Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley

My love of the outdoors is tied to many things, including time spent with some of my favorite people. For example, when I was about 10 years old, my dad took me on “our own” camping trip, meaning no brothers allowed this time, which was already a successful trip in my mind. Then Dad said, “Let’s see how we survive on one fishing pole, one lure (a Lucky 13 plug), one piece of foil, one match, one bottle of oyster sauce...” You get the idea.

We headed to the Little North Fork River in Ozark County. Along about dark, as I was beginning to panic that my growling stomach would have to suffice on oyster sauce, a beautiful bass jumped to the surface and grabbed hold of the Lucky 13.

Wrapped in foil, marinated in oyster sauce and roasted over an open fire, it was the most delicious bass I’ve ever eaten. Around the fire that night, my dad regaled me with adventures from his youth. I remember thinking this was the grandest adventure ever, and that my dad was pretty cool, too.

It turns out amazing outdoor adventures, even those that take it to the extreme outdoor limit, don’t have to be a million miles away. It can be close to home, right out your back door in Missouri, as you can see from the personal, real-life stories of extreme outdoor enthusiasts (see Taking it to the Limit, Page 17). In the years since, I’ve had the privilege to travel the world, live abroad, and enjoy many outdoor adventures of my own.

But the root of this love for the outdoors started simply like the story above, just my dad and some oyster sauce, without much in the way of expense or traveling far from home. It’s value to me? Priceless.

Sara Parker Pauley, Director