On The Value Of Backyard Bushcraftin'

    There is just something that is always adventurous when it comes to spending time with my bush buddy Christian. He is all of nine going on twenty and keeps me thinking young. He challenges me and helps me to see that bushcraft and being in the woods is all about being a kid.
    We all know that kids don't have a lot of fun if they are uncomfortable or feel left out or are left alone with their own fears and doubts. So if being in the woods and having fun is like being a kid, and getting in some dirt time is also about being a kid, then it presumes that we are getting comfortable with the bush.
   That is why I do not underestimate the power of the back yard when it comes to bushcraft. It is a taste of the familiar, with a mix of the wild and it works as a place to practice and walk thru the rite of passage into the wilderness. It just takes some imagination and most kids have it in spades.
   A kid just gets really only one "first time" to sleep out under the stars, before he realizes that the next time he does, it won't be his first. It will just be another night, maybe special in its own right, but not like the first. So it was with that in mind, I decided to build a small fire pit in my backyard, line it with some rocks and sand and begin to setup a camp.
   I was going to ready the camp for Christian's first night out under the stars and to spend some time with me bushcrafting, cooking, whittling and in general just having some boyish fun. I knew he was going to like it.
   As I said, I started with making a fire pit, which looks something like this...

 
 I had gotten the fire going with my bow drill set, as I figured it is the first fire in the pit I would start it with something special. Here is the bow drill set I used, a little basswood on basswood...

Then I started on some water to heat up for a good cup of tea which seemed like a good idea...

I used my stainless steel "Little Jon" grill which was made by a good bushcraft friend of mind that knows his welding. Next I put together a pot hook and setup one half of a USGI canvas shelter or "pup" tent...

After making final arrangements to pick up my bush buddy, we went out for a hike along some local trails and then returned to the backyard to cook up some good food for supper. We made vegetable shish kabobs and chicken fillets...

The chicken was looking fine...

After a pleasant evening and eating and chatting and telling stories, we both settled into our open shelters for the night. The temperatures got down to about 53°F and there were very few mosquitoes.

My bush buddy tried to sleep in, but I got him roused and awake for breakfast. He seem to roll off of his mattress pad during the night and got a little cold, so I wrapped him up in my wool blanket...

 We soon had the fire revived and hot water on to boil so we could make some cocoa and hot oatmeal for breakfast. He decided he wanted Campbells Double Noodle soup instead, go figure, but the pot hook worked great with the 10cm Zebra Billy can...

 

   In the end, it was a great time and we grew closer together. I know this will be something we will do again and again and as he gains confidence, we will be able to make that transition to the woods and the wilds and who knows, someday he may just decide to make a solo trip of his own and begin to learn the things that I have learned and to feel the kinship with the landscape and to begin to feel at home with the wilderness wherever he may go. I want him to feel the things that I have felt and to someday, share those with his son. Then I know I will have done him right.

   As the saying goes...

    A USGI Shelter Half... $20

    A 10cm Zebra Billy can...  $30

    Spending a night out under the stars with my son... priceless.

Until next time, Happy Exploring.

Flint And Steel And Milkweed Ovum

   As it turned out, last Sunday was a beautiful and sunny day to get out and enjoy a hike on the snowy Sakatah "Singing Hills" State Trail. My bush buddy and I decided to head out for an afternoon of exploring and to practice a few bushcraft skills.
   He worked on identifying natural tinders such as milkweed seeds and cattail fluff and easily identified sumac for its red berries and wild rose hips for the tiny "apples" they presented, even in winter.
   We worked on direction finding and some tree identification as well. He spotted some willow trees along side the trail and remembered an earlier trip we had made out there and how we had made a willow whistle and a small toy raft and used goose feathers for a sail.
   He also used his firesteel to ignite the trangia alcohol stove and mixed up the hot chocolate for us both of us. I was very proud of him.
   We happened upon a small herd of about ten whitetail deer just as we were about to reach our destination and we both just stood there in awe, as they looked at us and we looked back at them. It was inspiring and a good moment to share together.
   I worked at getting fire with my flint and steel and using milkweed ovum instead of charred cloth. I had succeeded many times before with this combination, but I had never tried it in winter. It felt good to succeed with the milkweed ovum and felt even better to have gotten it done in the winter and the snow.
   After a quick and delicious brew of hot chocolate, made on a recipe my bush buddy had concocted, we packed it up and headed home. It was a great day for a son and his father to enjoy some time together.
   So here is the video of our afternoon adventure.

