Modern Outers

Outers.

That is the term that Nessmuk (George W. Sears) used to describe people that go to the woods to escape the din and the humdrum of life in modernity.

His was a very simple approach … one that went against the grain of the modern outers of his day.

It was a modernity where the popular trend was to haul a wagon load of gear into the woods only to have to haul it out after the trip. Newcomers to outing would usually rely on an outfitter to construct a package of gear and supplies to last for a designated period of time. Quite a few outers employed an outfitter-guide and cook to go along to do the setting up and camp chores. Going to the woods for a “vacation” was an expensive venture.

Nessmuk cut a different trail.

He, rather than hauling everything he could into the woods, rediscovered how to get along comfortably with the least he could take with him … conveyed not with wagons and boats but in a simple ruck on his back. Even his preference in canoes changed. No more large cargo hauler but something light and just big enough to safely float him and his minimal gear.

Sears is fairly well credited with being the spark that started the ultralight camping movement. A lot of what is happening in the modern woodcraft/bushcraft community is built upon the spark created by the writings and outings of Nessmuk.

We go it as simple as possible. 

We go it as light as possible. 

We go it as smart as possible. 

Our gear is generally made of more modern materials. We have made a few adjustments to the ideals. But the simplicity is similar. If Ole Nessmuk crawled out of his grave and stumbled upon one of our camps he would see the familiarity and feel right at home.

Survival has become the big word these days.

Survival … knowing how to survive in difficult and dire situations … is important. I do not downplay it at all. We live in such a dumbed down time that the vast majority of people have no clue how to survive if their lives absolutely depended upon their knowledge and skills. I am of the opinion that the vast majority of modernites are victims held captive by the glass, concrete, asphalt, goods, and services that surround them. Conveniences, entertainments, peer pressure, schedules, and advertisements have modern society in their grips. Breaking those chains and getting free of those grips is no easy thing to do.

I do not consider myself a survival instructor. The skills that I teach do naturally transfer into the survival category. I prefer, rather, to consider myself a teacher of practical common sense outdoor life-skills that possess the capability of doing a lot more than just keeping your fanny alive in a dire situation. These are life-skills that are ideally employed every day as lifestyle rather than an in-the-event life raft.

These are life-skills that assist people in transitioning away from seeing the natural world as something to SURVIVE and toward seeing that same natural world as something to ENJOY with all its diversity and challenges!

The outdoors is a vast and diverse world.

Seasons change creating different conditions to reckon with. Weather patterns within the seasons change creating different conditions to reckon with. Each change presents opportunities. Each change presents challenges. Here, on the Coastal Plain of lower Alabama, these changes … especially where precipitation and temperature changes are concerned … happen rapidly and frequently. Being prepared and knowing how to deal with the changes, opportunities, and challenges is part of the learning curve.

My primary role during our Winter Skills Camp was that of observer. I wanted to simply watch these guys perform their skills and only intervene where there was a safety issue and lend assistance only where absolutely necessary.

I was also on a personal mission.

Part of it was to do a minimal fire cold weather camp all weekend. I hung back away from campfires utilizing my layered clothing and sleep system to maintain my 98.6 and kindled a fire Saturday morning only long enough to heat a canteen cup of water for coffee. Rather than building a fire Sunday morning I borrowed some heat from another fire to heat my water. Although it wasn’t something stated to the group it was to model the reality that a huge blazing fire is not necessary when attention is given to adequate cold weather clothing … our worn shelter.

Part of the mission was to test the efficiency of the calorie dense bannock that I brought with me. It served me well but I’ll admit that I was beginning to crave some protein by midday Sunday.

I was also testing out the Roycroft pack frame and pack sack … something that I was highly impressed with. The simple thing carries a load well. It’s a bit of an adjustment getting used to the idea that I don’t have those side pockets to easily access certain items that I frequently use but it is an adjustment that I can also easily accustom myself to. Having used the thing on this trip I seriously doubt I’ll ever buy another modern pack.

Listening to the owls hooting at night.

Listening to the yipping of the coyotes.

Listening to the transitional sounds when the day critters grow silent and the night critters begin their songs. Then the morning transition when the opposite occurs.

Laying there under my shelter looking up at the 

stars that filled the sky.

Sitting there before daylight listening to the music of nature, observing the false dawn, watching daybreak as the Eastern horizon brightened with color.

Survival?

No.

That wasn’t survival.

That was SHEER PLEASURE!

Calorie Dense Bannock

One of the things I wanted to avoid on our Winter Skills Camp was spending a lot of time preparing food.

