As I looked out at the 28 men and boys that comprised Camp Mack's Father/Son Retreat, I instantly knew that the weekend was going to be a fulfilling one. Not just for the fathers and sons but for us staff as well.
I knew I wanted to take part in the weekend because it fused together the two things that I am most passionate about: wilderness living skills and masculine spirituality. Though I was teaching the wilderness skills, I was also aware of the intimate connection between man and nature and how he relates that connection to his son. In short, how he conveys the message of God's love through his love for nature.
Whether it was the debris hut being built or watching the father/son teams work at making and maintaining a fire in five minutes; I noticed the sense of shared responsibility. Often in our society today the father is the one to "do it" but that wasn't the case as I watched the fathers pull back and allow their sons not only to succeed but to fail as well and in the process learn the importance of perseverance.
I learned a lot from watching the fathers and the sons this past weekend. It makes me wish my dad and I had done something like that when I was a boy. I also heard time and time again how much they appreciated us teaching these primitive skills because they are quickly being forgotten in our high tech world today.
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