-----
--- 2520224
Growing up in the seedier parts New York the closest I got to playing in the woods was playing in the park rather than a seemingly fathomless heavily wooded area, and now that I've grown up I don't have any desire to do so.

So to anyone who enjoyed exploring the woods as a kid, why? And also what was the best thing or THINGS you did there?
--- 2520228
>>2520224 (OP)
>seedier parts OF New York, my bad XP
--- 2520231
Blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry picking; fishing; the variety of birds; usually only whites IF any other people.
--- 2520232
>>2520231
There were berry patches in your area that weren't connected to like a farm or something? Hopefully nothing POISONOUS, I assume...
--- 2520244
>>2520232
Do you think berries didn't exist until farmers magically shat seeds out their assholes? I hope you die in New York, you stupid faggot holy shit cityniggers shouldn't be allowed to post here.
--- 2520250
>bump
--- 2520332
>bumpx2
--- 2520359
>>2520224 (OP)
at what age would it be safe to turn your kid loose to go play in the woods?

>western OR
>own 8 acres of woods
>adjacent to several hundred more acres of BLM forest
>frequent bear sightings and the occasional sign of cougar near by

8 year old and I do a lot of hiking/exploring together, but as far as turning him loose to go solo, i just don't know. we have walkies so if he got into trouble he'd let us know, but things can happen pretty fast out there.
--- 2520361
>>2520359
Well if you were a kid, let's be frank, exploring the woods would involve being in the general vicinity of an adult or in a forest behind your home, realistically.

>BLM forest

What's that?
--- 2520369
>>2520361
public land -- open forest.
well, what i'm saying is he could go from our backdoor and hike in several directions for an hour and still be in the forest. definitely out of earshot and possibly too far away if anything went wrong (injury, animal for example)
--- 2520370
>>2520224 (OP)
Mostly harassing the local wildlife. I would bike to the woods and either go fishing, catch frogs and turtles or chase turkeys
--- 2520380
>>2520224 (OP)
I grew up in a village in germany. Germany is a pretty urban country, and as a result most forests are pretty "tamed". But it was plenty in the eyes of us kids. 
Our main motivations were that it was essentially a big playground without supervision. No parents, no strangers, just us. It was possible to play in many ways (play with softair rifles, or dig trenches, or build treehouses, or shelters) that you simply didn't have the space for at home. The biggest draw was the feeling of adventure. We'd climb under the electric fence where sheep were held and pet them (sometimes they'd let us sometimes they'd attack us), then again under it back into the forest, we'd sometimes "steal" honey from some beeskeeper (he knew, but he also knew we wouldn't take much, so he let it happen), we'd search for treasure, go in places that were forbidden (a old mine and a forest bunker were favorites) and sometimes we'd go looking for animals. Always hoping to see deer or a hog, but usually having to settle for some frogs or squirrels instead.
>And also what was the best thing or THINGS you did there?
I have the fondest memories of building shelters. We had "bases" in the forest and inside those we stashed our treasure - stuff we had found. The coolest among those were WW2 leftovers, we had found a ammo box, something that may have been artillery or a mortar round, thankfully not live, and a lot of animal bones. Other than that, fighting with sticks, exploring the mine and the occasional hog encounter.
>>2520359
>at what age would it be safe to turn your kid loose to go play in the woods?
Once they can be trusted to know their boundaries and the risk of the forest around them. It really depends on the forest though. I'd say we were "fake alone" by something like 6 (as in thinking we were alone when parents actually watched/were nearby in emergencies) and really alone around 8.
--- 2520392
>>2520370
>>2520380
This is all very interesting. Thanks anons.
--- 2520410
>>2520380
Yeah, I can see what you mean. if it weren't for bear or cougar i'd be fine with him alone right now at age 8. (some risk of mechanical injury from slipping/falling, but having a walkie would minimize the risk of serious harm).
Cougars out here will almost always leave a full grown man alone, but a kid is another story. Bear are less of a risk, but still something to worry about (particularly in spring or summer)

As a kid we had no yard or privacy at all (though i could hop the fence and explore the muni golf course -- which is better than nothing i guess). Growing up with books like Hatchet or Where the Red Fern Grows -- the idea of being a kid and getting to explore and play outside appealed to me. When we bought the land and built the house i looked forward to turning him loose to explore the forest with the dogs (something every boy should get to do imo), but man i'm getting over protective and risk averse as i get older.
--- 2520428
>>2520224 (OP)
you felt like adults couldn't find you out there. especially if you lived somewhere with really dense vegetation. you could clear out a spot in the woods and build a fort. you could find a tree that was really good for climbing. the goal was always to eventually build a badass treehouse, but you never really did because you didn't have the tools or materials. the cleared out hole in the thick woods behind the neighborhood was the "secret spot" where you could smoke cigarette butts you found, shoot the bb gun you have stashed out there, or run to whenever the police were after you for throwing acorns at passing dump trucks.
--- 2520432
>>2520428
Cool :)
--- 2520439
>>2520224 (OP)
I used to watch this show as a kid and wish I lived in the lush east instead of the desert. 
Now I've been there. And I prefer the desert
--- 2520441
>>2520439
This show was great, wasn't it?
What about the country do you not like?
--- 2520442
>>2520441
Nothing wrong with it. I've just been there and I liked it. But as I've matured I've come to appreciate the desert. 
That show is also why I think I have long conversations with animals that lead people to think I'm touched in the head.
--- 2520443
>>2520442
Ah, I see.
Well, what about the country originally made you want to live there, even if reality didn't meet expectations?
--- 2520462
>>2520410
>Cougars out here will almost always leave a full grown man alone, but a kid is another story. Bear are less of a risk, but still something to worry about (particularly in spring or summer)
Honestly, either of those are valid reasons not to let them go into the woods unsupervised. We were encouraged not to go too deep into the forest if the hogs had kids, because the mothers could get much more agressive. No cougars or bears where I lived, so worst case would be a fox with rabies or something. 
And don't feel too ashamed of being scared for your kids, it's natural. You seem to do your best to strike a balance by giving them freedom while also offering security with the walkie talkie and stuff. They already have it better than 95% of kids. That fake freedom where you can explore boundaries but know if you fuck up mom and dad can fix it is one of the most magical aspects of childhood.
And in retrospect, us going into the mine and some of the shit we did like playing with the rusted WW2 artillery shell was really unneccesarily risky, wouldn't want my kids to do the same, even if I have fond memories from it kek.
--- 2520477
>>2520462
that's the thing though, those close calls we have as kids are actually extremely formative; the tendency towards safety mommyism might actually do more harm than good. i guess it's finding the right balance and praying nothing too catastrophic happens.

