The first one was on september 19th.
It was a rainy day, but I wanted to go back to a site where I found a bones from a deer, or at least I think it was. It was a good opportunity to try out my Swiss army gaiters and my old German army poncho. The rain gave the forrest a complete transformation; it was dark, silent and a bit ominous, too.
The gaiters and poncho performed great. I did get wet knees however, but that might be because I kept pulling up my arms automatically when going through the undegrowth. Something I would not do with one of those lightweight ribstop ponchos, but this one still has that good, old coldwar- quality!
The rain muffled most sounds around me, but the ponchos hood blocked out any sound, so I quickly took that off. I really didnt like stumbling through the woods deaf...
Some water;
When I arrived at the sight I noticed something had been moving the bones around and gnawed on them.
The perpetrator even lets his mark;
There were a number of gametrails;
Following one of those trails about 30 meters deeper into the woods I found something else
More water;
me;
The next one was the 24th and this one was a completely different walk.
The weather had improved very much. It was sunny with a slight breeze and about 17 °C. On this walk I took my 8-year old daughter with me. I had promissed here a number of times I would and today I was able to fullfill that promise.
She loves the woods allmost more than I do!
Off we go! Should be fun when some bad Indiana Jones-lookalike as your guide, right?
She really wanted to see the bonesite and the trails, so we went there. After studying the bones, the mosses, which were still soaked full of water and felt like wet sponges, lots of mushrooms, she found something!
She was as proud as a peacock!
Later we turned our attention to food.
She has a girlscout messkit, similar to the one I have, but not as old and made of aluminium, which she brought and she insisted on having bacon and scrambled eggs. A chip of the old block in many ways.... *insert proud-dad-grin here*
I told here about preparing food, taking care of your kit and cleaning it, makling camp and how to leave your campsite behind. I actually had the feeling that she paid attention and listened to what I said.... for once...
Afterwards we discovered some tracks and she was fascinated and completely hooked;
Deer?
Dont know....
And whos might this be ?
Than we had to head back home agian, but not without additional pictures!!
The next pictures have been taken by her, using the simplest of digital cameras;
The way she sees me, a glorious rolemodel....
And then there was yesterdays walk. This one would prove to be a good lesson, too!
I wasnt feeling all too well and my head was kind off misty, too. I was not focussed. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my backpack and breadbag, which is with me on each walk since I got it. I just love the thing! And I headed for the woods again. Maybe some fresh air would clean up my head....
I still found plenty of water;
And a place that looked for putting up a shelter if needed;
The forrests are magical this time of year......
Mystical and mysterious....
And ever changing. One minute you are walking here...
And a few steps away you are here...
I finally ended up in a place I know.
It is the site of and old and abandoned outdooractivitycentre,
but the meaning of the words leave only footprints fell of deaf ears, unfortunately.
Luckily this is out of site from the first place, as is a large decaying wooden platform, deeper into the woods. On that are still the remnants of an old tent. I guess a 12 or 20-man Swedish army tent and some sleepingbagcovers.
I like this place, however, because it is quite and I had an nice little meeting with a squirrel here, about 5 years ago. When I first got here, I heard it call in the trees and I stopped and just sat down. After a little while it popped up and when it saw I didnt move, it came closer..... and even closer....
Untill it stopped on a branch about 3 meters away from me. We had eyecontact and I even talked to it in a slow and low voice. This lasted for at least a good 10 minutes and then it wandered off again.... I felt amazed....
Anyway....
Here I was and it was about lunchtime. So I openend up my ruck and.... nothing! I had actually forgotten to take my messkit, BSA or Swedish! I even left my firesteel and axe at home... I felt stupid.... So I just had some food and water. I will live....
This got me thinking.... There are alternatives to making fire. I did have my firetin with lighter and all with me, but still.... This might be a good opportunity to try a firebow. There has to be a first time for everything....
I got to work. I found some dead pine I would use for a board, I cut a birchbrach for the bow and a Rowanbrach dor a drill. I also gathered some tinder, some branches of all sizes and while doing this I noticed the silence had gone. I could here birds singing again and I even saw them getting closer again, hopping from tree to tree, from branch to branch, watching that strange human in green clothes....
Find the bird...
Theres actually three of them...
After a while i got the hang of it. I could keep the drill spinning without it popping out of the handblock. At first I used a hollow piece of rock, but that didnt work. So I made one from wood.
I drilled and drilled, but very little happened; just a bit of smock, the faint smell of wood heating up and some slight discolouring of the tips. At least I know how to make one, now......
I decided to follow an abondoned lumbertrack, now reclaimed by the hills and turned into a mountainstream.
After a while I caught myself breaking little dams of twigs and leaves just to see how fast the water would go, what path it would take and how long it would take to clear up again...
Fascinating how water finds its way and leaves its mark on the landscape so soon..
Shortly afterwards I headed back home again, feeling feverish, complete with painfull joints, a heavy bumping head... the works....
But I did get out and learned a few things!!
