My go-to meals in the backcountry:
Breakfast - instant oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Lunch - bread, salami, dried fruit
Dinner - rice & beans
All of them are easy to prep, backpackable, and taste good,
Speaking as a retired guy who spent 41 years working in the public schools, my advice is to call a family meeting and tell them what’s on your mind, then give each of them a chance to share what’s on their mind too.
Whatever the decision is, each of them will be impacted too.
Your position as...
Good for you for getting out there. As a dad, retired teacher, and grandfather, I say that spending time in the backcountry with your kids is one of the most important legacies you can leave - more important by far than filling tags.
Welcome to the group from another Washingtonian who is also 2 years into retirement. I live in Tumwater, have a cabin in Packwood, & spend a good bit of time in Olympic NF, Gifford Pinchot NF, and Mt. Rainier NP.
Welcome from another fang!
I got to spend a week in the Sante Fe area, and did a loop up to Taos, over the pass, down to Albuquerque, and back to Sante Fe. Pretty amazing country.
Welcome to the community and to the beautiful Pacific NW.
Hope the community and this neck of the Woodson everything you hoped for.
FYI - we’ve got a few elk west of the cascades too.
Welcome.
I’m a guy who’s lucky enough to have spent his entire life in an area (WA state) with real mountains, although I haven’t had as much hunting experience as your photos prove that you have had. It must have been tough adjusting to life in the flatlands.
My mom’s family is from Wisconsin, and some of my favorite memories are of visits there as a kid. Super friendly, hard working, and down-to-earth folks.
Hope the community here meets your expectations.
Hi Cab. When you were in WA did you ever get up to the Gifford Pinchot NF? It runs from the Columbia River all the way up to Mt. Rainier and includes Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams. I have a cabin up near Packwood near the northern border of the forest.
Old timer Here in “the other Washington” bringing my old Martin compound out of mothballs to enjoy the sport again, this time with my son and grandkids.
Restrung the bow and reflected the arrows so we’re good to go.