Another Go With Natural Tinder In The Cold

   Saturday, February 16th, brought with it a chance for redemption for my friend Sticker and I. On our last outing together, we failed to get fire using natural tinder gathered on site and the temperature was in the single digits.
   We also did not expect the snow and ice conditions that would make our day trip such a hazard. We had experienced a few days of thawing weather so the snow in our area had started melting to slush. Then it thawed even further to form large puddles and rivers of flowing water which began running over all the hiking paths and trails. Then in a manner of hours and overnight, it froze. Finally it had started snowing and we were left with this very hidden danger at every turn and on every trail we encountered. I could not help but think of Paul Simon's song "Slip Slidden' Away". We danced a few times on the ice, but in the end neither of us "biffed" it.
   My friend Sticker gathered some cedar bark for tinder on our way out to the new campsite and we continued to pick our way out alongside the trail, following in the footprints of some rather large deer that had gone before us. They too had discovered the trail was slippery and had chosen a different path.
   We worked on making a split wood fire and practiced good fire prep and enjoyed using our latest knives, Sticker with his BK2 and myself with a Becker BK17. Both were excellent tools and got the job done in fine fashion.
   After laying down our fire base, we got it going with flint and steel and then Sticker worked at melting some snow for a cup of tea. We talked of knife mods and how he really would like a heavy cover from Rob Simpson at the Canteenshop, which has of this writing is still out of stock, be we are hopeful there will be some in stock soon.
   We enjoyed the quiet, listened to the birds and enjoyed the comradery and fellowship that comes with finding a good friend. We also enjoyed the tea and in the end, found our way out of the hazardous icy trails and frozen little ponds that made for such a fun and challenging day.
   Here is the video of that outing and I you enjoy the adventure.

This time I practiced a little more with using two video cameras. This did make for a little longer story to tell, but I think it is entertaining. If anything, it is a record of our adventure and I hope any of you my friends, will excuse the length and that it will make you want to get out and enjoy the weather and a little bushcraft adventure, no matter what the conditions. It is fun to try things and to practice and to make new friends. Until then, Happy Exploring.

Having Some Fun At A New Camp

   There was nothing special about this particular Saturday, as I headed out for the usual 9AM meet-up at the local park. I decided to change things up a bit and strike out for a new camp location, just to be different.
   I was pleasantly surprised at all the bird activity, as the temperature was around 22°F and promised to get a little warmer. There were dozens of chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and cardinals. The cacophony of sounds was a delight to hear.
   As there was a slight breeze bringing me a cold chill, I decided to find a spot that would provide a windbreak and a little shelter. I found it in a stand of three very large cottonwood trees standing side by side. It made for a great wall against the wind.
   After fashioning a place to sit, and erecting a couple poles to act as camera stands and later support for a tarp or two, I set to work to make a batoning station and to get the split-wood made to make a fire.
   I chose to use flint and steel with charred cloth and the fire came easy. Soon it was time to boil some water for tea and I sat and enjoyed the bird calls and the scenery.
   Another purpose I had in my outing was to play with using two video cameras instead of one. I had done this on a previous outing, with my friend Sticker. I am still polishing my technique, but I still have a ways to go in figuring the logic behind starting camera A first than a short time later, starting camera B and then reverse the process to turn off camera B first and then camera A.
   You see how that can get confusing? Especially when you are cold and clumsy and bundled with gloves and mittens and so many things to guard against the cold?
   I did manage to get the video I wanted and even played with a video effect towards the end of the video. I used a "clear circle" matte and reduced the alpha channel of the mask to increase its transparency to create a focus point to draw the viewers eye to the white tail deer in the distance. When you see it, you will know what I mean.
   So here is the video of the adventure and I hope you enjoy watching my "not so special" kind of day out.

   I am hoping to make a lot more of the two camera kind of videos and to just have fun with what I have on hand. So much to learn, so little time. Until next time, Happy Exploring.