where i grew up, we'd often play in the river (hunting snakes/crawdads in the summer). There was a bridge just outside of town with a small dam and sluice box; if the water was high enough we'd jump into the river from the bridge (maybe a 30' fall). Well one summer some kids were jumping off it, but the sluice box was left open. Two kids got sucked in, one drowned and the other became a vegetable for the rest of his life (wound up drowning on his own saliva at the hospital a few years later ironically enough). I think back on how lucky I was to not have that happen. As a parent I wouldn't let my kid jump off that bridge, all the while knowing that my childhood summers would have been worse for such concerns =/
--- 2520485
>>2520477
>the tendency towards safety mommyism might actually do more harm than good
I 100% agree with you. Some freedom, and that includes the freedom to fuck up, is needed for kids to become adults. But some risk is also unneeded. Getting hurt playing in the woods and either fixing it with friends together or going back home injured is formative, hitting the rusted WW2 artillery shell with a stone to see what's inside may have ended badly.
I still remember the very first time I went somewhere alone:
I was very young and my parents allowed me to get bread from the bakery alone on a sunday. It involved walking down 3 streets, crossing a small intersection, going into the store, ordering, paying and going back. I couldn't do math yet, so I had no idea how much I had paid or gotten back, but I remember how proud I was when I got back home. Years later I found out I never was alone - my father had followed me with a camera to see if I would cross the intersection carefully, avoid any traffic and be alright on my own. Once he knew I was fine, he knew I could be trusted to leave the house alone from there on. 
I think the way they did it was best: First a pilot run, where they kept me safe but I could feel like I was alone. Then once that went well, they let me do my thing. That way they could trust I was fine on my own and I could be free of parental control.
Your main goal is avoiding the shit that can result in death or severe injury, for the rest, it's better if they find out themselves. 
We had plenty a injury from homemade fireworks, fighting with sticks, etc. Kids learn surprisingly quickly to take care of each other. 
Either way, don't stress about it too much anon, you sound like a great parent. Listen to your inner fears, then rationalize how probable they are. If they are unlikely, allow your kids freedom. If it's reasonable, air on the side of caution. You got this.
--- 2520492
>>2520477
>>2520485
I forgot to mention that the disposition/nature of the child matters too. I was always a very cautious kid. I'd do everything with the others, often taking a leading role, but I'd always try to mitigate risk, take care of everyone and worry about injuries/dangers. That part of my nature as a kid probably helped them to allow me my freedom. 
Every kid is different after all.
--- 2520523
>>2520224 (OP)
I need to be more thankful I got to grow up in a small town. Riding bikes and running around the woods with neighbor kids. Absolutely Norman Rockwell compared to the abuse your rearing was. Maybe you can find some spark of wonder as an adult. At least know better if you have kids of your own
--- 2520526
>>2520523
Naturally.
>Absolutely Norman Rockwell
How so?
--- 2520547
>>2520224 (OP)
grandparents in ohio had 40 acres with a creek going through it, whenever we visited growing up my brother and i would wade through and explore the creek for what seemed like miles
--- 2520560
>>2520547
What did you do there?
--- 2520563
>>2520359
I got set free on the unsuspecting UP forest at age 7. Never had any issues with wolves, lions, bear or coyotes, but thinking back my parents probably should have been supervising.
As for OPs question I did a lot of "fort" building with my friends and siblings. we were all I faulted with the Indian wars and would build Indian and settler forts then play war and try and take eachothers forts. As we got older these structures got more and more sturdy and sofisticated. As >>2520369 said harassing wildlife and catching small animals was a staple. 
Our biggest operation was building a dam across a stream. It took an entire summer, bevers moved in and remade it for us so it still stands to this very day.
--- 2520583
>>2520443
Just the idea of greenery and fresh water everywhere. I also really liked song of the south growing up and figured everything would look like that.
--- 2520585
>>2520583
>Song of the South
Gotta check that out as well. Thanks.
>idea of Greenery and Fresh Water everywhere
That is amazing, I gotta say.
--- 2520639
>>2520560
wading up and down the creek, skipping rocks, swimming, exploring
--- 2520732
Used to love that show.
I lived on a big property surrounded by woods, the closest road being dirt and gravel and the nearest neighbors a ways away. Didn't have internet or cable tv so when I wasn't reading books I went outside. Always wore either flip flops or rubber boots. Mostly I played in mud puddles, catching frogs, turtles, lizards, etc. Loved to make forts. I knew our property and the surrounding woods like the back of my hand. Surprisingly I've never been in actual danger, the worst that I can recall is a big strange dog growling at me but that happened right in the yard, and two trespassers coming onto the property to steal scrap metal. I had to run through tall grass back home to tell my parents. I saw snakes and black widows often but had enough sense to avoid them. Stupid thing I did was walk onto a froze over pond despite not being able to swim, also wading into a creek that got pretty rough. Hope this is what you wanted to hear OP.
--- 2520769
>>2520359
Me and my friends were running wild in the woods by age 9 but then again we don't have bears or cougars here in Aus.
When was the last time someone was actually attacked by a bear in your area?
--- 2521018
>bump
--- 2521068
>bumpx2
--- 2521114
>>2521018
>>2521068
/out/ is a slow board, you don't need to bump shit.
--- 2521782
>>2521114
Bumping anyway
>bump
--- 2521793
I groed up in a small New England farmtown. My parents own several acres of woods but the entire forest is maybe 2000 acres (and that's just 2000 acres contained by the road, the woods continue semi-forever).

