As a child my family always went on camping trips – in fact that was often a regular form of summer family vacation for us. We also had a cottage that we went to almost every weekend between late March and mid November each year.

Through these activities I grew to love nature and wildlife. As a kid I think I was pretty good in the car. I entertained myself quite a bit by simply looking at the scenery passing by, seeing what wild animals I could spot standing at the edge of the forest and watching the hawks circling in the sky.

My dad was quite the fisherman. When we’d be driving through the country sight-seeing we’d often stop at the side of the road to visit a nice looking stream or creek where he’d eagerly set up his fishing gear and fish for a while. My mom enjoyed fishing as well, and since I was with the two of them I got to fish too, but it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world to do. I don’t know how many times I caught myself with the fishing hook. I’m a major klutz to begin with, so I guess that might explain how I got a hook in the lip once … and ended up squirting myself in the eye with mosquito repellent too! I’m sure that was the same trip.

My parents always carried pocket knives with them when we went on these trips. They came in handy for cutting fishing line that was caught up in trees, or tangled around me! LOL

My Dad actually had few types of knives that he would bring along whenever fishing might be involved. I can remember that he had a few very interesting fishing or filleting knives that he used to clean the fish and I believe he might have had a bowie knife as well since they are great for campers.

We had a creek near our cottage that my father used to spend a lot of time fishing at, but the best place to go fishing, hiking or sight seeing in the area was the Madawaska River. My parents would drive down an old dirt road that got narrower and narrower then it would end. We’d walk about a mile through a wilderness trail to one of the best fishing spots that my dad knew of.

My parents would get busy trying to catch Pike and Bass and I’d hunt along the sides of the river for turtles, frogs and salamanders. Yes this is how my love of reptiles and amphibians came to be. I’d also play with buttercups getting the yellow pollen all over me, or pick Indian Paintbrush and wonder if they really used the flower as a paint brush or not. Lily pads and their flowers always fascinated me when I saw them on a body of water. Perhaps that is why I enjoy growing so many different types of lilies now?

I can remember one time as we walked down the trail my parents suddenly stopped short. They’d reached a pile of very fresh looking bear droppings. We were all silent for a moment as we looked around us, then we carefully turned and headed back for the car. There would be no fishing that day!

I’d say that the majority of my childhood trips were like this – either day fishing trips in our cottage area, or on our summer vacations we’d camp in tents or eventually a pop up trailer, and spend time as a family sightseeing, hiking, and fishing.

Did you camp or hike often as a child? Do you feel that some of your experiences with nature as a child contributed to your current interest in gardening?