Origin of The “Man Trip”

I blame my dad.

When I was little, my dad used to tell me about a buddy of his that had a cabin in Alaska. Pops said the cabin was so remote that the only way in or out was by plane. A small plane would ferry visitors out into the wilds, far beyond the reach of roads. It would land on a tiny dirt strip in a valley between mountains. After, the visitors would have to hike three miles to the cabin, transporting all supplies. He said his buddy would then spend a week at the cabin, hunting, fishing and living off the land until the plane returned.

Awesome as that was, it got better. My dad’s buddy offered up the use of that cabin, anytime dad wanted!

I was too little at the time, but he said as soon as I got big enough to keep up, say ten or twelve, we’d go. Just the two of us.

Believe me when I tell you, I was super excited about that. For years, I’d lay awake at night, imagining us on a mountain stream, reeling in giant salmon, dodging bears, hiking through dense forests. Sadly, life got in the way and my pops never got around to it. By the time I was of age, money was tight and my parents’ marriage was in the crapper.

Despite this disappointment, a seed had been planted. Though my father never delivered, I still looked back on the idea of a father-son adventure fondly. And when I grew up to have boys of my own, I decided to make that dream a reality.

This became a tradition we now call the “Man Trip”.

Essentially, the Man Trip is a father-son adventure. For my boys, these trips occurred after they turned eight–old enough that they might hopefully retain some memories, young enough that they might still be eager to hang out with me for a week.

I had three goals for each trip:

• Unique settings, unique experiences
• Non-stop adventure
• Men doing manly things

Ultimately, these trips were all about father and son bonding. And though my father and I never had a similar experience, I do thank him for the idea.