A few fun summer activities to keep you active and off the couch
The sweltering weather we’ve had lately, although typical of a South Carolina summer, offers many the temptation to stay inside. Yet assuming a somewhat vegetative state for weeks has no appeal to those who love the outdoors. Besides, being a couch potato isn’t exactly healthy either. With those thoughts in mind, here are a bunch of suggestions, many of them harkening back to the summers of my youth where there were lots of opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.
While many could be seen as youth-oriented, I personally like to think of myself as a kid trapped in an old man’s body. To the extent that my physical abilities allow it, I also like to act that way. Hopefully others have a similar mindset, and if you can share some of these activities with kids, so much the better.
▪ Make a slingshot and then spend some delightful time shooting it. Crafting a functional slingshot is easy , and the search for a perfect dogwood fork or maybe one from a persimmon tree is part of the fun. You can readily find instructions online if you don’t know how. All that is required is the wood for the base, a leather patch to hold rocks or whatnot , strong rubber for the catapulting action, and cord (or strong fishing line) to attach the rubber to your forked stick and the patch to hold rocks or whatever you use when shooting.
▪ Craft your own cane fishing pole. There are patches of cane all over the place. After drying and straightening poles for a couple of weeks (hang from a tree limb or something similar with a weight tied to the small end), add line with a hook, sinker and bobber. The end result is a highly effective and low-cost fishing tool.
▪ Catch lightning bugs or June bugs. Lightning bug hunting in the cool of the evening is a relief from the heat.Small kids will run with great glee. With the June bugs, tie them to sewing thread (you slip the thread around a leg) to let them fly about like miniature helicopters.
▪ Gather fishing bait for an outing after bream, catfish, or other species. This might involve catching grasshoppers, turning over piles of weeds for crickets, digging worms and even seining for minnows..
▪ Go fishing using bait you have collected or bought. Bream are wonderfully cooperative about anytime, and that means they are a good focal point for youngsters who want action. Farm ponds in particular can be productive.
▪ Add a cooling element to your fishing fun by wade fishing in a creek or river. The Broad River is ideal but sections of the Catawba River below Lake Wylie, especially when the dam gates are closed, are also quite suitable. Many area creeks, although they see little fishing pressure, hold goodly populations of various game fish. They tend to run small but they can provide worlds of fun. I still harbor fond memories of wade fishing a section of Rocky Creek with my daughter decades ago and catching bream, pumpkinseeds, small bass, and even a couple of crappie.
▪ Enjoy a fish fry with fish you have caught and cleaned. With slaw and perhaps some hushpuppies as sides, this is a summertime meal of pure delight. Incidentally leftovers, especially if they are fillets, make for a mighty fine fish sandwich the following day.
▪ Float along a stream in a canoe, kayak, or if you want to really enjoy the water, in a tube. Although I grew up in the Smokies, where the streams are faster and the water colder than is the case in this area, I enjoyed tubing throughout my boyhood.
▪ Go camping. It’s probably a bit too hot for enjoyable camping on the local scene, but a trip to the mountains, maybe to camp in a drive-in campground or, for those who really like to get away from it all, taking the backpack route, can be great fun.
There’s more, much more, to be done in the wonderful world of the outdoors even when heat and humidity lay their heavy hands on the land, but here’s enough ideas to get the fun started.
This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 8:57 PM with the headline "A few fun summer activities to keep you active and off the couch."