So a little thinking and preparation in advance was in order.

What I wanted to come up with was a calorie dense food that would

1) Supply quick energy from simple carbohydrates

and

2) Longer burning energy from complex carbohydrates.

So into the kitchen I go to throw some ingredients together.

I baked 3 small loaves during the day Thursday using a small (6 inch) enameled steel skillet.

Here's the mix ...

1/4 cup plain white flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 packet instant oatmeal (maple and brown sugar)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 cup raisins

Enough milk to make it a good (slightly on the wet side) dough

Bake at 375 degrees until done.

(About 30-35 minutes)

We were surprised when we tallied up the calorie count. One small loaf contains something to the tune of 770 calories.

Other than 180 calories from the 2 packets of hot chocolate that I had Saturday night, this bread was my sole source of sustenance from Saturday morning until we returned to base camp late Sunday morning.

How did the idea work out considering the cool temperatures and amount of physical exertion?

Exceptionally well. Not just in the taste department.

At no time during the day Saturday, overnight on Gazebo Hill, or Sunday morning and the return hike did I experience any noticeable loss of physical energy.

Having done this initial experimentation ... the next batch will be adjusted to include protein. Either from nuts or eggs. 

All of the dry ingredients (and a measure of powdered milk) can be mixed in advance, packed along, mixed with a little water and baked next to some hot coals.

Crafting A Pack Sack For The Roycroft Pack Frame

The idea occurred to me the first time I wrapped my gear in the blanket and lashed it to the frame.

Why not hand stitch a pack sack to take the place of the blanket wrap?

It seemed like a good idea. Mainly the thought that it might be possible to access items from the pack without having to unlash and unfold the blanket … items that I regularly use from my kit … items like my fire making and cooking kits.

Also, a cotton duck pack sack offers itself to waterproofing a lot more readily than a wool blanket. Rain is a frequent visitor to the coastal plain so some waterproofing might be a good idea.

That wool blanket used to hold my kit is a handy item to have along when the mercury drops in the cold zone … a nice addition to my bedroll made from 2 wool blankets. 

Realistically though, in the event of honestly cold weather use, one of those fiberfill mummy bags that we have would be lighter to carry. Slipped inside my wool bedroll it would also be protected from errant sparks and embers that would otherwise burn holes in it.

I measured the bundle lashed onto the frame and made a few mental adjustments to the dimensions. 22 inches wide. 24 inches tall. 12 inches deep.  Hit the numbers on the calculator. Somewhere around 6,300 square inches. The finished size of the sack isn’t quite those dimensions. I tried to eyeball calibrate 3/8ths of an inch on the hems. The volume loss isn’t a lot. For practical purposes I’ll just estimate it at 6,000 cubic inches. That’s a lot of interior space and the toggles allow me to lash more on the outside if I’m willing to carry the extra weight.

Dimensions of the panels …

Bottom … 12” x 22”

Front … 22” x 24”

Sides (2) … 12” x 24”

Back … 22” x 48”

I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to assemble the panels. Whatever suits your fancy.

Another thing.

These dimensions suit me, my height, and the size of my kit.

You might be taller. You might be shorter. You might be wider across the rear.

The pack frame that you build is measured to suit your height and stature. (See my previous blog on crafting the frame.)

I attached the front panel to the bottom first. Then I attached the two side panels. The back was then attached. I used a whip stitch for all the hemming thinking it would be the strongest and would not allow for any unraveling. The whip stitch made a nice rolled hem. The entire thing was sewn inside out then turned inside in.

I can’t swear to what kind of braided thread it is. It’s either polyester or nylon. It’s something that we have a big spool of and it’s tough as all get out. With it doubled like it is you can’t pull on it hard enough to break it. You’ll gash your fingers before you’ll break the thread.

I roped the flap and top of the sack rather than hemming them. I wanted these edges to have some rigidity yet still be flexible. That was a little time consuming but I was pleased with the outcome. I used ¼ inch grass rope on the top of the sack. Once that was done I thought 3/8" would be better and used 3/8” grass rope on the flap. The 3/8 is better but, due to the time involved to replace it, I’ll leave the 1/4” roping on the top of the sack. 

I don’t think there is anything magical about the grass rope. It’s what I had laying around so why not use it?

Waterproofing?

Haven’t done it yet. I’m still thinking about how I want to go about that. Something old-timey? Or just get a can of quick drying spray from the sporting goods section? Either way will create some odor that I want to avoid right now considering I’ll be using this rig this coming weekend. It’s supposed to be a dry weekend so I’m not going to worry much about waterproofing before the trip.

