A few lessons from 2012, and a few resolutions

[yomperalex]

It's been a fun year, managed 3 expeditions out bushcrafting, Brecons, Dartmoor and some local woodland we were given access to.

I learnt 3 good things this year:

1 - Dead gorse wood makes excellent fire wood. Really great for cooking, and easy to collect plentiful amounts (gardening gloves another part of this lesson).

2 - Yew berries are edible, and really quite delicious, just don't eat the seed.

3 - keep the kit list simple, sparse, essential and light. My expeditions have been much more enjoyable with a lighter load, there is a satisfaction just using minimal kit and it encourages you to be more resourceful. After some real difficult times out last year due to excess kit I think I am now pretty much there and it feels a lot better.


Now looking forward to next year. Three bushcraft resolutions are

1 - Do a weekend out sub zero and test my kit for those conditions

2 - Do a weekend where all food is hunted and foraged.

3 - cook a whole deer carcass in a pit.

Have fun and happy new year.

Alex

 

[Thoth]

I've not had a great 2012 from the point of getting out into the wilds, I had heart bypass surgery in September which made things difficult! Still I'm all fixed now and looking forwards to getting out more in 2013. I'm hoping to do some canoe training, bivvy out at least as much as in 2011 (once a month minimum) and get up to somewhere remote in Scotland.

 

[Elen Sentier]

I've not had a great 2012 from the point of getting out into the wilds, I had heart bypass surgery in September which made things difficult! Still I'm all fixed now and looking forwards to getting out more in 2013. I'm hoping to do some canoe training, bivvy out at least as much as in 2011 (once a month minimum) and get up to somewhere remote in Scotland.

Really glad you're all fixed. Plans sound good, I too am intending to get out once a month and to somewhere remote in Scotland ... will try not to run into you up there and so remove the remoteness

 

[Thoth]

I think that as long as we plan to visit on different days a trip to NY0569 ought to be quite quiet. I believe that it is the only 1km square on the OS map where there are no features shown, nothing at all! :-D

 

[jimmypw]

I'll take your word on the yew berries.