If you prefer video (with subtitles) version, the link can be found at the bottom of the post.
It was absolutely weeing it down on Sunday, so I took the opportunity to go and do some bushcrafty stuff in the woods. The rain seemed to put everyone else off going out, so I didn't see or hear a soul for the entire day (other than some gunshots from a nearby area, I assume shooting game).
Finn and I headed deep into the woods away from the paths, just in case and after finding a suitable spot my first task was to get a shelter set up. British Army poncho to the rescue, to which I have a ridgeline pre-clipped using the Nite Ize Cam Jam XT clips, which I am a huge fan of as they allow shelter setup in no time at all! With a nice, mossy old stump to perch upon and everything. Luxury.
Although I don't want to name any names, but someone seemed to take exception to my comfortable seat and was trying to dig it out from under me.
Next step after shelter? You betcha, get something warm in me, through the medium ofinterpretive dance my trusty Bushbox LF twig stove. A breakfast of porridge from a British ration pack set the day off right, although I added some hot chocolate powder to it to make it a bit less wallpaper-pastey. Disaster almost struck when filling my cup over the stove, a bit of spillage on the twigs. Thankfully not fatal, but a lesson re-learned to fill up before placing the cup on the stove.
We had a good few hours moseying about the woods, spotting plenty of animal sign. Not many foragable plants in this part of the woods, just ferns and brambles, so we decided to see what animal sign we could spot. Loads of sign of squirrel and deer - chewed up pinecones, floor scrapes and chewed up fallen trees. Also spotted a little hole with a chewed pinecone left just outside - I am not sure what would've done this, perhaps a mouse or a vole or something?
Back to camp for lunch, which was another ration meal of chicken curry with rice and potato, it was very nice indeed. Followed by an Orange cake of the same origin. I took a few minutes to whittle a little stirrer for my tea, so I didn't have to stir it with a curried spoon. TBS Boar MkIII folder to the rescue. This thing makes short work of simple whittles like this. Finn did more digging - though has not yet found me any truffles. Sad.
After a nice lunch and a hot drink, we spent another hour or so wandering around the woods looking for things of interest. Still nothing really foragable, so we headed back to camp to break it down (with supervision) and make good the area we'd been in, which only took a few minutes of scattering detritus and filling in the hole(s) dug by Anonymous Parties.
And we're out of here! My Sabre 45 was bought from this very forum last year and has had a whole lot of use since purchase. Very happy with it.
We walked back to the car where I dropped off my bag and we headed back out along the woodline and hedgerows to see what foragables we could find. Lots of garlic mustard, hogweed, nettles and ribwort plantain. Still no wild garlic, big sads.
All in all it was a great day out. I always love woodland, including when it's raining and it has that special feel about it. It feels like a really alive place to exist within.
I'm looking forward to getting back into the woods for mushroom season, other than hoof fungus I didn't spot much out today.
Video highlights of the day:
It was absolutely weeing it down on Sunday, so I took the opportunity to go and do some bushcrafty stuff in the woods. The rain seemed to put everyone else off going out, so I didn't see or hear a soul for the entire day (other than some gunshots from a nearby area, I assume shooting game).
Finn and I headed deep into the woods away from the paths, just in case and after finding a suitable spot my first task was to get a shelter set up. British Army poncho to the rescue, to which I have a ridgeline pre-clipped using the Nite Ize Cam Jam XT clips, which I am a huge fan of as they allow shelter setup in no time at all! With a nice, mossy old stump to perch upon and everything. Luxury.
Although I don't want to name any names, but someone seemed to take exception to my comfortable seat and was trying to dig it out from under me.
Next step after shelter? You betcha, get something warm in me, through the medium of
We had a good few hours moseying about the woods, spotting plenty of animal sign. Not many foragable plants in this part of the woods, just ferns and brambles, so we decided to see what animal sign we could spot. Loads of sign of squirrel and deer - chewed up pinecones, floor scrapes and chewed up fallen trees. Also spotted a little hole with a chewed pinecone left just outside - I am not sure what would've done this, perhaps a mouse or a vole or something?
Back to camp for lunch, which was another ration meal of chicken curry with rice and potato, it was very nice indeed. Followed by an Orange cake of the same origin. I took a few minutes to whittle a little stirrer for my tea, so I didn't have to stir it with a curried spoon. TBS Boar MkIII folder to the rescue. This thing makes short work of simple whittles like this. Finn did more digging - though has not yet found me any truffles. Sad.
After a nice lunch and a hot drink, we spent another hour or so wandering around the woods looking for things of interest. Still nothing really foragable, so we headed back to camp to break it down (with supervision) and make good the area we'd been in, which only took a few minutes of scattering detritus and filling in the hole(s) dug by Anonymous Parties.
And we're out of here! My Sabre 45 was bought from this very forum last year and has had a whole lot of use since purchase. Very happy with it.
We walked back to the car where I dropped off my bag and we headed back out along the woodline and hedgerows to see what foragables we could find. Lots of garlic mustard, hogweed, nettles and ribwort plantain. Still no wild garlic, big sads.
All in all it was a great day out. I always love woodland, including when it's raining and it has that special feel about it. It feels like a really alive place to exist within.
I'm looking forward to getting back into the woods for mushroom season, other than hoof fungus I didn't spot much out today.
Video highlights of the day:
