Home Sweet Home

Just got back last week from a six day canoe trip with Mungo. Had a fantastic time. Can't wait to get out there again.... uh.... well... soon ..... maybe..... ok Fall is looking good.

Decado

Tarp Configuration...

Ok I know I was going to do some posts of the equipment and things I was taking this weekend but since I have been running around town and the farm all day... well... I am still not done packing. I will be leaving in the morning so......

Enjoy a couple shots of the tarp I am taking and one of the setups I will be trying:

See you after the weekend!

Thanks, Decado.

Bushcraft Shelter Practice

"No matter how good you think you are at something, you can always practice more..."

One of my grandfather's favorite sayings....

So I decided to do a little more playing around with a couple shelter types, and since it was nice out, get something the kids could play in. Tipis have always been my favorite type of long term shelter, but they take practice to get them right. This time I tried with tarps to see if I could get it to work.

Not great, but I learned a few tricks...

Looks aside.... it would still keep the rain off!

This shelter took me 2 minutes to set up and 10 minutes to get the dog out of it so I could take the picture. Henry wants to go camping!

Thanks, Decado.

What do bushcrafters do in the Winter?

Is it cold enough for you?

Christmas Gift I carved for my wife.

Looks like the shelter is still standing!

Debris Shelter.... more like a snow shelter...




Hrmmm.... need more snow!

Its a snow bump!

Yes Mungo! I am wearing wool!

Serious Winter Bushcrafters!

Thanks, Decado.

Bushcrafting in the background...

Have not had time to do much in the way of bushcrafting of late. Things have been busy on the farm trying to settle into a routine of feed the animals, water the animals, collect eggs, feed the animals, check the animals, keep the furnace going, try to bring in an income, water the animals again, have a serious talk with Oscar the goat about his excessive bad manners and improper use of the horns, feed the.... well, you get the idea.

The snow has been up and down for the last week or so getting cold and then warming up to melt and then freezing again, and again. Snow has stuck to the trees again and everything looks nice and white.

Decided to blow off some steam today and go for a short walk out to the shelters. Wanted to make sure everything is still standing and I knew I would need to clear out the snow that is piling up in front of the doors. Took a shovel with me and off I went.

Started looking around and noticed tracks around the shelter and down the trail into the woods. At first I thought they were my wife's tracks walking the dog. Then I got a closer look. Seems that there is a animal highway that I built my shelter right in the middle of for the local fauna. I found fox, deer, rabbit and squirrel tracks. The surprise I got was that unless I am mistaken and there are some REALLY BIG deer out there, we had a moose walking through the property. Now that might not be too surprising but to me the footprints were huge! I thought I was looking at tracks I had made from a while back until I saw the two toes. I would love to had seen it. The locals are saying that this area hasn't had any moose around until recently.

Hope I don't find one sleeping in my shelter! I just got everything the way I liked it... :)

When I get a chance I will run out and take pictures of the Super Shelter and Debris hut all covered in snow and post them for you to see.

Until then...

Thanks, Decado.

Mungo comes to the farm!

Had a great visit from Mungo last Sunday. Was great to see him again. Gave him the 25 cent tour of the property. The kids loved having him here to sing songs and be... uh.... entertaining? Check out his post here!


I have another friend that came yesterday for a visit. I will be getting some of the pictures of our nite out in the shelters. Should be good. Will post about it soon.

Thanks, Decado.

Leaves are changed... time to build a winter shelter - Part 3.

Just wanted to post some more pictures of the Winter Shelter. I have the cover on it now and it should be pretty secure. There are always little things that still need to be done but I wanted you to see it so far.

Overall View: Front still needs clear plastic door and tarp tied down.

Back corner:

North Side:
South Side with Attactive Super Model for Display:

Inside: Blue is such a calming colour.

Inside - Nice deep cold well: Lots of room to walk.

Roof: Mylar blankets used to reflect radiant heat back on sleeper.

So I have finished the door and set up a bench to sit in front of the fire. I have also finished the cooking area and made soup from the pot hanger. I will post the rest of the pictures in a day or so. I am expecting a friend to be coming for the weekend and it will be great to sleep in it. Should be fun!

Thanks, Decado.

**Side Note: After having seen the earlier pictures, my younger brother proceeded to inform me that my new shelter would not be standing come spring! He stated that the poorly designed slope of the roof and weak construction would hold too much snow and that he was quite sure it would fall down. Then he instructed me on how to bind the structure to give it more stability (much like they do with barns). Although his advice was sound, I felt a bit defensive about his approach to all my hard work. He also insisted that if he is correct this spring, I should post something in my blog telling everyone that, and I quote, "My Brother was RIGHT!" He He. Well, little brother... I will take that challenge! We will see what spring brings! **

Leaves are still changing.... time to build a winter shelter - Part 2.

Wow! Two posts in as many days! That's different! For me, anyways. Just making up for lost time, I guess.

