Sometimes It's the Little Things

   As they say, sometimes it's the little things. I think what draws me to the wilderness, and for that matter what draws us all out into the bush, is the wonder of it all. Having that sense of wonder and curiousity has always been a driving force with me. I just have to know what's changing out there, what's happening to my familiar friends in the woodland. I just have to know about it all... like which trees still stand after the wind storm, or whether the wild turkey are still roosting where I last found them, or whether the mother coyote has had her pups. I just have to know... I have so many questions that need to be answered.

Glacial Drift and the Rocks That Got Left Behind

 

   So I am scouting the landscape in the Minneopa State Park near Mankato, MN when before my eyes there appears this lone boulder just sitting on the forest floor like some massive beast, taking rest in the shade of the day. I could imagine a  large bison, with it's legs folded underneath it, slowly breathing in the cool air, watching the day go by, not caring at all about the threat of coyotes, or wolves or any other carnivorous predator that would come it's way. It seemed in that moment that the boulder was at rest and at peace with itself and where it had come to lay.

On Discovering Signs of Bushcraft

  

   This is an interesting discovery in the wilderness that is the Minneopa State Park in southern Minnesota near the city of Mankato. I have spent many hours and days of "dirt time" in this state park, and on occasion I come across some evidence of someone practicing their bushcraft skills. 

Found this Inspiration in a Poem...

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods;

There is a rapture on the lonely shore;

There is society, where none intrudes.

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more..."

-Lord Byron

I have this poem written in my "Rite in the Rain" notebook that I carry in my backpack and it never fails to inspire me and remind me, why I spend so much time in the wilderness. So as a good tip for the day, be sure to bring a good notebook, preferably one of the waterproof-rainproof kind that you can keep good notes about all your dirt time. I bring along a small pack of colored pencils and make simple drawings of things I observe. With this practice, along with taking digital photos, you gain a more intimate relationship with the wilderness and nature around you. And that is what it is all about.... Happy Exploring.
Rite in the Rain

Welcome to Minnesota Bushcraft

Welcome to Minnesota Bushcraft. The art of bushcraft is about learning the ways to live in harmony with nature and the wilderness. No matter where you are in the world, nature gives us the means to adapt and live in whatever climate and environment we find ourselves. This site is dedicated to discovering those ways by studying both aboriginal and modern techniques of bushcraft and comparing various systems of self-reliance and survival to help you find your own path to the best of Bushcraft.