The idea of being able to access items without unlashing didn’t pan out. I can live with that. At least with the sack all I’m dealing with is the flap rather than unfolding all the sides then refolding them to lash things secure.

Everything that I normally carried in my military surplus pack fits inside the sack with plenty of room to spare. I’ve taken the pack rig on two mile long hikes to see how it carries and how well it handles its 34 pounds of contents. The trip coming up next weekend will be a good trial run. Part of the weekend involves a two mile hike and overnight.

Initially though, based on these couple of one milers that I’ve taken it on, I have a difficult time imagining me ever dropping the cash to buy another pack.

The sticks were free. Cordage for lashing I had. The cost of the cotton duck? 1.75 yards @ $4.99 a yard and there’s enough left over to make several poke sacks.

Crafting A Pack Frame

It was something that I had not noticed.

We were out on a camping trip recently. A friend pointed it out to me. And, sooner than later, it is going to let me down.

I’ve carried that old external frame military surplus pack for several years now. It’s been a good one and still is. An external frame supposedly allows you to remove the pack in order to convey items other than what is held inside the pack itself. I’m not so sure I would want to do that with this particular pack. It looks a little complicated.

I like the 5 small outside pockets that allow me to categorize contents into designated compartments that allow me to easily access them. It has a main compartment as well as a bottom compartment. The problem is that one of the shoulder straps is about to give out. 

Machine sewn stitching. Time. Wear. Could be that the next trip will cause it to give way and there I am having to perform some jury rig repair in the woods.

So the situation got me to thinking.

A large part, at least it is supposed to be a large part, of woodcraft is about making … crafting … the items you need.

It may not, for most of us, be practical crafting all the items in our kits. A hank of paracord and tarred bank line will always trump anything that we can braid from natural materials. A bought compass is far more useful than a magnetized needle floating on a leaf. A tarp is a lot more versatile than a pile of debris. And so on with items we are accustomed to using on a regular basis. Not that we can’t improvise and get along without these purchased items via the practice of primitive skills. Doing so, however, takes most of us well beyond our rehearsed skills levels.

But what about the pack itself?

I’ve known about the 3-stick Roycroft pack frame for a long time. People that make them and use them think they are great. Mors Kochanski swears by them. The idea that Mr. Kochanski prefers them over bought packs is a lot of reason to consider the 3 stick design.

I figured what the heck. With some time on my hands, and a shoulder strap about to blow, why not just get into it. Give it a go. And use only tools that I would normally have with me in the woods … a folding saw, a knife, and an awl. I used the awl on my Swisse for the center hole on the first toggle then sped up the process on the other 7 with a brace and bit. I fudged a little. Truth is, though, that the center holes in the toggles aren’t necessary. I think the idea of the toggle being held on by a knot in the end of the paracord is simpler and more lasting than tying the paracord around the toggle. Rather than compromising the strength of the side sticks by drilling holes in them, I tied the toggle cords to the side sticks.

3 sticks. The bottom stick should be as long as from the bend of your elbow to the tips of your fingers. The 2 side sticks from your armpit to your fingertips. These lengths tailor the frame to any individual stature … child, adult, tall, or short.

The diameter of the sticks? Large enough to have some strength and small enough to be light. Although not necessary, I notched my bottom stick to make for a better lashed joint.

I used #18 tarred bank line for lashings. #36 is substantially stronger but for this project the #18 is amply strong. Any good strong cordage will work. Otzi and other primitives likely used rawhide or some other natural material. I like the tarred line. The stuff isn’t subject to slippage when you pull it tight and makes for some bodacious lashing.

I’ve not seen it on frames. Not that others haven’t done it. There’s not many original ideas floating around. I thought it a good idea to add some webbing to the frame to insure that a lighter and narrower bundle wouldn’t slip between the sides … whether that bundle is a lighter camping load or a sack of boned out deer meat from deep enough in the woods to make dragging a deer a terrible chore.

Adding the shoulder straps is a simple thing. One length of 2” nylon webbing looped over the top and tied to the bottom stick. I heated the ends to keep them from unraveling. One side is tied close with a short tag end. The other has a longer tag end to allow tightening or loosening depending upon the season and thickness of my clothing.

Everything that I normally carry in what I refer to as my “mainframe” is wrapped in a bundle and lashed onto the pack frame. I borrowed this wool blanket from our collection but will replace it with an old olive green wool one that doesn’t attract so much visual attention. The dry weight of the kit is 34 pounds. Several pounds of that weight is wool blankets. 2 that form my bedroll. 1 that holds my kit.