I have some more progress to report. I took a few more pictures (with my daughter's help) so most of this post will just be on the pics.

I used the "Constrictor Knot" I learned from Mors. Works amazing and it uses a lot less string.

I took some time to find sections with branches so that I could use the "hook" part to make the binding more sound.

Here are the latest pictures with the roof mostly done.

This is my daughter's "Self portrait of a 4 year old's Bushcraft experience even though I spent most of my time asking to play with Daddy's expensive digital camera and wanting marshmallows to go with that campfire" picture.

This is also the picture she took of her foot. So we will always 'member it!

and a darn good shot of the back of my head!

I hope to get the cover on it before the end of Thanksgiving weekend (which is this weekend for us Canadians) and maybe get a chance to try it out the weekend after!

Will let you know.

Thanks,

Decado.

Leaves are changing... time to build the winter shelter.

Ever since my family and I bought the farm (figuratively speaking) I have been looking forward to putting together a winter shelter that I can use anytime I want and not have to worry about it suddenly "disappearing" as others have done in the past.

So I have begun building one of Mors' "Super Shelters". One difference: I am not using any green materials. Now that I am using my property, I am not sure I like that idea. I have joined the Ontario Woodlot Association and will be cleaning stuff up in the woods soon, but for now I will be using stuff that is either dead or already cut by the previous owner.

Overall View:

So far there are 2 parts.

The Firepit:

I decided that I was going to go with rocks instead of the usual wood wall-backed fireplace since I planned to have it as a more permanent place to camp. I brought in a couple loads of sand from beside the barn and gathered the stones from all over the place. Mostly from the other side of the field where they were dropped a long time ago when they were clearing the land for agriculture. I needed to make it high and wide so that I could create a big enough fire in the winter time to heat the shelter. I will be adding the cooking apparatus and more stones for stability as time goes on.

Next is:

The Shelter

At this point I have the base and the bed mostly finished. I found last winter that getting the bed all setup before the roof when on makes things much easier. There will be more trimming and probably a few more places that will need binding. We had to trim some evergreens near the house so everything my wife threw on the brushpile that was green got hauled of to the shelter.

Some on the bed and the rest on the floor. I think that the size of the shelter is a bit big but I intend to supplement the outside fire with candles inside just like a friend of mine and I did last winter. I thought that something under your feet might be a good idea when it gets really cold. Hopefully there are still some needles on it in a month. :)

The fire is a big step away from the front of the shelter. Once pace is usually the requirement but I went a bit big since it will be harder to move the fire back if it is too close to the shelter. Will have to see how that works out.

Might want to add a foam pad to that bed!

Will be putting the posts up and then the rest of the roof as soon as I can. I want to get the waterproof roof on as soon as possible so I can keep the inside dry. Besides... I know there will be a friend or three coming in from the city over the next month or so and I wouldn't want them city boys to have no place t' sleep...... Right Jeff?


Will post more pictures and an update on the shelter soon.


Thanks for reading,



Decado.

Still alive.... just busy... Maybe a little too busy...

Not to worry. I am still here. Posts have been a bit thin lately. Sorry. (We all say that, don't we?)

Did the Survival practice last weekend with a friend. Spent 24 hours in the bush working on my clothing system and building a "Super Shelter" based on Mors Kochanski's designs and teachings. It went well all things considered. Got some things accomplished that I wanted to try and learned a few other things, which is what the weekend was all about!

Got some good pictures and finished my log of the night's experiences. Will be posting that this weekend when I have a minute.

Here is one thing I really wanted to mention now (since the boss isn't looking over my shoulder at the moment):

This may be common knowledge to most of you and I have heard this before but getting a little more hands-on experience in the matter has really clarified it for me. Mors Kochanski made mention a few times during the Bushcraft and Wilderness Survival course I took at Jack Mountain Bushcraft School in New Hampshire. He said that one of the things you try to reserve when in a survival situation is.... well... Effort! (or your energy as the case may be). What he meant was think about what you are doing, like building a shelter, and try to use the least amount of effort to achieve the objective. An example of this is: if you are placing logs across each other to make the base of your shelter, one option is to chop a groove out of one log to make it fit nicely on top of the other. The other is to use a small amount of cordage to tie the two logs together using a "Jam" knot. Using the cordage took a lot less time and energy to make the logs stay together.

Ok sorry for the long explanation but here it is in a nut-shell: There is a direct relationship between "Effort" and "Equipment". Forgetting about the need to carry everything for a moment, the more stuff you have with you, the less effort required to do a job. I know this sounds pretty obvious, but think it through based on your own experiences in the bush. We all know you can learn the skills and practice making cordage, but if you end up out in the wilderness and the resources just aren't there or the time of the year makes it difficult, then what do you do? Isn't just easier to bring a spool of cord with you? Why build a debris hut and spend a couple of hours gathering enough materials to make your shelter water proof when all you need to do is bring a tarp or tent fly?

