One of my favorite parts about spending a lot of time in the outdoors, is all the memories that are created. There is nothing better than sitting around a fire with your buddies telling stories and reminiscing about past trips. These moments are always filled with laughter and lots of smiles.
Thinking about this lead me to the question: how do you create stories like this? How do things like this happen? Oftentimes the best memories happen out of coincidence or by chance. The things you cannot control, such as the weather, play a huge role in the best stories. I can remember a time when my buddy and I were out fishing, and we expected some rain but nothing significant. We were out at the pond and it started to drizzle. Then the rain got harder, and harder, and harder. It reached a point where we turned to each other and said "There's no way it can get worse than this." Famous last words. The rain continued to get harder until we called it quits and went home. Of course the sun came out five minutes later while we were in the car. This story was a prime example of how something beyond our control made a trip memorable.
However, there are some choices we can make that will make some of our trips more memorable. The first thing we can do to make better memories is to do something out of the ordinary. This can be fishing a place you have never been, or trying a different bait. Every year, my brother and I take a week long camping/fishing trip to somewhere we wouldn't normally go. We live in St. Louis and the closest play we have traveled has been nine hours away. These trips always lead to the best memories because everything is new and exciting. Some stuff always goes wrong, but that adds to the adventure.
I have found that the best adventures lead to the best memories. To me adventure means doing something where the outcome is uncertain. Most of the time a fishing trip can be seen as an adventure. You go out on the water and have not idea what they're going to be biting, how many you're going to catch, or any other number of factors that could happen. Those trips my brother and I take are always huge adventures that yield many memories.
Another thing that makes for better adventures and memories is taking chances. This can be taking chances on a new bait or a new pond. It could be taking a chance on asking someone at school if they want to go fishing with you. It could even be taking a chance on a boat the neighbor is selling down the street. Taking a chance can mean a lot of things. It is however a great way to create adventure.
One surefire way to create memories is to spend time with your favorite people. People such as family and friends often always add to the experience. Erik (my brother) and I have countless memories on the water. We could talk for hours about specific trips or different fish we caught (or didn't catch).
A closing thought I have as we go into the new year at the end of this month is to make it a point in 2024 to spend more time making memories and taking adventures. In the end those memories will be worth more than anything. You'll be able to look back and smile at all the adventures you've gone on. As always, Love the Adventure.
- Paul Hoffman