How does it carry?

I shouldered it and walked around the yard a bit. I was honestly surprised by how easy it carries. The long flat bundle riding close to the body has no tendency to make you lean forward to carry the load. The only flaw that I discover in the design is that accessing the contents of the kit requires unlashing and unfolding then refolding and relashing to continue on. I’m kind of spoiled on all those extra pockets on my surplus pack.

Not that this is a major hardship. It’s just different and something to grow accustomed to.

I am toying with the idea to use some tight weave canvas or denim and hand stitch a pack sack with a top flap, waterproof it, and use it instead of the blanket wrap. I think the sack would allow more convenience in accessing items that are often used regularly along the way and generally packed in the top of my pack.

For now, though, what we have is a good usable means to carry my essential gear.

Monetary expenditure?

Only for the 10 yard roll of webbing. About 10 bucks. 

Everything else was free from the woods or already laying around.

Now? Get this thing to the woods for a trial run. I'll have more on that at a later date.

Note: Sorry about the fuzzy last picture.

Woodsmoke Woodcraft Camp 11-14-15

I felt it within a mile after getting on I-65. Not a lot of it. A little of it.

It really kicked in after I had made the exit onto Highway 21. Seemed like it took forever to make that turn. Traffic on 21 wasn’t real heavy. It was just heavy enough that the semi hauling fuel in front of me had to wait a while to make the turn to the North. It started kicking in real good as I climbed that first hill. Once the hill was topped, and I was headed down the other side, I let out a long breath and it felt like a heavy load was lifted off of me.

Ten more minutes up the road and I would be pulling through the gate.

Little River State Park is one of our favorite places to get away to. It has been from the first time we camped there those years ago. Even more so now that Iron Men Ministries has taken over management of the park.

You don’t go there if you are looking for water slides, scooter rentals, seafood restaurants, bars on the beach, or a host of other entertainments. You go there to be close to the woods. You go there to be surrounded by the woods. You go there to hear the sounds of the woods, see the sights of the woods, and smell the smell of the woods. You go there to escape the grinding humdrum and noise of life lived on asphalt and concrete. 

You go there so your soul can breathe.

I personally consider the place to be one of the best kept secrets in Southwest Alabama. This place and one other. Both with lake views and ample primitive camp sites.

It’s one of those things.

You either have it or you don’t. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that it either has you or it doesn’t have you. Me and Shirli? It has us really good. Incurably good. It is a good thing that this incurable thing is not fatal. To the contrary. It gives life to those willing to yield to its subtle wooing.

This is the side of woodcraft-bushcraft that cannot be taught. Skills can be taught to those willing to learn. 

Not this. 

It is something that catches us and moves us beyond ourselves … beyond the normalcy of our modern day conveniences, dependencies, and subdue the natural world way of thinking … and into a more natural relationship with nature. It’s a relationship where we see ourselves as a part of and not apart from the natural surroundings. It’s something that heightens our awareness concerning our role as hunter-gatherers. It is also something that, when rightly perceived, heightens our awareness concerning our responsibility to respect and protect the various life sustaining elements of our natural surroundings.

For a while there, while I was setting up, I was entertained by the chatter of a Pileated Woodpecker a few hundred yards away. Noisy birds. Noisy when they are chattering. Noisy when they are pecking. And quite humorous to watch when they are pecking on wood. Especially when they know you are watching them. They’ll pound away for a while then stop and look at you. They’ll look at you, look around, then they’ll go back to their business of sending wood chips flying. And they repeat this process over and over. I always find it amusing to watch.

It’s a rare thing to not see various forms of wildlife in the camping area or to hear them very close. Raccoons exploring your camp at night. Deer walking across the campground despite camps and smoky fires. Rabbits hopping along the woods line. Coyotes yipping. Squirrels barking and scurrying about.

I did not have a scheduled teaching program this weekend. This was more of a let’s just go camping event. Camp any way you want with any gear you want. No schedule. No agenda. Just camp and have fun. Funny thing about that is that you don’t have to have a program for learning to occur. Even in this particular setting there were numerous questions raised. There were numerous opportunities to explain or to show.

It also gave me ample time to simply listen to and watch these young guys as they transitioned into their woods mode. Whittling notches in sticks … practicing primitive fire-making skills … searching for bait beneath bark and under logs … building brush shelters …  going for walks … and generally poking around in the woods exploring. Something real … something vital … is taking place when people, regardless of their age bracket, are comfortable on their own without artificial entertainments.