   Bushcraft is such a good thing to practice with your kids and the adventure never stops. Going out to explore with a child, opens your eyes to see the world in a better way. I hope you get the chances to do so as often as I do. I am a very lucky guy to have such a good friend in my bush buddy. Until next time, Happy Exploring.

My Bush Buddy And A Natural Tinder Callenge

   Last Saturday, Dec. 1st, I had the chance to get out with my eight year bush buddy, Christian. We've been getting out in the bush together for nearly two years and to look back and see just how far he has come with his knowledge of bushcraft is amazing.
   We decided on this particular day, that it might be fun to see if he could take on the challenge of building a twig fire and lighting it using his fire steel and natural tinders. He would try this completely by himself, without any coaching from me.
   I must say, it was a little frustrating, trying to not interfere, trying not to do the "dad thing", but in the end I was so very proud of him and his success.
   With that in mind, as you watch the video, you too might feel a little frustration as well. If you have ever struggled with making fire with your fire steel and natural tinders, you will understand what he is going thru.
    On this day, even the tinder (inner cottonwood bark) was not ideal and was just a little moist as he prepared it.
   But he persisted, and I held my peace and he prevailed.
   So bear with him, as I did, and I hope you will enjoy the video.

   We had such a good time, and I would encourage any of you my friends to get out and include any kids you have in your life,  in your bushcraft adventures. Happy Exploring.

A Bushcraft Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend

   It is hard to believe that November is nearly over. We have yet to receive any significant snowfall here in south central Minnesota. Yet, the wind and the colder temperatures feel like the promise of snow. I have busied myself with getting my warmer bushcraft clothing out of storage and started to improve on some of my options. This year, there is a lot more wool in the mix.
   I have managed to score a couple pair of wool pants off of evil-bay, one is an army issue (olive drab of course) and the second pair are some vintage Woolrich heavy wool hunting pants. They can be used with or without suspenders, but I chose the suspender route, so that I can get a good exchange of air and moisture from the heat generated by the major muscles in my legs. It is also important not to restrict blood flow thru to your femoral arteries, as this is the major source of warming blood that arrives at your feet. A tight fitting belt to keep your pants up can restrict this blood flow, thus the suspenders.
   I have also gotten an army issue wool shirt in an 80% wool 20% nylon blend. That shirt is a great piece of gear and makes an excellent second layer over my base layer of moisture wicking "Under Armor." Topping this all off, I have a 100% wool pull over Woolrich sweater, that has a good thick weave and will be great for those days when it is just around freezing and I am by the fire.
   Thanksgiving day, turned out to be a great day for getting out for some adventure and my girlfriend and I headed out for a good hike after turkey dinner. We visited a new campsite area that I hope to feature in an up coming blog post. I am pretty excited about the opportunity to use this piece of woodland. Stay tune for more on this latest development.
   On the Saturday following Thanksgiving, I had even more bushcraft adventure as I was able to meet up with a good group of Minnesota BushcraftUSA members for our usual Saturday morning meetup and daytrip. We worked on BushclassUSA lessons and looked at some alcohol stoves and gear and had a great time getting to know each other.
   Here is a video of that great meetup and all that we did. It is a little long, around 25 minutes, but I think it is entertaining and shows a lot of the activity a group of friends can have when it comes to sharing bushcraft.

   As you can see, we braved the cold, enjoyed the weather and did it all with Minnesotan enthusiasm. We do enjoy our great Minnesota outdoors, no matter what the time of year. It is all in how you prepare.
   I hope to cover more of how I prepare for winter and to let you know what gear is working for me and for others. For now, all I can say is that wool has become my friend. Happy Exploring.