I spent every day in the woods as a kid, all day. Just about never once saw another human being anywhere in the forest or on the hills. I know those woods like the back of my hand - you could show me a cropped photo of a rock or a stump or even a puddle and I would tell you where it is. It was amazing.

>tree climbing
>foraging wild apples and berries
>building forts and treehouses
>camping out (as I got older, as we have significant problems with burr and coyotes)
>"woods training" (basically our kid version of forest parkour)
>following the old stone walls through the woods looking for old artifacts
>over the years found an old two-man saw blade, some hand-forged horseshoes, a whiskey bottle from 1870, an axe head, an iron jaw trap

parents still own the property but things are changing, parts of the woods have changed hands and development is encroaching :[
--- 2521974
>>2520224 (OP)
>So to anyone who enjoyed exploring the woods as a kid, why?
Mostly fishing and mushroom picking, why? What else were you gonna do? I grew up In pretty rural Sweden, nothing to fix on the car, dog is croomed and fed, homework done. Now what?
No Internet 
No phone
Ofcourse you are just gonna "go for a walk" and fuck around, was before I discovered girls, alcohol and tobacco though
--- 2521978
>>2521974
plus the chance of finding porno mags
what happened to that? why was it ever a thing, and why did so many of us find porno mags in the woods?
--- 2521987
>>2520359
When he's old enough to safely and competently operate a rifle. Even then, I'd want to be in the general vicinity in case something happens.
--- 2521988
>>2520361
Bureau of Land Management, it's a federal agency that overseas a lot of cultural and natural resource management.
--- 2522055
>>2520361
Black Lives Matter forest, in America huge patches of woodland are given to negroes as reparations for the martyrdom of Saint Floyd.
--- 2522057
>>2521978
Other kids dumping them there after being caught.

I had a "lad's mag" as a teen, basically just topless women, and my dad sent me away to get rid of it. Where do you think I went? Yep, you guessed it.
--- 2522060
>>2520477
You now understand why people in the past had 10 kids. They played outside and so were prone to dying. You can't emotionally afford to have a child die if you only have 1 or 2.
--- 2522062
Man this thread is making me envious, my parents wouldn't even leave me alone when playing in our backyard or town park. No wonder I grew up retarded and had to fix my life from scratch.
--- 2522135
>>2520477
I grew up in rural Mississippi and me and my friends used to swim in the swamp to catch crabs for my uncle to cook, until we got a stubborn gator that wouldn't leave and ate one of our cats, then my parents never let me do it again. So sad.
--- 2522154
i grew up by a park in dc, mostly paved trails with some well maintained dirt ones. there was a creek and for some reason my friends and i thought the other side was an island so we called it "kid island" and never bothered to find the other side of the island. there was a big fallen tree we would cross to get there. probably the best thing that happened was finding an old ammo can in the brush with army men, a pocket knife and a mini flashlight, which thinking back on it now was most likely a geocache.
--- 2522471
>bump
--- 2522524
>>2521978
>why did so many of us find porno mags in the woods?
Pederasts. Unironically. They deliberately provide porn to young men in order to make them more sexually vulnerable.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd0wCZsNqTM [Embed]
>lol. You thing gays are just leaving porno mags out for kids? 
Yes. Do you think they just sprout there? 
>but the skin mags are always straight!
It's called grooming. They don't start out with the all male anal fisting
--- 2522525
>>2520224 (OP)
>And also what was the best thing or THINGS you did there?
We explored the entire woods and golf course near our houses. We named every section of it and most of the notable trees. Made elaborate maps. Built all sorts of huts and shelters. We tobogganed on every hill and valley in the golf course, and some places you could continue on down through the woods. We made swords out of broken hockey sticks (back when hockey sticks were made of wood), fought with those and hurt each other. We made bows, crossbows and spears from saplings. 

As a teen, I'd just wander alone or fun. I tested some leaves and saps to see if smoking them would get me high. I would also fap a lot.
--- 2522526
>>2522524
>Unironically.
You are so fucking stupid it hurts.
--- 2522527
>>2522526
Not an argument
--- 2522529
>>2520224 (OP)
I grew up in a Southern California town that was citrus groves surrounded by mountains. My dad was from the rural part of Pennsylvania and he encouraged me to go get lost as a kid quite often because that’s how he grew up. I remember hiking out with my friends and doing overnight trips out of a backpack when I was elementary school aged. My friends and I all got mini bikes around the same time which allowed us to explore further and further out of our backyards when we were in middle school. By the time we were in high school we all had full sized dirtbikes and half decent camping gear. Ride out as far as we could and set up a site, have a little fire, share a joint and sip liquor we stole from our parents.
--- 2522557
>>2522527
Anon's post is pure fiction. The response is literary criticism.
--- 2522567
>>2520477
There's a damn in my village to control the water level of the lake. Some kids I knew would go through the sluice on purpose for shits and grins. I'm guessing your damn was either higher or the sluice was more violent.
--- 2522572
>>2520485
>It involved walking down 3 streets, crossing a small intersection
My walk to kindergarten was 3 blocks along the busiest street in my city. I'd do it with a friend. My friend was a latch key kid. His single mom was still at work when he came home from work so it would just be him and a brother who was maybe 2-3 years older. So a kindergartner and a 3rd grader alone at home after school every day.

You did that today, his mother would be arrested and lose custody.
--- 2522583
>>2522055
That acronym swap is never not funny
--- 2522617
>>2522557
Idk. Doesn't seem too fictional
--- 2523258
>bump
--- 2523261
I got a spooky feeling whenever I went out into the forest as a kid and I really liked it. Going out there made me feel cool and brave like a frontiersman or something.
--- 2523268
>>2523261
How so?
--- 2523404
>bump
--- 2523407
>>2522617
Can confirm. Pedophiles are said to do this
--- 2523616
>bump
--- 2523973
>>2523268
There is just an ominous feeling in North American wilderness when you're out there alone, especially at night. Also I was really into Bigfoot and shit at the time too so that helped with the spoopy vibe.
--- 2525303
>bump
--- 2525579
>>2523407
The child muhlestor in my town did this :[8ntd4s
--- 2525663
>>2520224 (OP)
>why?
Being in the woods is its own reward.
In the woods we could be Indians, hobbits, cavemen, explorers, whatever. Doing that in town we'd get pestered by the townies. 
Parents insisted we go outside. Outside was the woods and fields.
--- 2525664
>>2523407
>are said to do this
Please read and understand what you wrote.
--- 2525666
>>2522617
>I'll post more antiporn propaganda. Maybe that will help.
--- 2525672
>>2520244
All the berry patches I remember around were I lived were on farm land that had been abandoned. 

