My 16 year old son Luke will be leaving in just a few days for the adventure of a lifetime. After hunting Namibia with me a couple of times, the PH (who is a good friend) and his family invited Luke to return this summer to work and stay for a month. I really just sort of let the invite slide by and hoped it would just sort of go away. I really did not think I could let him go for so long so far from home. A day after the invite Luke asked if I thought the invitation was heartfelt. I responded that if it was, it would be repeated. Well, it was repeated several times over the next few days and I could not help but put myself in his place. What a tremendous opportunity for a young man. I simply could not let my fear as a parent outweigh his chance at such a wonderful adventure. Heck, I wish I was 16 again, lol.
Anyway, Luke and his black widow will be heading over in a few days for an adventure he will never forget. He will be working, hunting and exploring. Am I worried? Heck yes but for those that have met Luke, you know he is a young man that can handle himself in the outdoors as well as any grown man. I am really only worried about the travel part of the adventure. We have taken steps to ensure that he will be taken care of all the way to Widhoek, Namibia.
I will be getting nightly emails from him and I will be joining him there two weeks after he arrives. I just hope there is something left to hunt...
Yes! What an opportunity!
I hope he keeps a detailed journal and shares his experiences. And with lots of pics!!
Prayers for a safe trip for him.
Jerry, what an opp!! Here's to Luke and yourself!
Wish I had had a chance to go when 16! Heck , when 56! LOL
QuoteOriginally posted by Bud B.:
Yes! What an opportunity!
I hope he keeps a detailed journal and shares his experiences. And with lots of pics!!
Prayers for a safe trip for him.
I have bought him a beautiful leather journal for the trip. I REALLY hope he will use it. Failing that I know he will run a camera most of the time. Thanks for the prayers. A dad needs that sort of thing.
QuoteOriginally posted by kennym:
Jerry, what an opp!! Here's to Luke and yourself!
Wish I had had a chance to go when 16! Heck , when 56! LOL
Ha! I know what you mean, lol. When I was 16 my big adventure was going to Alabama for a deer hunt!
OH to be young again .. what an opportunity. I wish him a safe and wonderful journey.
You are both very lucky to have such good friends, and a great opportunity! I wish you both the best. And please keep us updated.
Sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime. I have 3 boys myself, the youngest is currently 16. I'm pretty sure the most difficult part of a scenario like this for me would be talking his mom into it.
All the best to your boy, just prepare him mentally that it is not gonna be all fun but there is actually work involved too..
Good luck to your boy!
Looking forward to reading much more.
Thank you for sharing.
Very exciting Jerry. Quite the opportunity for a fine young mam. Have a great time Luke!
Great experience, wish him the best.
Trip of a lifetime for sure. Wishing him many great memories and much success. Wishing you a successful trip as well.
What a great experience! I sure hope he puts that journal you gave him to good use!
What a great life experience that will be. Hang in there dad !
Thats awesome. Sounds like one heck of a character builder! My perspective on parenting is that it is our jobs to prepare and facilitate who our children become as adults, and in this regard I believe most people fail to take that aspect seriously enough. It sounds like you are ahead of the power curve in helping mold him into one hell of a man. Good for him, and good for you Jerry.
Awesome opportunity. Prayers sent for a safe and memorable experience.
Good stuff Luke will never forget.
Man, that's perfect! Love that he has that opportunity and it sounds like you're a great dad and he's a great kid. Looking forward to pics.
Chance of a lifetime. Awesome!!
Wow that young man is going to have some stories to tell :thumbsup:
Jerry,what a wonderful opportunity for him. I can't wait to meet him in Bear camp next year and hear all the stories first hand. A father worries but when you have prepared him like you have, it will be an adventure!
Encourage him to write. It is one thing to film, Lord knows I like that as well, but have him put his feelings down. That will mean more to him when he is old like us :)
Perhaps I will get to share an African camp with father and son, and I can hear both stories first hand under an endless sky with a gemsbok steak and a good glass of vino. Until then, prayers for your young man, and good fortune for the hunter in him :campfire:
Mike,
I certainly will encourage the writing. I started journals 35 years ago and looking back through those things now is priceless. It is amazing how much a man can forget about the emotional side of a hunt. A picture and a video are nice but reading how a sunrise or sunset made you feel or the emotional impact of walking up on your first caribou, moose or whatever is something much more valuable than any trophy. I have many volumes of journals and I can only guess what they will mean to my children one day.
This adventure is so much more than just a hunting trip for Luke. He will see and do things that he has never done before. I hope it burns deeply into his memory.
(http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj501/jerryrussell1/10516835_309376109232460_2643494682740067425_n1_zps3e333f8d.jpg)
Jerry, what an adventure for a young man. He will make many memories that will carry him through life. I wish you and Luke much success.
Sounds like a great summer for a 16 year old.
We are packing for him now. It feels so weird to be getting him ready for a hunt that I am not going on.
What a great opportunity. An experience that will never be forgotten. Be safe and be sure to share the experience upon your return. :notworthy:
That will remain a highlight for his entire life. We all hope to hear about his adventures. May he have a safe and pleasant journey.
That's a lucky kid! Awesome opportunity!
Just put my son on that plane. He will soon be 8,000 miles away... Gulp. He has 16 arrows and a debit card. I better hurry and get over there.
Great opportunity, it is hard to balance protection and letting go sometimes; you are a thoughtful parent.
That sounds really cool! I would jump at an opportunity like that. Good on you for letting him go!
Bisch
Boy is he going to have fun. Prayers for safe travel for Luke .
Wow what a great thing your son is getting to do. I would have given a lot to do something like that when I was a young man. Sure hope he stays safe and he appreciates this time in his life.
The reports are trickling back to me from Africa.
On day one my son was working with a PH and tracking several animals shot by hunters and putting out leopard baits. He is having a WILD time and loving every minute.
For those that have met him, you know he is a tough 16 year old. This was a short update I just received.... " Luke broke a tooth on jerky but glued it back with super glue. He is out hunting squirrels now with his bow".
Man I wish I was there with him.
Awesome Jerry. Thanks for the update and please keep us posted on his adventures.
Jerry that's great, I'm sure your already missing him. But the memories that are being made are priceless. Look forward to more updates.
Jerry - I can really feel the concern you have for your son (in a good way) in your writing. My daughter just turned 10 yesterday, so I'm a little ways off from dealing with that level of "letting go", but there's no doubt about it... it is scary!
Hang in there!
David
Hey, Jerry! This year at deer camp your "little boy" will be telling his great hunting stories to Daddy, instead of the other way around. Let's hope he lets you stay up late enough to hear them all. Please remind him he has to share these stories with all of us as well.
I will keep the updates coming for those that care to hear them. I head over in a few days with a very good friend that is on his very first trip to Africa. I am as excited for him as much as
I am about my trip.
Every time I prepare for a trip over I think back to my first time in Africa. That "trip of a lifetime" absolutely captured my soul. All I could think about is getting back there. I had been lucky in life to hunt some wild awesome places but nothing could have prepared me for Africa. OK, enough of my rambling. Hunting reports as I get them from my mini-me.
Be safe Jerry and keep us updated. I can't wait to hear all the stories!
QuoteOriginally posted by wapiti792:
Be safe Jerry and keep us updated. I can't wait to hear all the stories!
Mike you need to make some of these stories soon...