hours to get to the Cherokee National Forest. Even though it was too early for the spring growth of leaves, the Appalachians were still beautiful with an eerie grayish-brown appearance. Once we got to the entrance of the national forest, we drove another 8 miles or so on winding, narrow roads deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally-there it was! North River Campground. Nestled in a valley between three mountains and next to a babbling North River it was better than I expected. We had our pick of about nine or ten campsites since we were the only ones there and picked a site about 15 yards from the river. We got our tent and the rest of our gear up and spent the next five days of some of the most relaxing, peaceful times I ever had. The nights were cold -30°- the days were warm -70°- and at night there were so many stars it looked as though someone had sprayed the black sky with dense white glitter. Nathaniel kept a pellet gun at his bedside in case of a bear attack. (I know - the pellet gun wouldn't have stopped a squirrel, but it made him feel better.) And although it was cold, I slept great.
A typical day went like this:
Wake up around seven or 7:30 AM and wash up.
Cook and eat breakfast - hearty bacon, eggs, potatoes and toast every morning.
After breakfast, do the dishes.
Around 9 or 10 AM we opened the Bible and read about the life of David from the book of Samuel.
After a little reflective time and discussion, it was time to gather wood for the evening fire.
Around noon we had a snack and relaxed a bit.
Afternoons were spent hiking and exploring. We climbed nearby mountains, found waterfalls, and hiked the trails.
Suppertime consisted of hot dogs or hamburgers.
As the sun went down, we started our campfire and stayed up under the stars just talking. I don't even remember what about - we just talked. This was probably the highlight of the day. There is something about sitting by a campfire on a cold night.
After five days we broke camp and headed home. All in all it was a wonderful , memorable trip and we will never forget it. I learned a lesson too. It's never too late to spend time with your kids. Thanks to www.chiefpigskin.com for letting me share once again.
In the fall of 1999 I started thinking about a trip my son, Nathaniel, and I could take together that would allow us time to ourselves. I enjoy the outdoors and camping. So I started thinking in that direction. He was a junior at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and his spring break would be in late March. So would mine. Hmmm. Maybe a camping trip in the secluded areas of the Appalachian Mountains would be a good idea. I settled on North River Campground and ran the idea past him. Thankfully, he was all for it. While most college kids were thinking about going to Florida or Cancun over spring break and getting drunk every night, my son was willing to go on a camping trip with his dad. How cool is that for a father?
When the time finally came, we loaded up the pickup truck with our camping gear and headed off from Illinois. The trip out was smooth sailing and it took us about eight hours to get to the Cherokee National Forest. Even though it was too early for the spring growth of leaves, the Appalachians were still beautiful with an eerie grayish-brown appearance. Once we got to the entrance of the national forest, we drove another 8 miles or so on winding, narrow roads deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally-there it was! North River Campground. Nestled in a valley between three mountains and next to a babbling North River it was better than I expected. We had our pick of about nine or ten campsites since we were the only ones there and picked a site about 15 yards from the river. We got our tent and the rest of our gear up and spent the next five days of some of the most relaxing, peaceful times I ever had. The nights were cold -30°- the days were warm -70°- and at night there were so many stars it looked as though someone had sprayed the black sky with dense white glitter. Nathaniel kept a pellet gun at his bedside in case of a bear attack. (I know - the pellet gun wouldn't have stopped a squirrel, but it made him feel better.) And although it was cold, I slept great.
A typical day went like this:
Wake up around seven or 7:30 AM and wash up.
Cook and eat breakfast - hearty bacon, eggs, potatoes and toast every morning.
After breakfast, do the dishes.
Around 9 or 10 AM we opened the Bible and read about the life of David from the book of Samuel.
After a little reflective time and discussion, it was time to gather wood for the evening fire.
Around noon we had a snack and relaxed a bit.
Afternoons were spent hiking and exploring. We climbed nearby mountains, found waterfalls, and hiked the trails.
Suppertime consisted of hot dogs or hamburgers.
As the sun went down, we started our campfire and stayed up under the stars just talking. I don't even remember what about - we just talked. This was probably the highlight of the day. There is something about sitting by a campfire on a cold night.
After five days we broke camp and headed home. All in all it was a wonderful , memorable trip and we will never forget it. I learned a lesson too. It's never too late to spend time with your kids. Thanks to www.chiefpigskin.com for letting me share once again.
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