>>2521978
>why was it ever a thing
The best explanation I can think of is that porn is a disposable thing. Boomers would buy a mag, go somewhere secluded to leaf through it and have a wank, then ditch the mag before they went home. Maybe they had a stash they'd look at from time to time then lose in interest. Their wife or mother wouldn't let them keep the stash in the home. You'd need to be somewhere secluded to wank anyway. 

I also strongly suspect that stumbling on a cache would be a once or twice in a lifetime thing. But to the 8 years olds it was the most amazing and memorable moment of their life and takes on a disproportionate importance. No one is going to talk about the rusted cans or barbed wire fence. Everyone is going to talk about that one titty mag they found.
--- 2526117
>bump
--- 2527399
>bumpx2
--- 2527687
We mainly built sheds, dams, carved messages and explored. A bit like playing slow low level minecraft. Also since animals and plants change along the months or with weather events there are always new things to find even in the well known places. 

>>2520380
>it was essentially a big playground without supervision. No parents, no strangers, just us.
This.
--- 2527809
>>2521793
>foraging wild apples
How were you eating them?
Wild apple sucks.
--- 2527815
>>2520224 (OP)
started camping by myself at eleven or twelve years old. when I was fifteen I camped two and a half months by myself until I ran out of food and ended up getting caught 
>>2520361
>realistically
normally is the word you're looking for
--- 2527864
>>2527809
well, it's a combination of whilde apples (crab apples) and feral apples that are leftover from the farm which burned and ceased to exist in 1790.

there are little yellow crabbies which are juicy and sweet like pears; medium green apples which are fairly juicy and tart, large red apples which are hard and super starchy/inedible, and large red apples which are quite nice if you let them ripen till the end of season.

I would harvest a mixture of the edible ones and make apple pies
--- 2527881
>>2520224 (OP)
It would be like trying to explain the world to someone who had lived in a room their entire life

You just wouldn’t get it….
--- 2527885
>>2527881
like the shadows on the cave wall
--- 2527951
>bump
--- 2527957
>>2520224 (OP)
Building shelters, playing hide and seek, hunting each other or animals, exploring, then during puberty we just made bigger camps, campfires and drank a lot, in -25C we build our own giant heated tents just for one night or even just sat by the fire the entire night with snow falling up to our waistes.
--- 2527962
>>2527957
I fucking love going feral in the snow. Yeah getting drink in the deep freeze has its risks but for one night you can survive with all fingers and have the time of your life. Sadly my friends were largely opposed to campouts in deep winter even though we would often go for long drunken walks till 3am instead... which is probably more dangerous on account of no fire or shelter.

One night it was so br00tal out that our beers kept freezing solid in our hands while we were drinking them. Shit was FACKED.

Pickerel. This is why I bought a Pentax camera; fully armed and operational even at desperately subzero temps
--- 2528400
I used to love climbing into unorganized logpiles.
I live in the rocky mountains, and around my property there were large piles of logs, not like the cut up kind, like full sized. It was arguably really dangerous, like I could have gotten crushed, but since I was small enough I could weave inbetween the logs, with large enough piles it was almost like spelunking, it was a bit fucked up One pile had like an open space inbetween the logs (like big enough to sit in) and I pretended it was a tank
--- 2528411
>bump
--- 2528427
>>2527962
Bro I live in the Yukon and I still use my pixel to take photos outside at -40, you may be overcomplicating things.
--- 2529322
>bump
--- 2529975
>bump
--- 2530332
>>2528411
>>2529322
>>2529975
Only tourists from lebbit do this.
--- 2530400
>>2530332
If it works there, it'll work here, anon.
--- 2530417
>>2520232
Urbanite moment.

Fucks sake man I grew up a flatlander with only one patch of public woods around and there were still berries in that wood. Can urbanites even touch grass?
--- 2530419
>>2530417
Not if you've been in my (pun not intended) neck of the woods.
--- 2530420
>>2520224 (OP)
Which part? Ulster county reporting in
--- 2530422
>>2528427
I used my Canon POS P&S in the deep freeze but once I switched to DSLR it was nice to know I had a piece of kit that, although more mechanically complex and with far superior optics, was still up for the task
--- 2530471
>>2525666
You shouldn't need propaganda to accept that porn is bad for individuals and society at large. This is uncle Ted's board FFS
--- 2530959
>bump
--- 2531568
>bump
--- 2531853
>>2520224 (OP)
Grew up in a small southern town that was mostly suburb, but had a few patches of woods that me & my friends could easily bike to. We'd mostly just follow the boatload of creeks that were around there, if it had a divit deep enough to swim in you can bet that we swam in it though. Outside of almost stepping on a coiled-up snake we never had any dangerous experiences/fun finds in the woods; we were never more than a mile from a house/business, so it's not like we were ever in too much danger honestly.
Probably not too different from your experiences i'd bet, just took place somewhere with a below 6-digit population haha.
--- 2531871
oh yeah almost everyone was white
--- 2532496
>bump
--- 2532520
>>2520224 (OP)
I grew up by a forest. I think I walked every path every day every summer from when I was old enough to walk until I had a job in high school.

