Al "Shifty" Schultz
Well-known member
About four weeks ago I got a letter in the mail from the Washington State Patrol. Enclosed was a letter with a traffic camera picture of my truck, the picture clearly showed my front license plate and a guy that very closely resembled me driving. Apparently, on my way back from taking the kiddos fishing, camping and coyote calling in eastern WA, I was "observed traveling 60mph in a 50-mph zone". My truck is pretty unique, as is my front license plate so I promptly mailed in the fine and ordered a Field Ethos Camel Trophy plate to replace my front license.
Fast forward to turkey camp last week where me and several family and friends spend a large amount of time sitting around the campfire discussing life, wise cracking and bonding. Everyone was asking about my front plate, so I relayed the story, which led to the discussion "what is Field Ethos" all about?
I told them it's a society of a sort, a group of likeminded people, some of us relics from another time, some of us still evolving... all of us adventurers who make no apologies for who we are or what we believe... as the website says, "We're men (and women) of global experience with the confidence to explore the uncharted places. At first light, we're masters of logistics; by sundown, we're whiskey fueled philosophers by a campfire..."
By this time in the conversation, I had finished my second thick midget mug of Pendleton whiskey and had poured a third. In this reflective state of mind, I got to thinking about several of the old timers that I had ridden though the mountains in a pack train with and had shared many years of turkey camps that were no longer with us, long since passed. There's Andy, John, my dad (Herb), Larry, and Ron... ordinary guys but to me and those who loved them they were extraordinary men. Men whose values and "philosophy" on life and how to live were instilled in me and many others by their examples.
Which led to an entirely different discussion about "who we are", "what kind of examples are we to those around us?" decades ago, when I was a young logger, logging companies used a "branding hammer" to brand their logs by "stamping" their logo in the end of the logs similarly to ranchers branding horses and cattle. Each "outfit" or log company had its own reputation and ethos. My dad worked for Harm Van Slyke as a logger back in the 60's and his was a rowdy tough crew. My dad always said if you're going to accept a man's money you better be willing to "ride for the brand"... in short, be loyal to your employer, represent them accordingly as an ambassador of the company, etc. That stuck with me. I've applied that philosophy for every place I ever worked, (B&L Logging, Minter Creek Timber, the USMC, Boeing Commercial Aerospace, the City of Bremerton, City of Fife, City of Tacoma, RV Associates, etc.)
Another old friend, long since gone, Larry Dershem, once told me, "Who you affiliate with says a lot about who you are"... (by now I was finished with my third thick midget mug of whiskey and was pouring a fourth....)
As I started sipping this mug, the discussion came back around to who I was "affiliating with"... it began with roasts about each of my friends who happened to be sitting around the fire and ended with another discussion about the "FE" brand. What it stands for, who it consists of and what it represents... It's a brand I'll ride for and with... My perception of its "ethos" and "character" is one I can stand with.
How about you? What does it all mean to you? (Now I'll go and fill my thick midget mug again and sit around our virtual campfire and listen to what each of you have to say!)
Fast forward to turkey camp last week where me and several family and friends spend a large amount of time sitting around the campfire discussing life, wise cracking and bonding. Everyone was asking about my front plate, so I relayed the story, which led to the discussion "what is Field Ethos" all about?
I told them it's a society of a sort, a group of likeminded people, some of us relics from another time, some of us still evolving... all of us adventurers who make no apologies for who we are or what we believe... as the website says, "We're men (and women) of global experience with the confidence to explore the uncharted places. At first light, we're masters of logistics; by sundown, we're whiskey fueled philosophers by a campfire..."
By this time in the conversation, I had finished my second thick midget mug of Pendleton whiskey and had poured a third. In this reflective state of mind, I got to thinking about several of the old timers that I had ridden though the mountains in a pack train with and had shared many years of turkey camps that were no longer with us, long since passed. There's Andy, John, my dad (Herb), Larry, and Ron... ordinary guys but to me and those who loved them they were extraordinary men. Men whose values and "philosophy" on life and how to live were instilled in me and many others by their examples.
Which led to an entirely different discussion about "who we are", "what kind of examples are we to those around us?" decades ago, when I was a young logger, logging companies used a "branding hammer" to brand their logs by "stamping" their logo in the end of the logs similarly to ranchers branding horses and cattle. Each "outfit" or log company had its own reputation and ethos. My dad worked for Harm Van Slyke as a logger back in the 60's and his was a rowdy tough crew. My dad always said if you're going to accept a man's money you better be willing to "ride for the brand"... in short, be loyal to your employer, represent them accordingly as an ambassador of the company, etc. That stuck with me. I've applied that philosophy for every place I ever worked, (B&L Logging, Minter Creek Timber, the USMC, Boeing Commercial Aerospace, the City of Bremerton, City of Fife, City of Tacoma, RV Associates, etc.)
Another old friend, long since gone, Larry Dershem, once told me, "Who you affiliate with says a lot about who you are"... (by now I was finished with my third thick midget mug of whiskey and was pouring a fourth....)
As I started sipping this mug, the discussion came back around to who I was "affiliating with"... it began with roasts about each of my friends who happened to be sitting around the fire and ended with another discussion about the "FE" brand. What it stands for, who it consists of and what it represents... It's a brand I'll ride for and with... My perception of its "ethos" and "character" is one I can stand with.
How about you? What does it all mean to you? (Now I'll go and fill my thick midget mug again and sit around our virtual campfire and listen to what each of you have to say!)
