Bushcraft and homesteading skills in WW3

[GreyCat]

Getting manual: best to get practice now as it ain't easy if you are not accustomed to it.

For example.....

I finally planted out my orchard over Christmas. Made up the raised bed hoops, carried everything down to the planting location, rehydrated the compost, dug holes, bashed in stakes, planted the trees. All with only my trusty wheelbarrow, mamual tools, a hose, a spade and my digging bar. 14 trees, 12 bales of dehydrated compost (each bale makes 70 litres), probably 4 days work but done over 6 days. (No doubt a young chap would do it quicker, but I'm a woman in my fifties, and heck it was cold).

If you don't normally do any manual work it's a shock when you need to. I spend an hour 3 or 4 times a week splitting wood with my manual vertical axe this time of year (I buy the cheap bags of wood "randoms" and process them myself into kindling, small lumps and big lumps). I do a lot in the garden. Even then, a big push job like the orchard is tiring and needs sustained perseverance to carry on when one is cold, tired- and feel like giving up.

Maybe that's part of where bushcraft helps, being practised at doing stuff that needs a mix of physical work, planning, perseverance and observation of the natural surroundings.....

[.... the orchard has a back story over 3 years involving several mistakes, each one needing physical effort to resolve. Hopefully I have got it right this time......]

GC

 

[ONE]

Late to the party having been on hols, but Bushcraft skills? Realistically, nope. Not going to help much. Maybe for the Highlanders, but for most of us, small islands & lots of people. You are NOT going to 'live off the land'.


On the other hand, at least partially due to being interested in 'bushcraft' I know how to heat & light my home (should it still exist) for a while without external support. I can probably mod that for a longer term solution. You also develop a sense of self when you've spent some time 'innawoods' that a lot of modern folks don't have, that's not a sense of being selfish (although some may see it that way) but of being responsible for yourself and those dependent upon you, which can be a sizable group.

I do have to say though that I've very little desire to find out whether I've got my thoughts on this particular issue right.

 

[HorseGuy]

If you don't normally do any manual work it's a shock when you need to. I spend an hour 3 or 4 times a week splitting wood with my manual vertical axe this time of year (I buy the cheap bags of wood "randoms" and process them myself into kindling, small lumps and big lumps). I do a lot in the garden. Even then, a big push job like the orchard is tiring and needs sustained perseverance to carry on when one is cold, tired- and feel like giving up.

Maybe that's part of where bushcraft helps, being practised at doing stuff that needs a mix of physical work, planning, perseverance and observation of the natural surroundings.....

[.... the orchard has a back story over 3 years involving several mistakes, each one needing physical effort to resolve. Hopefully I have got it right this time......]

GC

I've owned horses for many years and that keeps me moderately active so I though I was fairly fit (certainly fitter than most) but when I started doing real hard labor I was initially surprised to find how much of a struggle it was and how weak I had become (old age can really creep up on you without you noticing). Since then after about three years of fitness training (and with an injury mid-way through) I'm now easily able to do a good three to four hours of really hard labor without getting tired. So long as I have one easier day rest to recover every other day in between I can keep that level of work up for prolonged periods of time too, probably for years if need be.

Most people are unfit, more so then they realize and would be physically unable to do the hard work required to be self-sufficient if they needed to. I dread to think what a shock it would be for them if they ever needed to fend for themselves.

 

[GreyCat]

It's also about stamina, thinking jobs through and pace.

Today i did the regular trip to the local fuel cash and carry. 12 bags anthracite large nuts. 4 nets randoms(wood offcuts). Theynload the coal into the truck, I put the wood in. Once home, I unloaded and stacked it.

I park as close to the stack as I can, and shove a couple of bags at a time off into the wheelbarrow, move them 10 metres then heave onto the stack.

I am not physically strong enough ough to carry them, but a bit of pulling, shoving and a wheelbarrow does the job. Not racing the job, just a steady pace.

The wheelbarrow is such a good thing, enables me to do so much more.

I treated myself to a four wheel metal mesh trolley last wkend, wanted one for ages, saw one on sale at B&Q. Need to assemble it, time will tell how it performs but looked quite sturdy in the shop.

GC

 

[Tengu]

Just dont let the local kids know about it.

Best. Toy. Ever.

 

[TeeDee]

I think most people tend to overestimate their physical abiities - hold it as a notion of what they may have done in their glory/salad days.

Those that have reason to suddenly underestimate their physical abilities have either just tried to do something and found a rude awakening and are currently working upon rectifying it. Which is no bad thing - keeps us humble.

Test often.

 

[Toddy]

....and don't underestimate how much you can get done in short bursts. Don't damage yourself, break up the task, and just bit by bit it'll get done.

 

[HorseGuy]

I think most people tend to overestimate their physical abiities - hold it as a notion of what they may have done in their glory/salad days.

Those that have reason to suddenly underestimate their physical abilities have either just tried to do something and found a rude awakening and are currently working upon rectifying it. Which is no bad thing - keeps us humble.

Test often.

How many people would be capable of even doing a 30 second maximum power sprint. You know the kind of 110% effort for every single step of every second for 30 seconds until every muscle in you body is burning and stops responding to instructions because there isn't enough oxygen left to burn energy. The kind of sprint which makes you feel weak afterwards until you recover. I bet most people imagine they could sprint no problem but they probably haven't tried it for years and if they did they would probably have to stop after 5 seconds.

I heard somewhere that once past the age of 40 most people will never sprint again for the rest of their lives.

 

[Toddy]

Seriously though ?

A power sprint ?
Have you seen a Granny running for a bus ? or trying to catch a runaway toddler ?

Those old buddies can fair shift when necessary.

Other than that though, why on Earth would anyone want to do a power sprint ?