It was nice. The quiet lets you collect your thoughts, feels good to breathe the air, it was calm with the exception of the occasional other kid or family hiking through.
>the park was preserved by the city, so it didn't shrink, but there's a highway on the north side, high-density housing on the east, and ever increasing intensification on the remaining sides, so it's no longer quiet
It was fun to tell jokes, or stories, or just look for critters. There used to be a lot of raccoons and bats there, but now there's not a lot. Sometimes we'd build little teepees or shelters. But the park staff would yell at us if we got caught, although I suppose there was no real repercussions.
>I walked my parents' dog through the forest a few months ago
>some kids had built a lean-to and were shooting some kind of drug
>I phoned the park building, they seemed annoyed I had bothered

The forest has a lot of hills. If you're not paying attention you can just step off and fall down a 45+ degree incline until a tree stopped you. Well over a decade ago, I remember some friends and I were screwing around, probably just telling jokes and being useless like usual, when one of us tripped and fell down the biggest hill the in the forest. He was just covered in bruises the next day, probably hit every single root and stone on his way down.

Nothing really happened there that was "the best," but I remember loving my walks with my dad. No real events, just wasting time with dad and trying to catch fireflies in the park on the far side of the forest where it opened into a field. Maybe the druggies and dirtbags were always there, but I only remember him explaining things like the pine trees leaking pitch because of the beetles, daring me to climb the trees that mum never would let me, lying to me about how fast a runner I was, etc.
--- 2532980
>bump
this thread is amazing
--- 2533904
>>2527962
what would I give to hang out with you anon
--- 2533908
I feel so envious oh man. Grew up in an apartment building in a dense city in Asia. Still live in one and will probably for the rest of life. It's not as bad as those mega apartment buildings in Hong Kong but very similar. I will never stop lamenting that I wasn't born in North America
--- 2534374
>>2528400
Dumb nigga
--- 2534379
swimming in the body of the universe
--- 2534402
>>2520224 (OP)
Yeah, I grew up in the suburbs and there was always green space around but in particular this one creek that ran through that part of the city was completely undeveloped and wooded and basically I would get lost there all day long and come home covered in mud and brambles.

Good times.
--- 2535065
>bump
--- 2535069
I would usually walk along the creek and jump between the rocks from side to side. We'd have stick races downstream, one time a friend and I sent 'floaters' down instead. Those were simpler times.
--- 2535075
>>2520224 (OP)
>So to anyone who enjoyed exploring the woods as a kid, why? And also what was the best thing or THINGS you did there?
When I was a kid the forest was this amazing, alluring and the same time scary, so just running around exploring made me feel like I was an adventurer
The only thing we really did was built "forts" out of sticks and leaves, and collect random trash we found like it was some sort of treasure
--- 2535095
>>2521978
lmao
in my case because the our property had a good bit of frontage on a highway and i assume truckers would toss them out the window or something, because I'd always find them up near the road.
--- 2535293
>>2535075
>made me feel like I was an adventurer
What were some of the best adventures you had?
--- 2535309
>>2535293
Shit, my memories from that time are more of a photo collage of random things than a linear story
But I remember one time we were walking besides a river, trying to catch fish I think.
Anyways after a while walking around I see this handle looking thing poking out of a bush, I obviously grab it and try to pull it out.
It rips through and I stumble back, we couldn't fucking belive it, It was this big rusted long sword.
We were absolutely euphoric, our usual finds were dead critters and trash, so when we found this it was mindblowing
The adults obviously find out and take it away, I never knew what happened to it, they told us they threw it away but I think one of them stashed it for themselves
--- 2535319
>>2535309
I am legitimately fascinated, anon. You should become an author :)
--- 2535323
>>2520232
most of the time even if you eat poisonous shit it just hurts your tummy
>t. pokeberry enjoyer
--- 2536256
Grew up going to norther iowa around the mississippi. I did the following;

Stalked up on deer
Caught snakes and snapping turtles
Searched for cool bottles in the driftwood
Made driftwood forts
Waded through streams
Slept in trees
Squatted and eatched countless things on the ground.
Made campfires in the dark

Kids who dont grow up going in the woods alone are pansys
--- 2536257
>>2536256
Watched countless things*
--- 2536391
>>2535309
>It was a big rusted longsword
This is the second
>I found a longsword in the woods 
Story I've heard, why the fuck is this so common? Do people really just leave their longsword in the woods?
--- 2536392
>>2520359
Some time in his teens at least. If he had a buddy at this age it would be okay but walking alone is just asking for trouble.
Buddy system and a phone / radio.
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--- 2537404
>>2520232
Lmao, imagine living a life thinking food comes from the super market. NGMI
--- 2537406
>>2521974
Yeah but i got my first blowjobs and shit in the woods. My first kiss at the edge of the woods. 

OP probably got his first kiss in an alley or subway. Fucking gross
--- 2537408
>>2525664
Bruh you sound like you are defending pedos. Pedos groom kids, why is that hard to believe for you?
--- 2537410
>>2533908
残念だ
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>>2520224 (OP)
I was fortunate enough to have a cabin with lake shore and about 200 acres of private land growing up. Every weekend me and my cousins would just disappear into the woods while our dads went out and did whatever the hell they wanted. 0 supervision. We'd draw maps and have adventures. Pretend pokemon were real is one I remember. Building forts was a big one. We had some sweet ones too, especially as we got older. Then, even at home there was around 500 acres of undeveloped forest across the street. It was private but all the neighborhood kids would screw around in there anyway. It must have had an old farmstead because there were a few old farm buildings hidden in there and a graveyard of old cars that were probably 1940-1960 vintage, powder blue with fender fins, you know the look. Same deal, exploring, for building, smacking each other with sticks. Just had to be home by the time the street lights came on. It was awesome. Got older and pocket knives and wrist rockets led to some amateur wood carving and very poor attempts at hunting song birds and squirrels.
--- 2538239
>>2521978
Lol I forgot about that. I think teenagers take that stuff innawoods to hide it from parents. I remember finding a pair of panties, a condom, and a blanket in the woods once and being too young to know what had happened there. Also found a full 6 pack of Labatt's Blue in bottles and brought it home to my dad. Hindsight, wonder why the hell me and my buddy didn't slam those back.
--- 2538505
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>>2525666
There is a mountain of scientific evidence which clearly shows that porn is bad for you. There are also numerous examples of pedophiles using it to make children more open to their advances.
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--- 2540993
>>2520359
I’d say that’s more of an individual question. If you’re confident in his abilities to avoid risky situations and signal for help at the first sign of trouble, then yeah he’s probably fine.