Sometimes the best teaching is accomplished through personal example. Sometimes?

It was a very gratifying weekend of camping. Not a drop of rain. Pleasant during the day. Cold enough at night to keep folks huddled up close around the fire. It was a lot more than being “out there”.  This is a great group of people that are always a pleasure to spend time with. Campfires and conversations. Real comradery. A kindred family that is closer than blood kin. 

The combination makes for a weekend that lasts long after the tents are down and the fire has been doused.

Long Term Practical Self Reliance

There is no possible way to address the myriad facets that are contained in this subject in a brief article or in a series of brief articles. I admit that up front. The subject matter is entirely too vast. I will also admit that I make no boastful claim to being an authority on the subject. I will admit that I have a lot of years of experience where the subject matter is concerned.

I will also admit that my experience is in the realm of the common man … that realm where available cash is not flowing abundantly and time is spent in a gallant attempt to manage the constant demands and dictates of life. It is the realm where fame and fortune do not exist and likely never will. This, I believe, is the realm where most of us live, move, and have our being.

The realm of the common man is not a bad realm to be in. It has its challenges. I consider that these challenges are all the more reason for the commoner to take the necessary steps involved in becoming as self-reliant as possible. Every step taken … every challenge overcome … is one more step away from dependency upon others and fickle systems that delude us into thinking that we can’t take care of ourselves.

Systems exist because we allow them their existence by subserviently supporting them and playing by their rules. We will never be able to totally divorce ourselves from the systems.  However, the more self-reliant we become the better able we are to dance with these systems without winding up intoxicated, seduced, and in bed with them.

Self-reliance does not involve the investment of a fortune. It is not free either. There is an investment of hard earned financial resources. There is a generous investment of precious time. Becoming self-reliant involves a lot of prioritizing. It involves a great deal of redirecting our attention and energies. Sacrifice? That is a perspective thing. I do not consider it to be so. Some may.

What I have noticed over the years is that the less I play by the rules of the various systems … the less I fit into the greater scheme of things and the smaller my circle of close relationships grows. Subservient system folks don’t understand this life. There is no kindred ground to stand upon. They question. There is the drawing back and silent rejection. That stuff kind of hurt my feelings at one time but I grew quite comfortable being an odd duck quacking differently than the large flock on the pond.

It is one thing to prepare for some kind of short-term disaster that takes the power out for a few days or a few weeks. It takes some consideration and planning but it is easily doable. Same thing with putting together a bug-out or get-home bag. We discover a horse of a different color when we start talking about a long-term situation involving months or possibly years. A lot of people consider the idea laughable.

Me?

I reside at the other end of the measuring stick and do so without apology. I make no apology in saying that people are foolish to not have a few months of food stored. There’s a lot of things that people can get along without. Food is not one of them. 50 pounds of rice, 50 pounds of beans, and 10 pounds of salt can be procured at Walmart for close to a Benjamin. That’s a lot of basic sustenance for a small investment.

Another is water. Large containers of water are bulky and weigh a lot. A means to collect and process water to make it potable is a really good idea. That’s one reason I’ve been reluctant to get rid of that aluminum boat out by the shed. It sits there on “stand-by.” A poly tarp (or piece of plastic) hung on some sticks will fill it with rain water in a matter of a few minutes.

Over the course of the next several articles we’ll touch on some important areas associated with long term self reliance. The subject matter, based upon my own garnered perspective, will briefly address the subjects of tools, skills, knowledge, and experience. 

Thoughts on Woodcraft Mentoring

I am thinking back over these 18 months of doing this mentoring program and keying thoughts into the memory of this computer that will find their place out there in public view here on the WWS blog. 

An integral part of the thinking and keying is the process of processing … thinking through things … evaluating … not only evaluating the progress of these young guys in their woodcraft journeys … but … reflecting on my own progress in my own journey and evaluating my effectiveness as a mentor, teacher, and guide.

18 months.

A year and a half.

One Saturday morning each month.

Around 3 hours each month.

Let’s round it off and call it 60 hours.

60 hours.

Where a time-perspective is concerned … what we have is both a good bit of time and hardly any time at all. 60 hours. What we really have in this measure of time, in the big scheme of things, is honestly a miniscule increment.

One of the courses of thought meandering through the tangle in my mind concerns how the popular shows on television have a tendency to glamorize and romanticize this realm or dimension of outdoors doings. I think these shows have a positive effect in that they generate interest at all age levels. Interest in the natural surroundings provided by personally getting outdoors, especially outdoors away from established parks and off the well-worn paths, is a good thing.

