The Story of “Ol’ Trusty”
One thing I wear the most on any of my adventures is my nature vest. This one in particular is Ol’ Trusty. It was a gift from my late grandmother and it is very special to me. To tell this story proper we have go back a little bit. It was August of 2014 I was working at an amusement park and I was going through a lot of medical issues with my kidney. When I was born in 1994 it was known I had an enlarged left kidney. Well at the age of 17 (senior year) It began to get pretty bad in terms of the infections I was having and the intense pain. Over time the doctors watched it and on that summer day at the age of 19 I was discharged and sent to the doctor. It was clear I would have to have surgery. 2014 was were my naturalist journey got started for the long haul.
High School set me up for a lifetime of learning but this time of life would spring board me into my naturalist way of life. I was in the Future Farmers of America program; a proud member of the Blue and Gold. I got into entomology with the contests, showed rabbits and did ever class I could. From Intro to Ag, Horticulture, Equine Science, Small Animal Management, Animal Science, and Wildlife Management. I also participated in the Cattle Judging contest in (2010) my Sophomore Year.
From the time of my graduation from James Martin High School I was on the road to the hospital. The intense pains and what not all happened around the ladder part of my Senior year. I had my surgery in 2014 in the fall and I spent six hours under the knife. Not very pleasant. Later that winter my grandmother also bought me my first good camera. I had been getting into photography and has been all around cameras as a child. I spent years playing with cameras. Heck when I was a child I had this small Playskool camera I used to carry about. Little did I know that photography be my thing. I was always dreaming of being a scientist. I would jump from natural sciences though from paleontology to ichthyology, to zoology. I have since settled being an overall naturalist.
So with the camera I began my adventures. However, it was around Christmas of 2016 and I had my heart set on getting a nature vest (fishing vest) but one I could use and wear when I was on the trail. So it came to be. It was first a birding vest. I still wear the vest to this day; yet, there is still more to the story. As I would travel I got the idea of acquiring patches to add on to it. It became a way to engage with others, inspire travel, and to strike up conversation. I have been collecting patches ever since and have been working on a new vest; yet this one the first one is by far the most special.
My grandmother passed away in August of 2018 and I wear this one the most for its like having her still with me on my adventures. It has become part of my naturalist uniform. It is one of my favorite pieces to wear on my vacations. It has been on all of my biggest adventures from 2016 to today. In the last ten years I have taken many trips to the coast to explore the birds feeding at the coast during their winter migration, explored Rocky Mountain National Park, photographing the Arizona desert, exploring the deep caves of Missouri and Kentucky. It is my trusted carrying case for all of my adventures in BioBlitzes and intensive nature study outings. She is a trusty ol’ gal and that is why I name my vest ol’ trusty. I wear it proudly and it always feels like warm hug from my grandmother.
Nature vests make great carriers for photography items like filters (in cases of course), maps, brochures, and many other things. For me this is an essential item to wear when on my hikes. I am constantly wearing mine as both a fashion statement, conversational piece, and to engage in all of my adventures. I hardly ever leave home without it. It is part of my identity as a naturalist and some people easily recognize me in it. It is a way to standout and be myself. Being prepared is a huge thing for me. No matter the adventure there are somethings you never should leave home with out.
She is showing her age a bit and has some rips and tears. However, I still go on many adventures with her. Ol’ Trusty is always up for a good adventure and we go on some rip-snorting wildlife explorations for sure. Through swamps, brush country, prairies, mountains, tundra, deserts. A naturalist needs a good fit to match the adventure. Be it winter, spring, summer or fall. I always wear my vest no matter what season it is. It is always good to layer up and to wear functional things when out on the trail. You never know when you’ll need it.
“Ol trusty” and I on the bank of the Trinity River circa 2017. Here I am holding a large fungus I had found. My mother taking the image as we hiked along.
“The Stinky little Friend”
River Legacy’s Earth Day Celebration: of course you have to have a good animal encounter in your favorite Naturalist “fit” If this vest could talk I am sure that the perfume of this Ferret wouldn’t agree with her. No sir! I do not mind ferret though; I think the smell just adds to their charm. I love Ferrets, they are fun, smelly and Boy are they playful.