It was a rainy day, but I wanted to go back to a site where I found a bones from a deer, or at least I think it was. It was a good opportunity to try out my Swiss army gaiters and my old German army poncho. The rain gave the forrest a complete transformation; it was dark, silent and a bit ominous, too.
The gaiters and poncho performed great. I did get wet knees however, but that might be because I kept pulling up my arms automatically when going through the undegrowth. Something I would not do with one of those lightweight ribstop ponchos, but this one still has that good, old coldwar- quality!
The rain muffled most sounds around me, but the ponchos hood blocked out any sound, so I quickly took that off. I really didnt like stumbling through the woods deaf...
Some water;
When I arrived at the sight I noticed something had been moving the bones around and gnawed on them.
The perpetrator even lets his mark;
There were a number of gametrails;
Following one of those trails about 30 meters deeper into the woods I found something else
More water;
me;
The next one was the 24th and this one was a completely different walk.
The weather had improved very much. It was sunny with a slight breeze and about 17 °C. On this walk I took my 8-year old daughter with me. I had promissed here a number of times I would and today I was able to fullfill that promise.
She loves the woods allmost more than I do!
Off we go! Should be fun when some bad Indiana Jones-lookalike as your guide, right?
She really wanted to see the bonesite and the trails, so we went there. After studying the bones, the mosses, which were still soaked full of water and felt like wet sponges, lots of mushrooms, she found something!
She was as proud as a peacock!
Later we turned our attention to food.
She has a girlscout messkit, similar to the one I have, but not as old and made of aluminium, which she brought and she insisted on having bacon and scrambled eggs. A chip of the old block in many ways.... *insert proud-dad-grin here*
I told here about preparing food, taking care of your kit and cleaning it, makling camp and how to leave your campsite behind. I actually had the feeling that she paid attention and listened to what I said.... for once...
Afterwards we discovered some tracks and she was fascinated and completely hooked;
Deer?
Dont know....
And whos might this be ?
Than we had to head back home agian, but not without additional pictures!!
The next pictures have been taken by her, using the simplest of digital cameras;
The way she sees me, a glorious rolemodel....
And then there was yesterdays walk. This one would prove to be a good lesson, too!
I wasnt feeling all too well and my head was kind off misty, too. I was not focussed. I quickly got dressed, grabbed my backpack and breadbag, which is with me on each walk since I got it. I just love the thing! And I headed for the woods again. Maybe some fresh air would clean up my head....
I still found plenty of water;
And a place that looked for putting up a shelter if needed;
The forrests are magical this time of year......
Mystical and mysterious....
And ever changing. One minute you are walking here...
And a few steps away you are here...
I finally ended up in a place I know.
It is the site of and old and abandoned outdooractivitycentre,
but the meaning of the words leave only footprints fell of deaf ears, unfortunately.
Luckily this is out of site from the first place, as is a large decaying wooden platform, deeper into the woods. On that are still the remnants of an old tent. I guess a 12 or 20-man Swedish army tent and some sleepingbagcovers.
I like this place, however, because it is quite and I had an nice little meeting with a squirrel here, about 5 years ago. When I first got here, I heard it call in the trees and I stopped and just sat down. After a little while it popped up and when it saw I didnt move, it came closer..... and even closer....
Untill it stopped on a branch about 3 meters away from me. We had eyecontact and I even talked to it in a slow and low voice. This lasted for at least a good 10 minutes and then it wandered off again.... I felt amazed....
Anyway....
Here I was and it was about lunchtime. So I openend up my ruck and.... nothing! I had actually forgotten to take my messkit, BSA or Swedish! I even left my firesteel and axe at home... I felt stupid.... So I just had some food and water. I will live....
This got me thinking.... There are alternatives to making fire. I did have my firetin with lighter and all with me, but still.... This might be a good opportunity to try a firebow. There has to be a first time for everything....
I got to work. I found some dead pine I would use for a board, I cut a birchbrach for the bow and a Rowanbrach dor a drill. I also gathered some tinder, some branches of all sizes and while doing this I noticed the silence had gone. I could here birds singing again and I even saw them getting closer again, hopping from tree to tree, from branch to branch, watching that strange human in green clothes....
Find the bird...
Theres actually three of them...
After a while i got the hang of it. I could keep the drill spinning without it popping out of the handblock. At first I used a hollow piece of rock, but that didnt work. So I made one from wood.
I drilled and drilled, but very little happened; just a bit of smock, the faint smell of wood heating up and some slight discolouring of the tips. At least I know how to make one, now......
I decided to follow an abondoned lumbertrack, now reclaimed by the hills and turned into a mountainstream.
After a while I caught myself breaking little dams of twigs and leaves just to see how fast the water would go, what path it would take and how long it would take to clear up again...
Fascinating how water finds its way and leaves its mark on the landscape so soon..
Shortly afterwards I headed back home again, feeling feverish, complete with painfull joints, a heavy bumping head... the works....
But I did get out and learned a few things!!
