Written March 2021 by Joshua Juhasz
This Story May Save Your Life
…dedicated to Grandpa
It was afternoon, on a damp and chilling November day. We were hiking through the woods on trails marked with ribbons. What could possibly go wrong? I will tell you...
I was about ten years old and was visiting the family hunt camp for the weekend with my Dad and Grandpa. It had been raining and wet since we arrived on Friday, so when the rain finally ceased, Grandpa insisted we go for a walk in the woods to see the beaver dam on the lake a few kilometers away. We headed out on the trails. After trudging through the mud for about an hour, we finally arrived at Crotch Lake and spotted the massive dam. It was quite an impressive structure, a towering wall of wooden logs nearly twenty feet high. It was a magnificent feat of beaver engineering. Being an engineer himself, I guess that's why Grandpa thought we should see it. I wanted to check it out, and Grandpa said we could trek across the ridge. So, we did. From the top view, there were two sizeable hills to the left that came down to meet a trickling stream at the bottom. To the right, there was a lake so still it was like a mirror, reflecting the red and yellow trees on the hills. It felt prehistoric. There were no docks, no boats, no people, no sign that anyone had ever been there before. It was getting later in the day and the sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon. We started to head back to the camp. We took a detour from the usual trail, just because Grandpa wanted to see where it would lead. After following the path for a while, I wondered why we were not back at the cabin yet. I knew we were late for dinner. Although he did not want to admit it, it was clear that Grandpa did not know where we were going. We were lost. I kept trying to figure out which direction we had come from, but nothing looked familiar. My mild irritation started to grow into legitimate concern that we might be spending the night in the woods. I suppose that is when my first survival instincts kicked in. I looked around for trees and logs that we could use to build a basic shelter. The interesting thing was that Grandpa never seemed worried, probably because he knew what to do in these situations. Perhaps, that is when I first realized that having a few outdoor survival skills is still useful in today’s modern world.
For as long as I can remember, Grandpa has been teaching me survival skills. While my parents taught me how to chop vegetables, Grandpa taught me how to chop wood. While my parents taught me how to use the stove, Grandpa taught me how to build a fire. While Mom and Dad taught me how to tie my shoes, Grandpa taught me how to tie knots. I recall many mornings at the cottage where Grandpa was waiting in the kitchen, to take me down to the dock, so he could show me how to tie a fisherman's knot. So far, I have never had to use it but at least I’m prepared.
Grandpa also educated me in several other useful skills; how to use a bow and arrow, how to safely handle a gun, how to use a swiss army knife and how to hunt and fish. In fact, I could cast a fishing rod properly before I could hold a fork correctly. I am not exactly Bear Grylls, but I might last a few days in the woods.
Occasionally, Grandpa would bring me a new tool and show me how to use it. Once, he brought me a compass, another time, it was a whistle, then a swiss army knife and finally a pair of binoculars. I liked getting cool gadgets, but what Grandpa was really doing was building me a survival kit.
While I appreciated getting some helpful gear, it was the knowledge I had acquired that began to shape me as a person. It opened doors to new experiences and activities such as hunting, fishing, camping and target shooting. I enjoy many of these activities all summer at the cottage. The cottage has even given me a chance to use some of my skills, like boiling water and cooking over the fire, when a squirrel chewed through our power line one Thanksgiving.
I have also learned to show respect for nature and wildlife. For instance, when I go hunting, and hopefully in the future, tag my first deer, I am going to treat the animal with respect. I will follow the required procedure that ensures the animal does not suffer needlessly. I will hunt for the venison, not just the trophy.
Through my experiences, and the lessons from my Grandpa, I have also learned to appreciate the wisdom and knowledge that my elders can pass on to me. After all, my Grandpa’s generation did not always have the same luxuries that I have today, so they have more survival skills and knowledge that I can learn from. My Grandpa has taught me how to take care of myself if I was ever stuck in a bad situation like we were that day in the woods when we got lost.
Luckily, we didn’t have to spend the night in the bush. We heard a car in the distance and that led us back to the road. We made it back to camp. However, thinking about what could have happened that day, taught me a valuable lesson about why it is necessary to have survival skills. Even in today’s modern world things can go wrong like a bad storm, the power grid going down, your car breaking down in the middle of nowhere or following a wrong trail. You will be grateful and less panicked if you know what to do. It could save your life.
So, it is worth learning some basic survival skills and while you do, you’ll have a lot of fun, you will have some new opportunities and you will get to spend time with the people you love that will pass on their wisdom.
