Father-son trips – building a lifetime of memories
Over the years I have seen a good number of father-son teams on river trips, and it has been encouraging to observe their interactions as they build memories which will last a lifetime. I’ve seen young and old and those someplace in the middle…all a joy to watch.
There was the father who has been on 3 trips with us, each with a son the summer after his high school graduation. All 3 sons now have special memories of their time with Dad in the canyon.
Then there was the father-son team of Frank Sr. and Frank Jr. You see Frank Sr. had just been inducted into the Fishing Hall of Fame and was an amazing fly fisherman, a skill he had passed on to his son. It was a thrill to watch Frank Sr., at age 88 (yes, 88) out-cast his son. But the love for each other and of the sport was special as they broke out the rods every chance they had. And on the same trip, there was a dad with his 8-year-old son. They both played like kids every chance they got.
Bob brought his soon-to-be son-in-law on a trip many years ago, and they were “best buds” by the time it was over. One day they passed on taking a hike with the group, instead opting for a little private fishing time. They walked upstream a ways and when they returned, they had a string of fish that fed the camp. That’s a story I’m sure the grand-kids have heard from both of them over the years.
Where else can you experience one trip which is a mix of whitewater thrills in some of the biggest whitewater in America, hike into some of the most beautiful side canyons imaginable, play together in waterfalls, sleep under the stars, and fish along the riverbank, all in a Christian environment while being feed on the Word of God and learning the truth of His creation? Any one of those might be fun, but packing all of them into a week-long trip will make amazing memories and help build a bond not easily broken.
Oh, and this isn’t just for father-son teams. There have been many mother-daughter, mother-son, and father-daughter teams as well. Like a father-daughter team from Florida the summer before she went off to college; or the mother-daughter team of a high school student who praised the Lord with her flute in the canyon; or the mom who brought her 2 daughters on a trip just like her own mom had brought her and her sister when she was young. Sometimes the trip can be a bittersweet fulfillment of plans. There was the mom who brought her 2 sons after their father passed away. It was a trip they had talked about as a family and was a celebration of his life as well as a memory-building time for all of them.
With the 2017 river season registrations available soon, consider the memories you want to build and the legacy you want to leave with your kids or the whole family, and how you can strengthen their faith in the truth of God’s Word at the same time. It is an over-used cliché, but one we constantly hear from those who join us on trips – “It is a trip of a lifetime!”
We look forward to sharing the wonders of God’s creation with you.
Peace,
Tom
