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.