It makes "Scents"

    Last week, I was rushing around to get to work. The temps had been rising for a few days and we were expected to reach 50 degrees. As I finally stepped outside to leave, it hit me. A smell you cant really explain but, everyone knows what it is when they make contact with it. It is like nature, river, dirt, almost like you can smell the sunrise. I call it the spring morning smell. I stood there taking it in and immediately was taken back in memory to camping with my family. We would go every year and camp by the riverside. We would stay by the fire, talking and fishing the night away.  When you wake in the morning there is always that smell! Its like the rivers and mother nature put out this sweet aroma that's calm and relaxing. Like I said, "you cant explain it , but everyone knows the smell."  

    It is no secret that some scents can trigger your memories. Some people may be triggered to trout fishing, turkey hunting, mushrooming, or by the spring morning smell. To others, it may not trigger a memory at all. What causes this? According to Psychology Today "The reason for these associations is that the brain’s olfactory bulb is connected to both the amygdala (an emotion center) and to the hippocampus, which is involved in memory. And, because smells serve a survival function (odors can keep us from eating spoiled or poisonous foods), some of these associations are made very quickly, and may even involve a one-time association." 

     The spring morning smell is not the only one that triggers a memory for me. Most of the time on a cold day you can smell the vehicle exhaust fumes after starting them. Nearly every time, I think of the time spent on the river fish gigging. I'm sure it has the do with the exhaust of the generators and vehicles smelling the same but, I can guarantee you that if I smell exhaust fumes, I'm thinking about gigging.  The smell of coffee makes me think of deer season. My Dad was never " the big hunter." We would walk out to this cut electrical high-line and wait for deer to filter through the opening. This tactic worked but what I remember most is Dad pouring that coffee from his thermos. The steam would roll when the hot coffee touched the frigid air. The smell of coffee would hit you in the face like a ton of bricks , but that's how he hunted. He was refilling his cup when I harvested my first deer!

    What takes you back. What smell(s) do you associate with a memory from the outdoors? Thanks for reading my blog post today. I thought it would tie right in with Throw-back-Thursdays. I hope it takes you back to some wonderful memories.

                                        

                                                                                             -Justin Sapp-