You don’t have to just let him loose either, wait until he expresses an interest in it, then start by letting him wander off on his own during hikes/exploring and reporting back to a designated spot after a short amount of time.

 Just do whatever you’re comfortable with, he’ll either prove you can trust him or he’ll prove you can’t, either way you won’t know until you give him at least a little bit of freedom.
--- 2541012
>>2533904
you never know anon, the universe is a wild place and anything could happen
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--- 2542743
I still fo all that stuff, just alone... and 30
--- 2544435
>bump
Keeping this thread alive
--- 2544503
>>2520224 (OP)
i got lost in the woods in PEI when i was 10 and my dad had to call the RCMP
--- 2544507
>>2520359
My family own ten acres of woods in montana. A couple black bear sightings a season and cougars on the game cam every spring. My cousin, a grown man and competent hunter, was chased up into a tree by a cougar in those same woods years ago while he was archery hunting. This was probable less than a 75 yards from the house. I don't know the layout of your property, but I wouldn't let a child in woods alone where cougars are known to be. I'd make him go with a friend or two at least. Alone, id wait for me to be comfortable with him carrying a gun/mace which depends on the child but roughly 12-14.
--- 2545390
>>2537410
Konichiwa?
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--- 2546234
>>2525666
Nice try satan
--- 2546235
>>2527864
That really neat!
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--- 2547275
>>2520224 (OP)
We built a bad ass fort with all the kids in the neighborhood. It started as some 2x4s nailed to trees and over time just evolved into an incredible structure(given that we were all 8-12 years old.) We'd take wood wherever we could get it, usually out of neighbor's trash during the spring. Eventually teenagers started drinking in it so we built a new one, right on the bank of the river. We could fish off the side of the fort and have bonfires and camp in a clearing down a small path about 20 yards away. It was really awesome. I'm blessed to have had a dank childhood.
--- 2547440
>>2547275
>inclusive pepe meme is comfy af
--- 2547450
>>2520224 (OP)
>why
anon, are you even a human being
did you ever have a childhood, WTF
explore, playing pretend, building things from sticks, swimming in a creek. digging holes, shooting my bb gun, riding my bike, climbing trees, fishing, relaxing on a summer day, making fires, playing with the other kids on my street, picking flowers and identifying plants.
--- 2547452
>>2520359
8-14 are the most magical and formative years in a childs life. kids are much smarter than they are often given credit for. just make sure he/she understands the risks and dangers of the area. we live in an age of cell phones and somehow parents are more sheltering than before. we need to instill a love of freedom and independence in the next generation and like it or not that carries risk. the sooner in your life you van make mistakes and learn from them the better.
--- 2547455
>>2547452
>8-14 are the most magical and formative years in a childs life
Let's see what did I do with those years?
>public school in a rapidly niggerizing and mexicanizing suburb, video games, no female childhood friends, yelling parents, family trips stopped after siblings 6 and 7 came along
...
--- 2547461
>>2547455
why do you think i spent so much time in the woods at that age anon.
--- 2547923
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--- 2548637
>>2520224 (OP)
I grew up in a small industrial city without any woods within walking distance. We only had a few small parks. I do have fond memories of walking along the train tracks for miles, though, and occasionally trainhopping as a teenager in the early-2000s.
--- 2548675
>>2547455
I spent those years on Ultima Online. What a fucking waste.
--- 2548894
>>2547455
Y'know, if you look at that school picture from Columbine someone else posted, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold seem to have a friend group. And where friends enough with some girls that they'd put their arms around them in the 2nd photo.

In other words, you managed to isolate yourself to a level even those sad sacks didn't manage.
--- 2548896
>>2544507
Your cousin is a pussy. Or rather, your cousin was chased up a tree by a pussy, making him at least one rung lower then a pussy.
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Keeping the thread alive
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>Bump
--- 2555789
>>2520410
Let him go when you can trust him to carry a gun if you're in bear territory. An 8 year old could easily startle a bear on accident if the dogs run off on him. He's too easy a target for a cougar as well. If he wasn't alone it would be better. Kids are much louder in a group.
--- 2555797
>>2520477
Well, sure, but you must confront the idea of this decision leading to the injury or death of your child. That's your decision as to where to draw the line. My best friend from middle school drowned while swimming in a pond. It was so sudden and quiet no one even noticed until it was too late. Just a normal day at the pond. But cougar and bear country alone? I'd at least want another kid with him.
--- 2555818
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs. We had a few large enough swampy forests. You'd hear the coyotes most nights in the summer. Sometimes deer would walk down the sidewalks looking lost. When I'd go out alone I went to explore the closest one, about a mile walk. I found crazy fungus, weird bugs, lazy garter snakes, great horned owls, sometimes even eagles. There would be loads of different birds depending on the season. The woods would flood and the more reclusive water birds could be found in the middle of the woods. There were even a couple beaver that I'd watch until they'd inevitably be captured and taken back to the larger forest preserve. 

One time I was biking around at night on a trail and pulled off to catch a breath near what used to be soccer fields. As I pulled in my flashlight illuminated dozens of teal blue eyes. It was a full meeting of the coyotes. There must have been a dozen at least. I froze, they froze. I backed up slowly then cycled out of there. They picked up their howling. I wasn't in any real danger, but it spooked me. 