Ok... Ok.... you can stop shaking your head in sadness thinking that I have turned to the dark-side and will be throwing a 60 pound pack on my back the next time I am out! Sheeeesh! Been there, done that! I guess what I am trying to say is.....well.... actually what I am trying to say is just what I said!

I have done a lot of reading on the web about peoples "Bushcraft Kit". There are many similarities. Fire, Shelter, Cooking, sleeping. Last weekends camp was meant to go off into the woods without a sleeping bag, or blankets etc. and get the one thing that is most important when you are trying to live in the bush. Sleep, and sleep comfortably. Hrrmmm... Maybe my point is this: You know Mors' saying, "The more you know, the less you carry". I guess my addendum to that is:

"The more you know, the less you carry, the more effort is required!"

I have seen some amazing stuff being done by other bloggers and bushcrafters, but I never really realized how much effort it truly takes to get out there with nothing but your clothes, a knife, and a fire-steel. Our fore-fathers did it..... but can you? Can you make everything from the resources around you and still get a good nights sleep? Only you can answer that. (great! now I am preaching... sorry)

I know I could survive. Could I live? Well.... we'll see.

Decado

***Public Notice *****

Please be advised that the preceding comments were merely the observations and opinions of the writer, and were in no way meant to sound: pompous, arrogant, demeaning, or should otherwise be taken as a "Mr. Know-it-all" attitude. The writer simply wanted to share. Go on.... be nice..... give the guy a hug and some honest feedback! He would like that. No. Really! He wants you to express yourself! Share with him! Thank you.

************************

(P.S. - Ok no more attempts at posting on a friday afternoon after a week from hell at work! I promise..... Decado.)

Clothes, Clothes, and more ...getting ready...

I have been doing a lot of work lately on clothing. Testing out different systems and layers, and materials. I tend to like fleece because it has some of the same characteristics as wool without the need to scratch constantly in public.

The last week or so I have been going to the local second hand clothing stores and looking for wool pants and sweaters. And anything else that looks like a good deal for that matter. The idea is to work on Mors' system of up to but not exceeding 5 layers.

1. - Wicking layer
2. - Thin layer of wool
3. - Medium layer of wool
4. - Heavy layer of wool
5. - Windproof/Waterproof Breathable layer

There is more information to this system but I will go into more detail after I have done more testing. I have worn a lot of fleece in the past and not had too many problems but I wanted to give wool another try. Did you know that some of the characteristics of wool help to keep you from smelling as bad after a couple days as you would if you were wearing fleece? Just found that out.

Henry the puppy is doing well and apparently LOVES running around in the snow. No wonder he and the kids get along!

I am also getting things and ideas ready for a Over Night Test camp the first weekend in December. A friend and I will be working on a couple of the Basic Survival topics that I will be putting together in some of the Bushcraft and Wilderness Survival training courses I am working on. (Thanks again for the advice Mors!)

We will be working on different variations of Mors Kochanski's "Super Shelter" and working out our clothing systems. The idea with the clothing is that one of the most important pieces of survival kit should be your clothes. Can you live comfortably in the wilderness for 4 days without a fire? The only thing we plan to use the fire for is for boiling water as that is all we will be ingesting for the 24 hours that we are out there. Sound a bit rough? Not really. Safe conditions, and extra supplies and equipment in the car that is only 15 minute walk away. The way I see it, there are the things you know, you know. The things you know, you don't know. And there are the things you don't know, you don't know. The only way to change the things you don't know, you don't know is to get out there and try it! You follow?

Been missing the woods ever since the trip to New Hampshire. Looking forward to getting out there again.

Will post more stuff soon.

Thanks for reading,

Decado.

Teepees, Tipee, Tei... oh you know what I mean...

Have a lot of stuff to post and little time to do it but I thought I would post these pictures from last January 2007 that I took on a over-nighter I did with a friend to try out the teepee.

This was our first attempt at using a parachute. The last one we built, we used 'blue tarps' and there was sooooo much smoke that we should have hung fish inside... the fish would have been done by morning.

Based on more information I got from the internet and Mors Kochanski's Bushcraft book, we created an inner wall this time and left the bottom of the parachute up off the ground. The plastic did not handle much abuse but we managed to get it to stay up and block out the wind coming from below.

The inner walls worked fantastic! The smoke stayed near the top of the teepee and the draft from the inner walls helped us to feel the heat of the fire.

As you can see by this photo, we made a bit of a mistake in sizing the space of the poles. We wanted to make sure we had enough room for both of us to sleep.

The door way was bigger than we hoped so we had to improvise.







Although it did not look very traditional, it really did the trick and made it easy to get in and out for those late nite washroom breaks.

Here are a few more pictures to give you an idea...

Wow... I can actually see the top!



Plenty of wood for the nite.


More stuff to come...

Thanks for reading,


Decado