Tomorrow morning at 4am my 19yo son and his girlfriend head out for their first trip with no parents. Spent the day helping him with some final details… packing a light tackle box, going over maps, a last minute trip to REI for some paracord and a refresher on the PCT hang method. I am just so filled with joy that he is making this experience his own. Every parent worries at “firsts” but I’m confident he’ll do great and make smart, safe choices. He has always been a sponge and I think he’s taken in a lot over the years.

Keep gopher junior and his tripping partner in your thoughts this week. I know I will and I plan on doing a lot of smiling at the thought of his dipping that paddle and taking this next step of the journey. :)

That’s awesome! We all hope our kids catch the bug and make that transition from follower to leader. Great job raising a kid that appreciates our wild places!

Tony

YAY! That's awesome! Good luck! Enjoy and learn from every moment.

I am SO HAPPY for you and for them.

I remember the first time my oldest two were in charge of one canoe and 1-2 packs... I was like "there goes our shelter!" but they did great and it was super calm. They were about 9 and 10 years old.

You SHOULD be a proud parent.

Today, I loaned out a canoe, bear vaults, paddle, and a pack to a young man who was a friend of a "nephew-like" young adult of mine. He's taking friends from Chicago in for their first time. He said he'd bring back a present for me - I said bring back the other 5 young people who will VOTE to preserve the BWCA... that's the main thing I want. People who go and have an interest in making sure the next generation can do that too...

That's awesome. You certainly should be proud. Be sure to follow-up and let us know what he thought of the first backcountry trip with out dad or mom.

They had to get back to work, so just a quick one but it went great and he called me from the outfitter around lunch today to let me know they were safe. They caught some fish and kept the canoe topside up. Looking forward to our chat tonight to hear which lakes they paddled, which sites they stayed at, etc. I have a feeling he’s already planning his next trip and a canoe might make a fine college grad present in a couple years :)

The two of us and my dad will head up to Sag for our annual fishing trip (motorboat) on July 1 and I can’t wait!

Awesome! Thanks for bringing up the next generation of paddlers!

thegildedgopher: "They had to get back to work, so just a quick one but it went great and he called me from the outfitter around lunch today to let me know they were safe. They caught some fish and kept the canoe topside up. Looking forward to our chat tonight to hear which lakes they paddled, which sites they stayed at, etc. I have a feeling he’s already planning his next trip and a canoe might make a fine college grad present in a couple years :)


The two of us and my dad will head up to Sag for our annual fishing trip (motorboat) on July 1 and I can’t wait!"

Great!! More memories made...