Publishers note
Family is important.
I tend to get reflective in the fall season. This has been a hard year. I lost my mom, Margaret, in May after she fought cancer for three years. It was harsh and tough to watch her go in that manner. She was brave, funny and loving until the end.
My mom was a passionate angler in her lifetime. I received plenty of her fishing passion through the bloodlines.
There was a time when she would cast aside weather, time and anything else to try and catch a fish. My uncle, Jimmy, told me a story about how, many years ago during a Thanksgiving weekend at a family camp, my mom stayed on a dock through a snowstorm and caught two impressive and big walleye.
There is no doubt it was my mom who got me into fishing, which also progressed into a big love for anything and everything outdoors.
I can thank my mom for starting me on this path. I’m not sure what would have happened if my mother didn’t introduce me to angling when I was a youngster. It led me to do bigger and better things outdoors such as whitewater canoeing (something I did a lot of as a teenager), hiking, hunting, wildlife photography, exploring and having an unquenchable thirst for adventure.
I have tried my hardest to have the same kind of influence in the lives of my two children. I know my mom would want me to do the same.
My oldest kid, Hunter, has been going outdoors since the age of two. My youngest, Teeryn, has been doing things in the bush since three weeks of age – we wasted no time with that little one LOL.
My wife, Arielle, and I have done our best to pass on our experiences to the kids when it comes to outdoors outings.
I’m proud that my kids now, after years and years of going out to practice, have done amazing experiences such as backcountry camping, canoeing, exploring, kayaking, hiking and fishing among other things and learned many skills. They know how to portage long distances, paddle canoes, kayaks and stand up boards, make a fire, set up camp, tie hooks, bait hooks, unhook fish, pack and prepare for long trips and, my favourite aspect, what it takes to hack it in the bush.
They have nothing but respect and love for the outdoors and nature. They hate seeing garbage laying around. They want to see more conservation. I teach them catch and release, but also sustainable harvest so we can have a nice shore lunch from time to time.
Arielle is great at teaching and showing the kids different plants. They explore a lot and that experience adds up fast.
It has all paid off. Any time we talk about going away on vacation, the family is instantly set on where to go camping, canoeing and exploring next. It’s never about an amusement park or shopping or some other thing not involving the outdoors.
I think Arielle and I have done good and provided a nice progression of outdoors experiences and activities for the kids to grow into over the years.
It gives me joy to see my kids paddling a canoe around an island while I sit and take in the moment from shore, and just love every second of it.
Every season is a good time to get outdoors with family.
In closing, this is the final issue of The Wild Northerner Magazine. It has been a wild journey and fun experience over the years. I was fortunate, lucky and thankful to have a small group of people with me to make the magazine a reality. I am grateful for all the support from readers.
Take care and stay wild.
Publishers note