There’s a world of wonder to wander out there that most have never experienced … a world that most will never experience.

The downside to these shows is that they are weighted heavily on the side of survival. They are weighted heavily on the side of enduring the adversities that Ma Nature can and will present. Not that enduring and surviving are unimportant. They are essential if you want to stay alive in a bad situation. A well-rounded repertoire of tuned survival skills ought to be a definite cache safeguarded by every individual.

Another downside to these shows is that their producers are bent on finding the most remote, dire, difficult, and hostile environments to film the shows … places where ordinary everyday folks will never wander … places that appear to be selected (at least to me) to destine failure in the efforts of the survival candidates. The shows make for good entertainment. I think though that a lot of people in contemporary society take a look at the shows on TV and instantly conclude that they will never be “there”. True enough but it’s a conclusion that leads to inactivity in other important areas of personal preparation and preparedness.

Developing skills and acquiring knowledge is a pursuit that takes time and effort.

I enjoy doing weekend courses. A lot can be told and shown in a weekend “crash” course. There’s a lot of value in these courses. Doing the short courses always leaves me wondering though.

A lot can be shown and told in a weekend. But just how much can be honestly caught in a weekend? How much of what is told and shown over those pitifully few hours simply fades away and falls to the wayside in the first moments and days that follow the crash course? How much time is invested afterward by the course participants practicing skills, enlarging their base of outdoor knowledge, and perfecting their woodcraft? These are questions that I am unable to answer.

A crash course is better than no course. It is, however, a beginning place rather than an ending place. The real work comes afterward where individuals have to allocate time to get some dirt and smut on their hands and on their clothes. Without the allocation of time and effort, something that involves working outdoors in the array of conditions and circumstances offered by nature, owning skills is not possible.

It takes work. It takes practice. It takes commitment.

Mentoring these young guys provides an entirely different educational environment … one far removed from a crash course. It provides an arena that we enter together on a regular schedule that allows me the opportunity to observe growth on an individual basis. It allows me privileged bites of time to study individual strengths and weaknesses. It is an arena where I can introduce new things, hone skills already in development, and, all the while, move the guys a little farther along on their woodcraft journey.

Teaching skills … and learning skills … is kind of a mechanical thing that involves showing, telling, and repetition. It’s really not that difficult. It simply takes time, effort, and place. It’s about a lot more than mechanically learning skills and teaching skills though. At least for me it is.

Somewhere, along the way and in the midst, there is the hope that people will discover a transition away from seeing the natural world as something to endure … as something to survive … as something to conquer … and begin discovering it as that world of wonder to wander. 

There is the hope that people will begin developing a love affair with the natural environment and begin understanding, appreciating, courting, and embracing it as a lover.

The thing about this transition is that it is something that cannot be taught. It can be talked about. It can be shown. It is something that can be seen in the lives of those that have entered into the love affair. We really don’t catch it though. Not like we do a butterfly or frog. We discover it surrounding us, touching us, wooing us, drawing us. And we begin yielding ourselves to its embrace.

Woodsmoke Woodcraft School - August Class

To say that I enjoy working with these young folks is a serious understatement.

Do I love it?

Words like enjoy and love fit in there somewhere. But even these two good descriptive words fail to capture the essence of what I experience working with and teaching skills to folks that are interested in and eager to learn some things … whether it is these young guys I’m mentoring or folks that schedule weekend courses. It’s a feeling that is deeper than emotional feelings. It’s something that penetrates deep into the sinew, tendons, and bones. It’s something that sticks with you in a way some fickle and fleeting feel-good emotion can’t.

It is a simple yet complicated matter …. showing, teaching, explaining, demonstrating … sometimes over and over and over … until others are able to effectively and dependably duplicate what you are showing them. In the midst of the showing, teaching, explaining, and demonstrating I am studying the guys.

I am looking at their strengths and weaknesses. Their strong points need to be exercised and affirmed. These are areas they are confident in. It would be doing them an injustice though if we stopped at the level of their gained confidences. At this point I am beginning to push them outside their confidence levels. It is, after all, outside that dimension of confidence where learning takes place.

If we aren’t learning we aren’t growing.

Growth can be a little frustrating but a little frustration is a healthy thing when it has some positive direction and encouragement.

These fire making challenges figure in here.