“The Robber’s Perch”
This Giant Prairie Robber Fly (Microstylum morosum) landed on me last year during the Summer Nature Camps. I was helping the teacher I was volunteering with check for Copperheads. Ms. Ellen the teacher I often work with was looking down and I was and I felt this “SMACK” and I look down and I happen to see this big fella on my shoulder. I tried to get her attention. Whispering; she was thinking I saw a Copperhead. However, she soon saw what was on “Ol Trusty” and took this photo. I think this is better than a pirate’s parrot on the shoulder. I will take a bug on the shoulder any day.
Be it hard work or at play “Ol Trusty” this there for me when I need her. Sure this maybe an old vest but she’s a good vest and has been in it for the long haul with all of my other tools. My vest is essential as it holds many of the things I need from magnifying glasses, test tubes, petri dishes, rocks and fossils I find and even on occasion some of my camera gear. It is vital to have pockets. It can be a gift and a curse. Especially if you forget which pocket you put that item you so desperately need in. I am at times my own glorified Kangaroo. This image was taken during the 2020 BioBlitz during Covid-19. It was a hard time and I never felt so lonely during a BioBlitz. Yet, my family was there for me to help out. However, my grandmother who loved doing these with me was no longer around. It was at this time I knew that “Ol Trusty” still held that memory. I wear this vest all the time even on days when I am not hiking. I often get mistaken for a scout (never was a scout). I just wear it in remembrance of my grandmother but even further as a conversation starter and with all the patches one could put on it; it helps folks make more memories finding new places to go. Some folks will even share their memories of the place I have been and that adds to the sense of community. This is why I call my vest “Ol Trusty” she carries all of my tools and I can rely on her that way, I trust her to bring me peace and comfort, and I trust her to hold the memories that I make and that people share with me.
Another thing about “Ol Trusty” that makes her so special is that she is a trailblazer along for every ride so far. She has seen quite a few things including the infamous and famous. Here we are at the Field Museum; my aunt took this image as we stand next to the Lions of Tsavo which inspired the movie The Ghost and the Darkness which was based on the true story about Col. John Patterson as he was tasked to build a bridge over the River Tsavo but the bridge story took a turn when two mane-less lions began to attack people at the camp. These are the lions that spread all of that chaos. As a museum studies minor and a naturalist this was a pilgrimage for sure. I love the Field Museum and seeing these for the first time in my life blew my mind. I was in the 7th grade when I read an excerpt of this situation in a book on animal attacks. I learned about this and the Shark Attacks of 1916. It lead me to watching movies like Jaws and The Ghost and the Darkness and separate the facts from the fiction.
And of course no trip to the Field Museum in Chicago is complete without seeing her royal majesty Tyrannosaurus Rex Sue. This was a fun trip for sure and brought the little boy out in me something fierce. As a child I grew up going bonkers for dinosaurs. I wanted so much to be a roving paleontologist. As a naturalist in my adult manhood I still love dinosaurs. Never missed a Jurassic Park movie, played the games, read both Michael Crichton novels. I have seen every Jurassic World movie too. I was born in 1994 but I was able to catch all of those movies on the rebound and watched the first one when it came out in 3-D in 2014 before the first Jurassic World hit theaters. As a little kid though my intro to Dinosaurs was documentaries and Don Bluth’s The Land Before Time. 31 years in and I am still a raving dinosaur lunatic among adding all of the bugs, birds and whatever else I can add to that list. I am a jack-of-all-nerd.
Just being next to Sue’s original skull is amazing. The one on the big standing model is not the real skull. If this lady could talk; she’d have a very interesting story to tell. I do often say that bones and rocks do talk. Each one holds clues to how they formed. Where they are from, what time period, what age, and how they died or got worn down. So yes, rocks and fossils do talk; in a manner of perspective of course. Yet, if they had words as they say “straight out of the mouth of babes” then yes the story could be a lot more interesting for sure.
Field Museum, Chicago IL, 2024