Dig a garden, stand all day dealing with processing crops to store, chopping firewood, clearing land, dealing with animals day in day out.....those take stamina.

 

[HorseGuy]

Seriously though ?

A power sprint ?
Have you seen a Granny running for a bus ? or trying to catch a runaway toddler ?

Those old buddies can fair shift when necessary.

Other than that though, why on Earth would anyone want to do a power sprint ?

Dig a garden, stand all day dealing with processing crops to store, chopping firewood, clearing land, dealing with animals day in day out.....those take stamina.

I've seen plenty of people do a brief moderate jog or dash.
But a sustained 110% maximum power sprint for a full 30 seconds?

 

[Toddy]

I've seen plenty of people do a brief moderate jog or dash.
But a sustained 110% maximum power sprint for a full 30 seconds?

Again ? why would you want to ? why is that relevant to the kind of work we've been talking about ?

 

[HorseGuy]

Again ? why would you want to ? why is that relevant to the kind of work we've been talking about ?

No particular reason to do it.
I just wonder how many people are fit enough to be physically able to do it if they ever needed to?

 

[Toddy]

Well I can't; rheumatoid arthritis does a number on the joints, but my 81 year old husband can and does so daily. Runs a couple of miles uphill on his ten mile walk.

I think fitness is very individual thing. Are you fit for the life you lead ? Can you do your daily tasks and a bit more ? Can you do your seasonal tasks and a bit more ?
If the answer's yes, then fine. Personally I'd add are you still having fun doing physical stuff too is it still satisfying to work hard ?

 

[HorseGuy]

Personally I'm more interested in stamina and just having a general level of health and fitness. Things like a full range of movement, the ability to do moderate exercise (such as chopping wood or pushing a wheelbarrow up a steep hill) for several hours at a time on a near daily basis. I also want to have the ability to be able to do the occasional maximum power sprint for a few seconds without being concerned that I might injure myself.

As for why would anyone want to be able to sprint? Who knows? Maybe you might need to make a sprint for safety. Or maybe you might get into a physical fight with someone (anyone who has ever tried judo will know just how physically intense and exhausting that kind of grappling fight can be). I guess my point here was that in the current mollycoddled modern world we live in I think that most middle age people are so unfit now that they wouldn't even be capable of sustained sprinting for a few seconds if ever they needed to do so. But they probably think they could even though they haven't actually tried it for years.

p.s. You husband sounds very impressive. Fair play to him.

 

[Toddy]

He's built for it
He is one of those lean wiry Scots, and he's always been active.

To his utter astonishment and dismay he found out ten years ago that he can no longer dig over a vegetable bed 20' x 8' in one go. It takes him four shots at it now to get it done.
We change as we age, whether we want to or not.

Fitness is a funny thing.
Don't damage yourself !

 

[TeeDee]

Personally I'm more interested in stamina and just having a general level of health and fitness. Things like a full range of movement, the ability to do moderate exercise (such as chopping wood or pushing a wheelbarrow up a steep hill) for several hours at a time on a near daily basis. I also want to have the ability to be able to do the occasional maximum power sprint for a few seconds without being concerned that I might injure myself.

As for why would anyone want to be able to sprint? Who knows? Maybe you might need to make a sprint for safety. Or maybe you might get into a physical fight with someone (anyone who has ever tried judo will know just how physically intense and exhausting event that kind of grappling fight can be). I guess my point here was that in the current mollycoddled modern world we live in I think that most middle age people are so unfit now that they wouldn't even be capable of sustained sprinting for a few seconds if ever they needed to do so. But they probably think they could even though they haven't actually tried it for years.

p.s. You husband sounds very impressive. Fair play to him.

Sprinting as an activity is hugely strenuous on muscles and ligaments.
Obviously if its a longer sprint or a fast sprint turning into a run - lets say fastest time over 800m - its going to tax / build anaerobic and aerobic. Make it intervals and you're pretty much covered.

I also read the same report about people over 20/30 not being likely to ever sprint again.

Unless you are Tom Cruise. But he does look good for his age and in shape.
Maybe that deserves further thought?

I think what you are referncing is what is known as GPP - General Physical Prepardeness.

 

[Broch]

Sprinting as an activity is hugely strenuous on muscles and ligaments.
Obviously if its a longer sprint or a fast sprint turning into a run - lets say fastest time over 800m - its going to tax / build anaerobic and aerobic. Make it intervals and you're pretty much covered.

I also read the same report about people over 20/30 not being likely to ever sprint again.

Unless you are Tom Cruise. But he does look good for his age and in shape.
Maybe that deserves further thought?

I think what you are referncing is what is known as GPP - General Physical Prepardeness.

Anyone with a young grandson has to occasionally sprint

Or an ESS pup!

 

[TeeDee]

Anyone with a young grandson has to occasionally sprint

Or an ESS pup!

Maybe we have different definitions of sprinting.

 

[HorseGuy]

He's built for it
He is one of those lean wiry Scots, and he's always been active.

To his utter astonishment and dismay he found out ten years ago that he can no longer dig over a vegetable bed 20' x 8' in one go. It takes him four shots at it now to get it done.
We change as we age, whether we want to or not.

Fitness is a funny thing.
Don't damage yourself !

Still very impressive. Especially at his age.

Thanks for the warning. I hardly sprint at all though. The occasional short burst every now and again just to make sure I can but not very often and not for long. I actually take it quite easy most of the time for fear of injury (I'm not getting any younger).

 

[Broch]

Maybe we have different definitions of sprinting.

A sprint is running as fast as you can over a relatively short distance - for athletics that's 100m or 200m. I will admit, I will no longer sprint for more than 20m

Edit: I must also admit that trying to sprint uphill to outflank my grandson in a laser tag game over the holidays I pulled my hamstring