All of the guys have made fire successfully numerous times over the course of their training. And they have done it successfully without the assistance of matches or Bic’s. Making fire now without using those sources of ignition … with the Lower Coast frequent summer rains, heavy dews, and high humidity levels … is not as easy as it was back in the winter and spring when fire making materials weren’t wet as they are now.

Ma Nature is doing her part in throwing extra curves into the fire making learning curve. That’s a good thing. There are times when you have to make a fire using wet materials and it’s better to practice in an outdoor classroom setting than to discover yourself in a situation having not had the practice.

Practice.

This is one of the key words where outdoor skills are concerned. We practice these skills until we own them. I tell folks that we practice until the skills becomes first nature. Second nature is ok but first nature is better. Second nature is something that you have to think about before you do it. First nature just happens because we know it well enough to own it.

Patience.

This is another key word where learning skills is concerned. It’s easy to get frustrated when things aren’t going the way we think they should or want them to.

This is especially true where being successful with the bow-drill fire making method is concerned. It’s not really complicated. It’s honestly something simple and primitive. Cave men could do it. Young children could do it. In every culture and climate. It’s not complicated but there are a few things that have to be done right  … simultaneously … every time  … in order to dependably produce the desired result … a smoldering pile of charred dust that can be turned into a blazing fire.

The thing that makes friction fire such a valuable skill is that nature provides us with everything we need to accomplish it. It helps to be able to identify natural resources that effectively lend themselves to the process.  Having a knife and some cordage along does make it easier. These are items we are never without if we are everyday carry and kit mentality conscious.

Solar Distillation Experiment

I have experienced “hot” in several different climate zones, an assortment of States, and in three different countries. What I can tell you about “hot” is that hot is hot. It’s just that plain and simple. Right now it is simply vulgar hot here on the lower coast where today, with the effects of humidity factored in, it felt like 103 degrees at 10:30 this morning.

Hot, cold, or in between … all of us have hydration requirements.

On a good normal day men are supposed to intake 3 liters of water. Women (for what reason I do not know) require a little less than 3 liters. Children, depending upon their age and body weight, require varying intake measurements. The more we sweat (either from increased ambient temperature, increased physical activity, or a combination of these) the more we need to increase our intake.

I do not know it for certain but have heard it said numerous times that most of us, on a good normal day, are already mildly dehydrated. This mild state of dehydration is why folks can so quickly develop heat related problems when the mercury rises or life demands a lot of physical exertion.

I’ve known about solar distillation for quite a long time. It’s one of the recommendations that you run across in survival manuals and handbooks. I’ve never tried it though until recently and went about it as an experiment to see if solar distillation was a viable means to collect water for the purpose of hydration in a genuine survival situation.

I dug the hole about 3’ in diameter and about 18” deep in an area that gets full sun all day.

Bear in mind that our soil here is quite wet from all the summer rains we’ve been having.

A stainless steel bowl was placed in the center of the hole.

3.5 mil clear plastic was placed over the hole … the edges of the plastic covered with soil to effectively make things air tight.

A suitable rock was placed in the middle of the plastic to create the necessary cone shape so water condensing on the underside of the plastic would gravitate and drop into the bowl.

All this like the survival manuals and handbooks suggest.

The bowl was in place to collect water at 3:00 in the afternoon and was left undisturbed for 27 hours.

It was definitely a successful experiment in that the solar still distilled water from the earth and deposited it into the collection bowl.

All 6 ounces of it!

6 ounces of something toward the need of a 100 ounce requirement on a good normal day. Up that requirement another 50 or 60 ounces if I am pouring sweat.

6 ounces.

Not nearly enough to stave off the deadly effects of dehydration.

Summation.

1.     The output of a single solar still is not adequate to sustain physical life.

2.     It would take around 17 of these stills to produce the minimum daily requirement for 1 adult.

3.     Solar distillation may, in a short-term situation, wet your dry tongue and throat while you wait for rescue or effect your own self-rescue (if you have a full day to wait while the sun “almost” fills your cup).

4.     This is purely not something that I would want to stake my life on. Not short-term. Most definitely not long-term.

Woodsmoke Woodcraft - July Class

It is Southern hot and humid here on the South Coast in July. 

Afternoon thunderstorms are common. You just expect them to pop up. Everything stays damp from the frequent showers and high humidity. You can almost wring a drink of water out of standing deadwood. We are, after all, contending with a sub-tropical environment here on the lower coast.

Setting up for our monthly class didn’t involve much work. My job was mostly to facilitate … considering today was a timed skills challenge for the guys.

