My son and I went for a nice little wander in the forest today. With the temperature dipping to a fresh +1.5c i made sure I took the wood stove with me.
The mist was heavy and visibility on the way in was down to about 40ft. Once amongst the trees it felt properly chilly and the water dripped from the branches in sudden, heavy drops. Wrapped up in four layers each, we wandered off the beaten path in search of deer. The forest has a good little population of muntjac and within a few moments we came across the sign of one.... we followed the trail downhill, where it crossed a small stream. Further on we came across its couch under a western cedar. It had nibbled at some roots just under the surface and my son was enjoying explaining why the deer shelters under a tree and not in a cave (for those that don't know, monsters hide in caves so they're not a safe place for a little deer....
).
After a half hour or so I lost the track and my son looked a little chilly. We set to with getting the tarp up. I decided on the Adirondack design with my 3x3 dd tarp and went in search of some branches for my little Lixada wood stove. It took some time to find something suitable in the soaked forest but eventually I came across a thin dead standing sapling. Using my folding saw I took it down and carried it back to the tarp. My son was stamping on mice and clapping his gloved hands to keep warm, I felt a little under pressure to get a fire lit!
After a stop/start moment and lots of blowing I got the fire lit and set my GSI kettle on the stove to boil the water.
My son explored close by while I fed the stove and waited for the water to boil. Laid my makeshift sit mat down and prepared lunch. When the water boiled I served up lashings of hot chocolate to eager little hands along with homemade rocky road cake and jammy dodgers. He devoured it all with lots of smacking lips and small talk.
For my lunch I have what I always have, cured meats and cheese on salted crackers.
With lunch almost done and with the cold biting, my son complained of cold feet. I took his wellies off, wrapped him in my poncho liner with instructions to keep wiggling his toes, whereafter I slurped on the remainder of the hot chocolate.
Finishing our lunch and with the day only getting colder, we packed up and headed home, my son leading the way while explaining how your blood pressure drops in the cold and that you should keep jumping up and down or you'll die! (I know, from a 7 year old, I was as surprised as you are!). I am under instruction to take him back tomorrow to track the deer again.
Cheers!
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
The mist was heavy and visibility on the way in was down to about 40ft. Once amongst the trees it felt properly chilly and the water dripped from the branches in sudden, heavy drops. Wrapped up in four layers each, we wandered off the beaten path in search of deer. The forest has a good little population of muntjac and within a few moments we came across the sign of one.... we followed the trail downhill, where it crossed a small stream. Further on we came across its couch under a western cedar. It had nibbled at some roots just under the surface and my son was enjoying explaining why the deer shelters under a tree and not in a cave (for those that don't know, monsters hide in caves so they're not a safe place for a little deer....
).After a half hour or so I lost the track and my son looked a little chilly. We set to with getting the tarp up. I decided on the Adirondack design with my 3x3 dd tarp and went in search of some branches for my little Lixada wood stove. It took some time to find something suitable in the soaked forest but eventually I came across a thin dead standing sapling. Using my folding saw I took it down and carried it back to the tarp. My son was stamping on mice and clapping his gloved hands to keep warm, I felt a little under pressure to get a fire lit!
After a stop/start moment and lots of blowing I got the fire lit and set my GSI kettle on the stove to boil the water.
My son explored close by while I fed the stove and waited for the water to boil. Laid my makeshift sit mat down and prepared lunch. When the water boiled I served up lashings of hot chocolate to eager little hands along with homemade rocky road cake and jammy dodgers. He devoured it all with lots of smacking lips and small talk.
For my lunch I have what I always have, cured meats and cheese on salted crackers.
With lunch almost done and with the cold biting, my son complained of cold feet. I took his wellies off, wrapped him in my poncho liner with instructions to keep wiggling his toes, whereafter I slurped on the remainder of the hot chocolate.
Finishing our lunch and with the day only getting colder, we packed up and headed home, my son leading the way while explaining how your blood pressure drops in the cold and that you should keep jumping up and down or you'll die! (I know, from a 7 year old, I was as surprised as you are!). I am under instruction to take him back tomorrow to track the deer again.
Cheers!
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
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