A traditional past time for many men in my family is to go
elk hunting and has been for over 35 years. After a 4 year hiatus due to school
and travelling I was finally able to make it out with my dad, brother and a few
of my uncles this past fall. Within an hour of pulling up to camp I was already
in the forest for the afternoon hunt excited to trade the hustle and bustle of
Portland for the sound of being alone in the woods. In my excitement I made the
mistake of checking my compass infrequently as I passed through the thick
vegetation and subtle changes in elevation. As it reached 5:30PM and the sun
sunk quickly I pulled out my compass and looked for the direction back to the
truck. I stared in disbelief at the direction of the compass and went a
different direction I “knew” was right. What should have been a 20 minute hike
out turned into a very long, dark, cold and wet hour as I eventually fell out
onto a different road. Anyone who has felt lost in the woods as the sun sets
knows it is not a great feeling and they typically know what I should have:
trust your compass!
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| Family Farm |
Direction in life is very important and we each have a
figurative compass that helps us know where we should be heading; whether we
follow it, or not is a different story. One of my uncles during that hunting
trip who reminded me of the importance of trusting your compass is Jerry Etzel.
The oldest child of my grandparents Ted and Corrine Etzel, Jerry found himself
running the family farm shortly after graduating with his Bachelor’s Degree in
Agriculture from Oregon State University. Now some readers know what I mean
when I say the “family farm”, but for those that do not, it is safe to say it
has been the family rally point for countless Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays,
Easter egg hunts, summer jobs and a great place to B.S. Realizing Jerry took
over this responsibility in his 20’s I asked him why he did it and he simply said
“nobody stepped forward to do it so I did”. Jerry does not pretend to be
someone else, he knows who he is and his authenticity comes out the more you
get to know him. Is he perfect? Five minutes talking with one of his siblings
will give you an answer to that, but he is hard working and his sense of
responsibility has always given him a true north.
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| Jerry second from the right along with some "Ringtail Raiders" 2017 |
In my grade school years I would spend summers with Jerry
picking strawberries at 7AM in the morning and getting pulled away from Cartoon
Network to go move irrigation pipe. At the time I often hated it I must admit,
but I am better for the work ethic Jerry taught me. During my interview I kept
asking Jerry about his “work” on the farm and he had to correct me a few times
that “it’s not work, it’s just something that needs to be done and it’s more of
a lifestyle than work”. While Jerry enjoys farming including the fact each day
brings a new challenge (“I love there is no monotony”) it is not for the faint
of heart. There is no such thing as an 8-5 work day with weekends off and there
are constantly changes in technology, business markets and weather that a
farmer needs to plan around. “The thing about farming is you may put a lot of
work in early on, but you do not see the reward until the end of the season”.
When we need to trust our inner compass the most is when we cannot see the end
destination. This can be a challenge and is also a reason to keep standards
high even when one does not see the positive results of doing so immediately.
I feel Jerry has raised his standards by maintaining a
treasured piece of our family history while enduring the up and down challenges
of farming in the modern era. When asked what keeps others from raising their
standards Jerry mentions “people need to be challenged more often…it’s okay if
you fail when you push yourself, but if you never challenge yourself you will
never know where your limit is and you will never grow…a big part of this is
how people are raised and who influences them”. Jerry challenges me that I am
sure of because I know we do not see eye to eye on everything and that is okay
because his influence helps me calibrate my direction in life. So whether it be
forcing me to shut off Dragon Ball Z to lug a piece of aluminum when I was a
kid, or discussing the current presidential race I am glad Jerry has influenced
me and helped my compass keep its bearing.
Moment from Elk Hunting October 2016
Jerry: “Now when you
head south you will want to go straight downhill, but you actually have to
angle to the left a little bit to really go south”
Miles: “Okay, I got it…I
will look at my compass more often than I did Saturday” J
Jerry: “Remember,
trust your compass”
Fun Questions- With Thanksgiving coming up what is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
- “Turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie with whip cream”
- What do you do to relax?
- “I like to turn the light off at night with the door open and listen to all the sounds at night. If you listen you can hear everything including if the water is running, or if it is raining…if it is raining I have less worries because I know the crops are getting irrigated” J
- Who are your role models?
- “My dad Ted and uncle Vince…I think you can tell why”