A Cold Groundhog Day And A Try At Natural Tinder Again

   As this is my first post for the month of February, I thought it fitting to share some of the success I've had in learning how to deal with natural tinder, found on site, and their use in extreme cold temperatures.
   As posted in my blog of the last adventure we had, my friend Sticker and I wanted to get a fire going with natural tinder, found on site and getting it to ignite to flame using flint and steel. This is a very old method of lighting a fire and with it comes special considerations.
   For one, the ember or spark that you get in the charred cloth is very weak. Nothing like the 5500°F you get with a ferrocerium rod or fire steel. (e.g. the Gobspark). And when you are dealing with temperatures near 4°F, as was the case on that outing, it takes a lot of heat to raise the tinder to the ignition point, which is around 400°F or more.
   The suggestion was made by my friend Pine Martin, on the BushcraftUSA site, that we try pre-warming the tinder by wrapping it up and storing it in an inside pocket. This has the effect of not only warming the tinder by nearly 100°F, but it also helps to dry it out, as any moisture that is frozen and locked up in the tinder fiber, begins to thaw and evaporate and get absorbed by the layers of wrapping.
  So on this outing, with temperatures about -2°F, I decided to gather my tinder early and wrap it up in my bandana and put it in an inside pocket for safe keeping.
   When it came time to light the fire, I carefully prepared all of my kindling and when the time was right, I took out my tinder and worked quickly to get the ember from my charred cloth to ignite the fibers.
   With special care, and a little help by blowing some air continually into the bundle, I was able to get my fire going. The tinder caught the shavings and the shavings caught the split-wood kindling.
   Here is the video of that outing and my success with flint and steel and natural tinder found on-site and with very cold temperatures.

    I hope you enjoyed the video and that you get a chance to try for the cold challenge of using only flint and steel and charred cloth to get a fire going in the very cold temperatures of winter. It is something I will continue to practice.  Until then, Happy Exploring.

On Building Fire With Natural Tinders In Winter

   It had been more then a month, since I saw my friend Sticker. Not since the middle of December 2012, had we had some time to get out for some good ole "dirt time." But on this particular Saturday he showed up and I was glad to seem him. We both needed some good dirt time and a chance to play in the cold and snow.
   We decided to try for lighting the fire using good old flint and steel and natural tinder gathered on site. On our way out to the camp, we didn't even bother to try and harvest any good cedar bark or cottonwood bark or try to find any cattail or thistle or the like. We just kept hiking, until we got to where we wanted to be and than we started looking. It was really part of the experiment I guess. To use natural tinder, found on site, and use it to get fire going with flint and steel.
   But as we were looking, we really came up short. There were only dried grasses. Even the cottonwood inner bark we did find, was "frosty" and when thawed, felt moist to the touch. I even tried the dried grass with a firesteel and it would light, flame for only a short time and then go out. Nothing sustainable. We were up against the 4°F temps and the little bit of moisture that was frozen and locked up in the tinder we tried.
   After much exploring for good tinder and without much success, Sticker gave it a try a few times, until we succumb to using the firesteel and some jute twine and the grasses.
   Here is the video of our great outing and when it was all said and done, we really did have a good time. It was good to see my friend Sticker again and to share the adventure. We are determined to figure out this winter firecraft with flint and steel, as it is a fun puzzle to solve.

   After we got the fire going, the hot cocoa went down good and we replenished our depleted charred cloth reserves to be ready for the next time. It was a great learning experience. I hope you my friends get a chance to get out and enjoy the challenges of winter. Until next time, Happy Exploring.

Improvised A Buck Saw And Saw An Improvised Buck

   This past Saturday started out warm, with the temperature around 34°F, and there was even a warm breeze, so it felt good to get out. Although the forecast said it was going to be getting colder, it was not expected until the afternoon.
   The previous Saturday saw the temperature and wind chills around -8°F. Minnesota is so weird when it comes to weather. Go figure.
   I went to the local state park for a regular meetup of Minnesota BushcraftUSA members and after waiting a half hour or so, I headed out to enjoy some well deserved bush time. It felt so good to get out and to get away from it all. I was determined to try a few fun things.
   I wanted to complete the bucksaw portion of the Intermediate BushclassUSA lesson "Student Practice to Improvise A Bowsaw & Bucksaw". After reviewing the instructor Croatoan's fine video on making the bucksaw on my smart phone, I thought I had it figured out. But it wasn't until I got home, that I found out I also had to split wood with it as well, to complete that part of the lesson for the buck saw.
   Oh well, it was still fun and I will do it again, (and again and again and again).
   After getting the bucksaw improvised, and using it for awhile, I felt inspired to try a couple of projects.
   The first one was to make a flat surface for the cutting station at the camp. I really needed a more stable platform for batoning wood and using the Cold Steel Trail Hawk. That was an easy task with the newly improvised buck saw.
   The second project was inspired by a post on the BushcraftUSA forum site by member Bushtramp, entitled "Bushcrafty Christmas Prank." This was a very interesting project that he undertook to put several bushcrafted fake "deer" out in a field beside his fathers country property. It was very funny and I have dubbed the fake deer "Cervus Bushtrampus" in honor of this famous stunt.
   I decided to fieldcraft a fake deer, just like the ones in Bushtramp's herd.
   I have found that having a few pieces of kit that can be used to improvise tools with, has put a little more "craft" in my bushraft.
   So here is the video of this last Saturday's adventure. It is a little long, because it shows three projects involving a lot of field work, but I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to skip ahead.

