Natural Shelter and leaving no trace (Small Rant)
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Kids are stronger than you might think. When I was 11 or 12 some of my family and friends (within a year of my age) cut the logs and built a log cabin. About 8 feet x 12 feet and 5 feet high. They managed to cut and stack logs up to 6 or 8 inces in diameter at the butt end (8 or 10 is the normal size for commercial builders doing this) All in secret in the woods on a cousin's land. It lasted for well over 15 years (and through 2 hurrivanes) before falling in.
At the same age I was helping them carry boulders under the railroad trestle to dam the creek to make a deeper swimming hole. We only had limited success with that as the current was a bit too swift.
No-one's saying kids shouldn't build dens.
Not even saying grown-ups shouldn't build dens either - in fact I'd recommend it sometime, it's good fun in a puzzle solving way. Choose the design to suit the terrain and available materials, site it right for the prevailing weather, etc....
Just saying that grown-ups who travel to some of the most beautiful parts of the country to play with their axes and saws and try some of the techniques they've been taught or have read of should be cleaning up after themselves.
...yet judging by what I see(and others have descibed) not all are.
....and seeing some the comments on here, realising that for many it's perfectly acceptable behaviour....
Fair enough - takes all sorts! Other than one wee patch of land it's none of my business.
I agree with that - I guess the simple wikiups we get in our woods are not in the same league as the type Teepee posted up. They always make me smile and the kids go and investigate them. Once there was a picture perfect Fly Agaric growing in the middle of one.
Ours was a little smaller and the roof was two old doors that we carted away up the valley between half a dozen of us, took a day apiece to get them there. After a couple of years we got wind one day that the Forestry Commission had started clearing the plantation. A couple of us scurried up to rescue all our booty but it was too late, had been ripped apart and the area was crawling with workers.
Lost a nice wee pocketknife that day.
Ours was a little smaller and the roof was two old doors that we carted away up the valley between half a dozen of us, took a day apiece to get them there. After a couple of years we got wind one day that the Forestry Commission had started clearing the plantation. A couple of us scurried up to rescue all our booty but it was too late, had been ripped apart and the area was crawling with workers.
Lost a nice wee pocketknife that day.
LOL. The roof is the only way I relly have to remember the size. We cheated by using corrugated roofing tin salvaged from an old barn. The standard sheets over here are 8 feet x 3 feet so four sheets side by side would have equalled 8 x 12 minus the slight slope and a few inches overlap.
"...and the eyes of the landowners.
...and the eyes of park authorities who have to dismantle them for you for fear of them landing on someone when they come down(because as you say, they all come down in the end).
...and the eyes of anyone who passes later."
Over sensitive lot you Scots
Somebody put work and effort into some shelters and may be mighty miffed because some 'right on' bushcrafter takes it upon himself (not as the land owner) to knock it down.
In the words of Derek "How very dare you"
...and the eyes of park authorities who have to dismantle them for you for fear of them landing on someone when they come down(because as you say, they all come down in the end).
...and the eyes of anyone who passes later."
Over sensitive lot you Scots
Somebody put work and effort into some shelters and may be mighty miffed because some 'right on' bushcrafter takes it upon himself (not as the land owner) to knock it down.
In the words of Derek "How very dare you"
Have you any pics of these abandoned shelters ?
Sorry just read the thread properly and seen the pics.
Euuugh.
Sorry just read the thread properly and seen the pics.
Euuugh.
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Building shelters on your own property, i recon good on ya
Building shelters on public property then if it's still standing when you leave IMO you should be had up on vandalism charges.
Leaving up a shelter in a public park, place is just lazy and it's doing absolutely no one any favours especially the folks on this site.
Building shelters on public property then if it's still standing when you leave IMO you should be had up on vandalism charges.
Leaving up a shelter in a public park, place is just lazy and it's doing absolutely no one any favours especially the folks on this site.
Yep vandalism.
It's just pure bone idleness leaving a shelter up when you leave.
Leave NO trace
I'd rather kids were in the woods building shelters from sticks than sat at home glued to a display, regardless of wether they knock the shelter down afterwards or not.
I'd rather kids be taught how to behave responsibly on public land, rather than waste their time carrying out utterly pointless, destructive, unsafe pieces of crap that only serve to peeve off the public, games keepers, wardens even more therefore alienating folks we should really be trying to get on our side (our = outdoors enthusiasts).
If i saw a kid making a shelter in a place that sees fairly regular footfall, i'd tell him to pea off and make one on his own land.
If i found him doing it again i'd drag him home by his ear and get his parents to take some responsibility.
Odd that these lazy gits that leave these shelters always seem to also leave their beer bottles, BBQ sets and rubbish there as well.
Then again It's hardly a surprise to me, if they are too lazy to leave the place how they found it, it's not really much of a push to see they'll also be too lazy to clear up after themselves.
If it was in the wildest parts of Canada, Russia etc i could understand it.
But in the UK and most parts of Europe it's irresponsible and just plain idle to leave them up.
Also pretty dumb to waste time building them as well in this day and age IMO (again in most parts of the UK and Europe).
I largely agree with the rest of your post. BUT!! Nothing fun is ever a waste of time.
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