My outdoors education begins...

By Wendy Gragg

As I stood on the wooded trail in pitch black night, watching the bouncing glow from the flashlight disappear up ahead of me, along with the campers that I couldn't keep up with, I thought — this is it. This is how I die.

In the solid darkness, like the back of my eyelids, I saw it all play out. The wandering off the trail, falling over a dead tree and getting gnawed to death by a possum or armadillo. I hoped my family and friends would see the macabre humor in my demise — a girl figuratively in the dark about the outdoors succumbs to the outdoors, in the dark. Poetic, right?

Turns out I'm more of a panicker than a prognosticator. I not only lived through the "Becoming an Outdoors Woman" weekend at Camp Allen near Navasota, I actually enjoyed myself.

Before, I told you I was going camping, but I think what I experienced was more like going to camp about camping. The beds and air conditioning and plumbing and dorm style food pretty well nixed my ability to be able to call the weekend a camping trip.

I may not have camping under my belt, but, by God, Texas Parks and Wildlife made sure I came back from the event with plenty else to brag about!

I learned to shoot a bow and arrow (fairly well), to fly fish (a little less well), to read a compass and maps, to build a debris shelter and to pack efficiently to survive whatever "127 Hours" scenario fate might deal me on a day-hike.

I survived the hearty hike between camp and all my meals and classes. I survived the constant grittiness between my toes thanks to the camp being covered in sand. I even survived the night I forgot my flashlight and got stranded in the dark (eventually, another well-lit group of girls came along who were more my speed).

But you know what they say — use it or lose it. Keeping up my hiking is easy, as I live across the river from Pecan Bottoms. But I feel the need to join some other outdoorsy types to continue the forward momentum in my outdoors education. As the flashlight episode proved, I'm still at a stage where I need others to guide me (sometimes literally) in this pursuit.

I'd really like to borrow a fly fishing rod and continue practicing my cast. I've also completely forgotten how to tie a fly, so there's that. Some more archery would be fun too.

And there's new stuff I want to try, like kayaking and shooting and eventually, for real, honest to God camping.

If there is a local archer group who might let me hang out or some flyfisher-people who have the patience and courage to risk letting me hook them through the ear with my novice back cast, please, let me know. 

I hear the Texas Outdoors Woman Network (TOWN) in Waco isn't as active as it was, that maybe it needs some new blood. I'm happy to join in. Anyone else? Ladies, anyone?

Once again, it's best if I don't go at this alone.

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