August Woodsmoke Class

The folks that predict the weather said we were likely to get some showers overnight. That would really dampen things for our class Saturday morning. I thought about throwing a tarp over the woodpile but decided against it.

My reasoning? Simple.

I may indeed be able to manipulate some things in a relatively controlled environment to make things easier for the class. But that would be cheating them. We do, after all, in real “out there” conditions have to work with Ma Nature on her terms. Sometimes she rains on us. And when she does we have to know how to deal with the dampening that wet conditions factor into the equation. If we do not know how to work with what she gives us … she will flat out beat us.

No overnight rain. The worst we had to deal with was a little dew and that large thriving flock of mosquitoes. Most of the dew had fairly well dried off before class and the smoke from the fire that I started a little early kept most of the mosquitoes hiding in the woods. The fire that I built? One good spark from a SPARKFORCE Mini ferro rod touched off the well prepared tinder nestled beneath the lay.

Proficiency, at anything, takes practice. None of us can become proficient at any skill without personally investing time and energy.

Identifying the basic life-essentials is simple … fire, water, shelter, food … and we have outlined what we need to sustain life. Becoming proficient in effecting and procuring the four essentials takes more involvement than being able to outline them on paper and parrot them back to an instructor.

 A one-spark fire does not just happen. A one-spark fire does not always happen.

Skills demonstration was the focus of our class time. Each student took their turn constructing a rain resistant shelter and a self-sustaining fire using items from their kits. One at a time affords me the opportunity to casually observe, assist, and advise one-on-one at point of individual need. The single largest thing that I needed to work with them on was getting their fire lay in order to achieve a self-sustaining fire … finely processed tinder, small kindling, larger kindling, small fuel, larger fuel.

We went about all of this in a relaxed fashion but I explained afterward that the whole process of constructing a shelter and having a fire going ought to be accomplished in twenty minutes or less. We are not timing things at this point. Another practice or two and we will start keeping a record of their time. Not that we are trying to establish any kind of pecking order or set any speed records. The reason is that real conditions in the wild may indeed insist upon skills proficiency.

I spent a few minutes talking with the guys about what we will be doing over the course of the fall and winter months … that the repetition is designed to make the skills they are learning more of a “first nature” than something they simply know a little something about … that these are all small steps equipping and preparing them for the early winter and late winter three-night trips we have planned this winter.

The three-nighters.

That is where the rubber will really meet the road. Out there … real wilderness … no water faucets … no light switches … no central heat and air … no indoor toilets … no radios, televisions, or computers … no cell service … . It involves a psychological adjustment for folks to make the jump from living civilized to living woodsy.

It was an interesting culinary change.

I have introduced the guys to some new foods cooked over the fire. Caleb pulled some peaches off the tree and made peach-kabobs. Yep. That was interesting.