Another time I was out by the golf course in the woods. I saw a herd of deer in there running around. It was weird. They started as a group then split off. I thought they might have had coyotes chasing them but no, they were running from another deer. This deer chased after a group that splintered off. When it bumped into one they all stopped. The ones that scattered started coming together, then the one that was bumped started running after them. They kept doing this. They were playing! Deer play tag. I never would have seen that shit if I hadn't spent so much time in the woods.
--- 2555824
>>2555818
Illinois is flat as shit. The forest I played in was largely abandoned. There was one small street with a few houses that were unincorporated. My friend lived in one. There used to be a horse farm in those woods. It closed when the horses were found to have wasting disease, but not after having dozens of dead horses buried in the ground. The wasting disease lives in the dirt for decades, so the place was turned into a forest preserve. There also used to be a sled hill with a little ski lift. All of that was abandoned. So me and my friends would explore the old farm. We found old horse bones. We destroyed an old shed and stripped it of copper. We fucked around on abandoned old equipment. We dragged our sleds out on a long walk through frozen over swamps to get to the hill. Had to be careful since there were loads of rodents living in the snow covered tall grass at the bottom. You'd accidentally dig up a vole in your sled lol.

The forest is still there. It used to be completely ignored. It would only be me out there. Now there's dirt trails for bikes. Times change.
--- 2557265
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--- 2557267
>>2521114
bump
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>>2528400
dumbass lookin to get timber rattler bit
--- 2557274
>>2533908
some people are AmericansTM that just haven't made it home
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>>2557265
Responding to your current responses offers more discussion than bumping.
--- 2557283
thread soundtrack
https://youtu.be/qaIvB_wvcjs [Embed]
--- 2558303
>>2520224 (OP)
>run around
>climb trees
>build forts
>play games like manhunt/hide and seek/etc
>see animals, catch frogs and weird bugs and stuff
>ride bikes on trails and do sick jumps
>sometimes find cool old stuff that famers dumped out there decades ago
>old bottles and pop cans and farm equipment
>i still have a license plate from the 70s i found in the woods as a kid

Really it's just about being in an environment where you can be alone with your friends and the normal rules of school and your parents don't apply.
--- 2558402
I grew up where the only forests were fake forests that had houses on either sides so you could never truly be alone and unseen. So, I would assume allowing your kids to truly roam the forest is one of the greatest things you can do for them. IRL Calvin and Hobbes
--- 2558408
gold tier thread
--- 2558599
>>2558408
>gold tier thread
I agree 100%
--- 2559370
>>2520224 (OP)
UK. We used to go out to the local nature park for days out, or up to the fells. Or it was camping in the Snowdonia range or once in a while up to the Lakes.
I miss those times. Building dens, swimming, finding logs that floated to make into rafts, fighting with sticks, and all the exploring.
--- 2560351
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>>2520439
looks like an AI generated image
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--- 2562208
>>2520224 (OP)
we'd go buy snacks from a little shop nearby, and have a little picnic in the woods, sit on the rocks and play Yu-Gi-Oh on an old table. we would build forts too, usually out of pine needles, sticks, and random trash we found. whenever someone moved out or remodeled their kitchen, they'd throw out the old cupboards and such, so we would take them to build stuff. it was like a gold mine to us.
I used to play a lot of Warcraft then. it wasn't so hard to imagine that the woods were filled with ruins inhabited by elves or ogres even though I knew it wasn't true. eventually I realized that the "forest" wasn't even half a mile across, but man when we were little, it seemed HUGE to us.
--- 2562605
>bump

This is all good stuff.
--- 2562623
>>2520224 (OP)
>rural area in NW Oregon, 80s
>used to have free-reign through an area that, looking back, was at least a few square miles
>would explore it with other kids that lived nearby
>play in the cricks, catch crawdads, make campfires, shoot BB guns, build forts, drag an old spray-painted fiberglass boat around to various spots
>used to explore a junkyard in the area owned by my friend's familly
>would build forts out of old tires. I remember we once trapped his annoying cousin in a tube of tires and put one with a wheel on top then pissed on him
>would throw WD-40 cans into the burn pit and try to shoot them
>try to shoot passing cars with a BB gun
>break windows on an abandoned house
>explore these old hermit shacks that were deep in the hills, off the logging road
>would steal Hustlers, baseball cards, and pot from my friend's fat uncle
>in the summer we would leave in the mornings and not come back or report in to any adults until 5 or 6 pm

Sadly, I shaped up eventually and lost touch with this friend. Last I heard he was in prison in eastern oregon for rape and kidnapping or something like that. So it goes.
--- 2562838
Just checked, the "woods" behind my childhood home were like 30 acres, but back then it felt huge. Always went there to play with my best friend, who lived a bit further down the road. My memory is a bit hazy, but we spent a lot of time in some kind of fantasy world, with monsters, swords, and that kind of shit. We built this whole mythology of the area and a few times went to "war" with some other kids, making secret hideouts with traps and everything.
When we got a bit older, we also spent a lot of time in the slightly bigger "woods" (~300 acres, converting units for you wonderful Americans) on the other side of the big road. At this point we were a bit too old to fight invisible monsters, we spent most of the time just running around, exploring, climbing trees, getting lost in the old Nazi bunkers, talking about girls. Sometimes we'd bring our bikes to ride them down the hills (now the area is full of MTB trails, back then it wasn't a thing).
Damn, I had an amazing childhood. Haven't spoken to my friend in years, should probably hit him up.
--- 2563829
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--- 2563832
>>2520224 (OP)
I played in the woods and field near my house as a kid. Spent a lot of time down at the creek with my grand pa catching crayfish. We went fishing a lot too. In the fall I would pick blackberries. Played by myself most of the time. I had brothers and sisters but I always preferred to be by myself. I'd set up survival camps pretending I was lost in the woods. especially during winter when it snowed. Good times.
--- 2563836
>>2520224 (OP)
How the fuck is this thread still up?
--- 2563844
>>2563836
Quite frankly this thread is the soul of /out/
--- 2563848
>>2563836
Magic
--- 2564690
>>2520224 (OP)

It was 2001-2004, i was 11-14 y.o. at that time and lived in a small-ish town in Estonia. Small kiosks had babushkas that would sell us kids cigarettes and alcohol, condoms etc. So we met local girls from poor/dysfunctional families like ours and kissed, touched played around. Sometimes we got them drunk and some of us were lucky enough to get a bj or to insert the tip etc. All of it in the nearby woods ofc. We would build camps and go robbing houses for materials like plastic, nails, tools etc. at night. Soon we had built a fort, treehouse, watchtower, cooking spot etc. We also loved to visit computer clubs and at first made money by collecting bottles, then by stealing, then by breaking car windows and stealing radios, then by robbing houses. The attendance grew and once we we 10-15 strong we got access to weed, amphetamine and extacy. That's when i started to branch out because things were really getting out of hand and since i was a good student, had hopes/dreams/goals and a positive worldview(also brains)so it wasn't hard to change circles, although i had to fight my way out with some of the guys. Now i'm 33, well off and live a good life while some of those people are unimaginable losers, incarcerated or homeless/drug addicts. It was wild though ngl. and it gave me a lot of experience at a very young age.
--- 2564692
>>2525672
>You'd need to be somewhere secluded to wank anyway.

