A Simple Debris Shelter

   The day started out looking like rain, but you know when you just have to get out there and get in some dirt time, a threat of rain is not going to stop you. I had it in my mind to throw up a debris shelter because number one, it seemed like a good idea and number two, it's just plain fun. I found a good location in my favorite area and set about gathering up the dead tree poles I would need to construct the lean-to. I took advantage of a natural rock outcropping on the side of a small hill slopping from there to a steep decline to the valley floor below. So it is located on a flat area just over the ridge line, but before the fall off. It looks larger from the front and looks like this from the back.

Tools of the Trade?

   Within the world of photography, it is often said that "the best camera is the one you have with you." What this basically means is that any camera, with enough knowledge of how to use it, can take really great pictures. Even the simplest of cameras, the "pinhole" camera, can take some of the most amazing pictures with the right hands and mind behind the lens. The greatest photographers practice their craft all the time, so that they can take great pictures with any camera, anywhere, under any conditions, at anytime. They work to perfect their craft. They work at it until it comes naturally. Their hands know their cameras every adjustment, every nuance, and they also know the cameras limitations and they learn how to work within those limits or right at the "cutting edge" of those limits (forgive the pun.) Perfecting their craft, that is the key. So it is with bushcraft. Let's look at some tools...

The Flora, The Fauna, The Good Books...

   As part of my effort to feature Minnesota as a great place to practice bushcraft, I would like to call your attention to a great set of books by award winning Author, Naturalist, Wildlife Photographer , and Purveyor of Gee-Whiz Nature information, Stan Tekiela. Stan has written and photographed over a hundred state-by-state field guides and other books on nature. These five books, plus two additional volumes,

"Birds of Prey of Minnesota" and "Ducks and Geese of Minnesota" will give you one of the most complete reference libraries concerning the flora and fauna of Minnesota. The clear and detailed photographs, the descriptions, and the maps and diagrams, will bring you hours of enjoyable reading while exploring the many species that are covered in these volumes. For Minnesota, these are far and away the best field guides you can carry. There is yet one more book I would like to recommend and that is...

My Three Tool Buddies...

   So it has been awhile since I last posted to the blog, and since then a lot has happened. The State of Minnesota has settled on a budget and the state is open for business. What this means is that the state parks are again open for adventure. Yeah!! So game on...
   In the middle of July I headed out to Cheyenne, WY to visit my father for his 80th birthday. One of the days my father, my brother and I spent wandering the trails in the Medicine Bow National Forest in the Laramie Peak Range. This is a beautiful part of Wyoming that is home to black bear, mountain lion, elk, antelope and of course open range long horn cattle. I will try to post a picture or two and talk about the trip in a later post. So why this picture you are asking? More after the jump.

Minnesota's Favorite Nasty Plant

   I don't know about you, but when I come across a leaf of Poison Ivy nearly 5" across, I usually take notice. We tend to grow 'em big here in Minnesota and you have to be constantly watching out for the leaves of three when hiking any of the most used trails. It is a curious thing about poison ivy, it seems to be most prevalent in areas that are touched by man. Usually disturbed soils, cut trail ways, well traveled paths and roads of many types, all will lend themselves to helping poison ivy get a foot hold. The worst thing about the plant itself is the oil. It's all about the Urushiol.

Canteenshop Stove and Thistle Soup - A Simple and Quick Review

Ok, so there were these thistles, and they were just standing there, the very tops of the stalks looking all tender, ready to eat. Well, you know you just have to go for it. You have that canteen full of water, the canteen cup and of course that Canteenshop Grilltop Stove Stand that just happens to nest around all of the others. Put it all together and you have fresh veggie soup for dinner. Seems really easy, right?

Minnesota Closed it Doors

   On July 1st, 2011, the State of Minnesota closed it's doors and stopped doing business. This was a historic event that has had far reaching effects, all brought on by this shutdown. Most of it you can read about in the news or online. The most immediate affect was the furloughing of over 20,000 state workers.