I’ve written a lot about the mishaps that have taken place during our family pack trips. Those trips have provided the bulk of the inspiration for most of the writing I’ve done in my career.
Of course, the best stories are always the ones where things go horribly wrong, and that’s what makes camping with my family such a great way to gather writing material. It seems like something horrific happens every time we head to the woods.
That’s one of the things that makes this summer’s planned trip so alluring. This time around, it’s not just going to be my dad, my sister and me heading for our favorite lake deep in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. My uncle wants to go this year, too, and he wants to take his daughters, their husbands, and their three kids, as well. All told, if I can bring my clan along, there will be 17 people involved in that pack trip.
That’s nearly four times the usual amount of potential column fodder. I could have funny stories to tell until hunting season rolls around, and I start collecting more again.
In all seriousness, I want to go for more reasons than that. I’d love to see my uncle and cousins again, and it’s always nice to get out in the woods with my sister and my dad. This would also be the first chance I have to introduce my own boys to the chunk of near-wilderness that had a very big part in forming my love for the outdoors.
The problem is, the summer’s already packed with things I have to do. I’m trying my darndest to get things moved around. If I can spring free for that trip, you can bet you’ll be hearing about it later this summer.