Lol, my Mom used to provide me with fresh napkins on my computer table regularly and sometimes i had forgotten to wipe a small stain on the table etc. so she did it for me. Never talked about it though. Loved my Mom.
--- 2564881
>>2520224 (OP)
I grew up in a small ontario town and was honestly alone for most of my childhood and wandered around in the woods, fields, and other places unsupervised. There were times were i was definitely not safe but my parents didn't care and I was incredibly curious, I swam in places I shouldn't have, gone so much farther and almost got lost. It has a huge influence on me now, I can wander into the woods and spend hours just watching and interacting with plants. 
It does make me sad for OP because the idea of not having woods and fields and rivers and forests in my life would honestly make me hollow. The amount of joy, peace, and honestly meaning I get even now going out never gets old.
--- 2564884
>>2562838
one of my beloved forests was completely stripped for a huge subdivision, there is like a small patch left at the fringe, walking through and seeing that little patch and recognizing it killed me.
--- 2564885
>>2564690
Wow estonia really is a shithole
--- 2565354
>>2564885

Not really. It was just my town which has mostly russians in it and they make every place they go a shithole. I really would've liked to have a simpler and more friendly childhood like some of the anons i read. Life deals us different cards i guess so its mostly up to the player.
--- 2565827
There was a wood behind the local park, close to my home.
When we were kindergarten aged our parents started letting us play there within earshot and eventually the parents fucked off and we were unattended.
Wasn't much to do, and we stayed in a smallish grove mostly.
The teens in the neighborhood built a tree fort with random planks and an exercise bike, but the parents tore it down a month later, so it never got to legendary levels.

My best friends and I would run around, we had names for different areas and our little feet carved paths all around the woods. We never strayed beyond the Meadow into the older Stinky Forest (something like that) save a few times. We found old junk piles there, little else. It was a haunted place, too quiet, ominous to approach. One time we tried to cross the meadow, but every time we got half way across a 40kt gale would kick up and blow us back. After several attempts we just stayed back.

I could probably still draw out a map of every piece of that grove with fairly vivid images in my head, like the spot we found a fox den, or the Fort Thicket full of dense thorns we would crawl into and had a secluded "house" of sorts walled with shrubs (we also built mad forts in my parents basement with all the furniture and blankets).
We imagined fighting off Indians or whatever, and mostly just ran around barefoot and chased each other around or played tag.l when we weren't treating the park equipment as a climbing challenge.

It all got bulldozed a decade ago for soulless mcmansions. I was back from college for a weekend at the time and got to say goodbye to all the trees that helped raise me, including the Heart of the Forest old oak that we built our fort on.

Having children and not giving them this should be criminal. My cousin, who I spent many days running around catching frogs with by his cottage now has kids and raises them with YouTube 24/7 and won't let them out of sight. They have every toy on earth but build nothing themselves.
--- 2565834
My wife grew up in the third world surrounded by jungle. They went hard on "primitive survival" crafting and forts. Made their own dolls out of grass and twigs and mud type stuff. Ran around pretty much feral half the day. Biggest family around, they could more or less bully the other kids by sheer numbers, as could their semi feral family dog pack that would occasionally hunt down and murder other dogs (before getting sold to the butcher themselves kek).

They had marbles and anime trading cards. Apparently rubber bands were the primary currency (?).

After midnight on full moons the whole village would wake and the kids would run around playing hide and seek and tag and CTF and cops n robbers in the dark jungle and among the farms without any electric lighting (paraffin until the late 90s). Apparently the tales of medieval euros having split sleeping schedules with midnight being a wakeful time aren't wrong.
>Americans thought they could beat these people on their home ground
It was the children's favorite game to play VC at night lol.
--- 2567140
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I love this thread.
--- 2567145
>>2565354
>act like a degenerate
>b-but it was the Russians fault!
typical butthurt belter
--- 2567270
>>2520224 (OP)
Grew up in rural Canada, which outside of cities is simply most of Canada. Anyways, thankfully the biggest thing we had to "worry" about was coyotes, but they never fucked with people in my town. If you were really unsure, you'd just bring along a baseball bat or hockey stick or find a big tree branch. As for what I did, it depended. I'd bike around with my brother and make forts. If I was alone, I'd essentially do exactly what Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes did. I'd imagine I was on some far off planet, or in some video game world. I played Dawn of War 1 as a kid, and used to pretend I was a space marine killing Orks. There's a scene in the intro cinematic where a tank buster Ork blows up a dreadnought, and I used to reenact that scene by just chucking myself off of branches into big snowbanks. Or by heaving myself down hills. Other times I'd make up my own stories in my head and just act out the physical part in real life. Of course, it was also handy for taking the dogs out for walks. There's also a strange amount of old ass abandoned cars in farmers fields and ravines. One was rusted and had a bunch of holes in it. I like to think it was some mobsters car that got gunned down.

But yeah you basically just ran around and used your imagination. Was pretty relaxing.
--- 2567901
>>2567270
This reminds me I would make Zelda swords out of some stakes, wrap them in clear packing tape, use color markers on the tape, wrap in another layer, etc, like 7 times so it looked like picrel, then swat fireflies so it glowed (mean in retrospect, but good fun at the time).
>ran around and used your imagination
Peak life
--- 2568575
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