 

   The day out and all the dirt time was a lot of fun. It was also nice to not deal with any firecraft or meal prep. As the day grew longer and it started to get colder. The wind chill by 3pm was approaching 0°F.
    I decided to call it a day and head home.
   But I will be returning to make even more "deer" and "woods chairs" and "mallots" and many other things. I hope you can get familiar with a few good improvised tools and put a little more "craft" into your bushcraft. Until next time, Happy Exploring.

Tried A Bowdrill In The Snow

   Yes, sometimes, you just have to give it a try. You get this idea, it seems possible, everything is in place, it all seems just right. Then you go ahead with the plan and WALLA! it fails. Okay, so it was not really a failure. But it felt like it was.
   I've had many a bow drill fire attempt failure in my time and it always leaves me wondering why? For that reason, if I learned anything by it, it is not really a failure, just a different kind of succeeding.
   I will admit that this last Saturday, conditions were not at their best. In fact, the temperature was hovering around 8°F with a wind chill factor bringing it down to -10°F. Needless to say, this was working to quench any creative muse I might of had.
   I so wanted to make a nice video, work at using my new knife, maybe get an ember from the newly made bow drill set made from materials on site, or get a set of curls with the new blade and set them on fire with my gloved hands and my fire steel. But it seemed like everything was working against me.
  Just one day before, it was 37°F and it rained all day on Friday. So I figured that any wood that was exposed to such conditions, if laying even a little sideways, rather then standing straight up, would be a challenge to get to work as a bow drill spindle or hearth board.
  With all the time I have spent recently, practicing firecraft in my little woodlands, I have discovered that if conditions go from rainy to snowy and then to freezing and back again, any wood you find may feel dry in its frozen state, but will be moist or damp or wet once it begins to thaw.
   To attempt a bow drill fire in these conditions demands the driest wood you can find. Spindles made from the deepest parts of the stock and then means batoning to the heartwood of dead standing and thick trees.
   On this day, I did not take the time to find such materials. I will the next time. I am determined to get a bow drill fire going in the snow, but it will be a large challenge knowing the conditions.
   In the end, what made for a good adventure anyway, was the sudden appearance of my friend "Steene", a Minnesota member of BushcraftUSA. He showed up about an hour and a half after the usual meeting time and found me practicing at trying to light some shavings and curls with my firesteel, without taking my gloves off.
   We had time for a short trip and fire and a hot brew and in the end, after the wind chill had gotten the best of us, we called it a day and headed back.
   Here is the video of my Saturday adventure, half of it solo and the other half enjoying it with a good friend.

   I have to say, that after my friend Wade showed up, I started to find my creative muse and I did finally come away with another adventure and a good time. Thanks Wade. Until next time, Happy Exploring.
   

The New Year 2013 And An Improvised Woods Chair

   Well the new year is upon us and I am looking forward to many new adventures in Bushcraft. I had my first outing of the year on Saturday, January 5th, 2013. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining with the promise of warmer weather to come. It was about 10°F and the snow was crunchy under foot. It was difficult to move quietly and even hard sometimes to stand still and make no noise at all.
   Despite the noisy conditions, I did manage to catch a few deer on video and I found a lot of very fresh deer sign and was pleased with the chance at tracking the mega fauna.
   As the day turned out, it ended up being a solo trip after waiting the customary thirty minutes for some of the regular BushcraftUSA Minnesota members to show up for our 9AM Saturday Morning meet-up.
   I know my friend Sticker wanted to make it out, but had some urgent family obligations to attend to. I know he will be anxious soon to join me for another adventure, so maybe I will see him on the next Saturday outing.
   I decided it was time to work on a BushclassUSA elective and since I had been playing quite a bit with my new toy, the one inch scotch-eyed auger, I decided that the "Student Practice to Improvise A Woods Chair" would be my next lesson.
   I have not really focused on any BushclassUSA lessons as of late, because I have been enjoying so much the time I have spent with my new bushcraft friends and helping them to complete their bushclass lessons.
   But, I know I have to get started on things again, as the goal this year is to complete my Intermediate Bushclass Certification.
   So before I go any further with this years plans, here is the video of my first outing of the new year and within that, my completing my "Improvised Woods Chair." I hope you enjoy it.

   It was a great outing, even if it was just a little bushcraft improvising and some hot cocoa. I always enjoy my solo times and getting closer to nature. And yes, even in winter, it has its perks.
   Thanks for watching and look forward to your comments. Until next time, Happy Exploring.