On Making Bushcraft Toys...

   It has been a busy month, and I realize that I had not posted anything yet this month. It is not that I have had any lack of bushcraft adventure, it's just that I have had so little time to record and post any of the things that I have been doing lately.
   Just so the whole month hasn't gone by without a single post, I put together this short video of a recent adventure with my bush buddy Christian.

   It was a beautiful day to be out, spending time with my bushcraft buddy and together practicing some bushcraft skills. We worked on natural tinders, wild edibles, bow drill practice, natural cordage, water purification, navigation, wildlife identification, tree identification and alternative fire lighting methods with using a magnifying lens and a reflector improvised from a coke can, which did not work (yet).
   After all that, we decided to use some of the cordage we had made out of some milkweed to build a small raft. After we set it to float, we realized it was only going to find it's way by the currents alone. It was then the my bush buddy suggested we use goose feathers for a sail. So while he set to work to gather the feathers, I made up some willow bark cordage and we lashed up another raft and mounted the feathers for a make shift sail. So here is the video of our results. What a fun time. All materials found on site. Now we are both wondering what other people will think. A fun day.

   So that is a quick report and I do have a couple more adventures to report on, just as soon as I can get some pictures and video together. Until then, Happy Exploring.

Bushcraft Is Not Just For Boys...

   One great hope of all good parents is that they can find an activity that they can share with their kids. They want to find something that is both a great adventure and an educational opportunity. They want that activity to spark their kids imagination, push them to succeed, and encourage them to keep going and trying new things. And if that shared experience helps them to grow together as friends, helps them to respect one another and to joy in each others accomplishments, than they will truly have found something worth sustaining and guarding for all its worth.
   A friend of mine was searching for some activity like this, to share with his three daughters. They had heard about bushcraft and they all talked about somehow finding a way to learn more about it. That's when he turned to me. He said he wanted to start learning bushcraft, along with one of his daughters. He said they were both novices and really needed to start at the beginning. I suggested they start by doing the lessons offered in the BushclassUSA section of the BushcraftUSA.com forum site. I offered to help them with the lessons, by accompanying them any Saturday morning they wanted to get out. I figured I was headed out to the bush anyway, so it would be good to have some company.
   Well, we have shared 3 good Saturday mornings and they have both completed their first lesson, by building a "Twig Fire" and Little Jon has even finished a second lesson,  "Lighting 5 Man Made Tinders with a Firesteel."
   But the best part really, is how his daughter has taken to learning the Bushclass lessons. She really wants to learn. He told me, she can hardly wait to get out in the wilderness and get started on another lesson. She is pushing him to keep going. I like that.
   If you have been following my blog, you have probably watched the video of our outing of April 7th. But I would like to share yet another video of Little Jon's daughter working on her first lesson and completing it in fine style. She proves that bushcraft is not just boys, it is after all, for everyone.

     I hope this will encourage all of you and especially any young women who are interested, to take up the wonderful adventure that is bushcraft. It is part of all of us, still at the core of our being, just waiting to be discovered. Just go out in wilderness. Go and build a fire and do it in a primitive way and feel a part of history. Than you will find more of yourself and it doesn't matter whether you are a boy or a girl. You are a bushcrafter. Until next time, Happy Exploring.

A Day Out With My Bush Buddy Part II

   It was about a week ago, when I was able to get out with my bush buddy for an adventure in firecraft. My mission was to begin to find natural tinders for my next Intermediate BushclassUSA lesson. His mission was to gather the right tinders he would need to build a twig fire from scratch and all by himself. We had a great time and I am so proud of his efforts and how far his bushcraft skills have developed.
   So here is the video of our adventure and his amazing show of skills. Good going buddy...

I hope you liked the video and I am sure we will have many more adventures, as he is growing into a fine bushcrafter. I am hoping he will become one of the youngest to graduate BushclassUSA. Until next time, Happy Exploring.