I did need to get a smoky fire going to hold the mosquitoes at bay. I got my fire lay in place and doubled up on the amount of fatwood considering the kindling material was all damp. I pulled some jute twine out of my kit and used it as the initial source to catch a spark from a ferro rod, ignite, and in turn ignite the fatwood shavings and pencil sized pieces placed in the bottom of the fire lay.

It was a good fire … a little slow getting the kindling and fuel burning … but the doubled up fatwood did its job.

There was a couple of important things I needed to go over with the young guys I am mentoring before we started the challenge.

The first was to reiterate the necessity of constantly safeguarding the important contents of their kits.

When you use an item always put it back where it belongs. It’s easy to lose things when we get sloppy. Losing something in a class setting is not a tragedy. It’s easy enough to run to the store or get on the computer and order a replacement. Lose something “out there” days deep in the woods and you have a situation on your hands. Lose something in a genuine survival situation and the situation on your hands become even more serious. Maybe even life threatening serious.

And here is the second thing that I needed to go over with the guys.

These challenges are not competitions where individuals are competing against other individuals to see who is faster or who is better where this skill or that skill is concerned. The only person anyone is competing against is their own self. The objective is not to outdo anyone else. The objective is for individuals to do better at their own skills than they did the time before … to improve their own efficiency and proficiency where these skills are concerned.

No one wins. No one loses. Everyone improves.

I’ve said it several times over the course of these guy’s woodcraft journey …There are no fails. 

There are only opportunities for improvement. I think that’s a pretty good way to go about life in general.

The first challenge was really a simple one … in 10 minutes or less construct your shelter. Piece of cake for the guys. Everyone had their shelters built in less than the allotted time.

The second challenge was a bit more complicated considering the wet conditions.

Build a self-sustaining fire in 20 minutes or less. No bic lighters or matches allowed. Anything else from their kits and from the landscape was fair play. I handed each of the guys a more than adequate sized piece of fatwood and a small piece of dry spruce (items that ought to be in every fire kit in the event dry kindling is not immediately available).

I let this challenge go an additional 5 minutes to insure that everyone got a fire started.

Here’s the thing to remember about using a ferro rod in damp conditions. Be sure you have some dry easily combustible material in your kit to catch a spark and ignite. Sandwich bags make good dry bags for storing dry tinder material like finely processed cedar bark, jute, or anything that will quickly and easily take a spark and ignite. Also, don’t put that dry material on a wet surface or it will act like a sponge and absorb moisture in quite a hurry essentially dowsing your fire before it has a chance to start. Damp material does not easily ignite from a spark from a ferro rod. To improve your success … lay down a layer of green twigs, leaves, or small sticks as a moisture barrier between the wet ground and your dry absorbent material.

The third challenge involved working from memory. I allowed 30 minutes for this challenge. I had already cut some random lengths of usable material and had it ready. The challenge? Construct (1) a peg style snare trigger for use as a trail set, (2) a modified Figure Four snare trigger for use in a baited set, and (3) a snare  from a piece of #36 tarred bank line with a non-loosening snare loop.

I admit that this challenge was a pretty tall order considering the actual amount of time the guys have invested in constructing these and the fact that it’s been a couple months since they worked on their Figure Four’s and several months since they worked on the peg style trigger. It was a good exercise though that made the guys dig into their memory banks. 

We’ll keep digging into those banks.

Rehearsal.

Practice.

Repetition.

Recall.

Again and again and again.

In differing circumstances.

In differing conditions.

That’s how we master any skill. 

That’s how we come to own any skill.

One of the things that I want to be careful of in this mentoring program is to insure that skills being taught are also skills that are being improved upon. Just like the fire making that went on today. The wet conditions and damp materials threw something new into the fire making learning curve that presented some challenges within the challenge. Rehearse and practice the old and add a little something new as we go.

Last month I introduced friction fire using the bow drill. I demonstrated how to use the component parts to produce an ember that went into a tinder bundle that produced fire.

I used an old blade to baton some pieces from the black willow rounds that I had cut from the woods the day before the class and showed the guys how to whittle a round spindle from a square split off piece and how to shape a hearth board. They took those pieces of green wood home with them and brought their seasoned spindles and hearth boards to class today.

Each of the guys got a present today … a wheel from a set of roller blades that I bought at the thrift store. The things make really good bearing blocks considering that free spinning bearing in the center of the wheel that lessens the amount of friction that is normally part of the friction fire process.

How did the guys do with the friction fire?

Let me answer the question this way …. . One got smoke. One got a lot of smoke and was close to getting an ember. One got an ember.

I call that good, good, and good.