Record Keeping and Upcoming Trapping Camp

Record keeping.

I have for a lot of years kept a small notebook and writing instrument in my shirt pocket. It is handy to have for jotting notes and numbers from time to time. I prefer one with a sewn binding. The little spiral wire bound ones do not hold up and tend to lose pages. Waterproof versions are available though they cost a good bit more.

Sure. That little notebook in my pocket is old school. Smart technology has fairly well replaced it. Smart technology is great but it has a way of letting you down deep in the woods when the battery runs out of juice.

A small notebook and something to scribble with, in my mind anyway, should be part of our kit … whether it is carried in a shirt pocket or in a pack. Mental notes have a tendency, even on a good day, to get lost in the barrage of mental notes that pile up. On a bad day … in unfamiliar territory … when health and safety depend on remembering a particular rock or tree or bush … it is wise to have some things mapped on paper.

One of the things that I mentioned to the guys on our early winter adventure on the Conecuh trail was the importance of journaling … keeping a written record of their experiences that they can look back on as a means to chart their progress and personal growth. Having a designated woodcraft journal also provides a place to jot down questions that arise and answers to those questions that are discovered by either asking someone or taking the time to research a discovery.

I also mentioned to the guys that I would be providing them with some questions to answer as a starting point in their journals. Write the question. Think about the question. Answer the question.

These are questions that I will be asking again around our evening fire at our trapping camp that is coming up.

1.    What was the most enjoyable thing you experienced in your wilderness experience on the Conecuh Trail?

2.    Why was it the most enjoyable?

3.    What was the most difficult thing about your wilderness experience?

4.    Why was it the most difficult?

5.    What can you do between now and the Late Winter Camp to be more prepared?

Our trapping camp is scheduled for January 3-4 provided winter rains do not flood the bottoms making it impossible to hike in.

Kits are definitely required. Dress appropriately for the weather conditions.

Individual students will be responsible for building their own cook fires and preparing their own supper and breakfast.

We will hike in from Jude’s.

Schedule:

Saturday

Hike in promptly at 12:00

Establish an overnight camp

Set traps

Cook fires and supper prep

Evening campfire and group discussion

Sunday

Breakfast fires and breakfast

Run the traps

Deal with the catch

Pack and hike out