but surely the literal interpretation of bush craft would be this.....
Love it mate.....
Love it mate.....
Survival by definition implies some sort of disaster or unforeseen factors. It is my belief that no one can really train for "survival". What good would it be to know how to light a fire in 3 different ways, if you have just crawled out of a crashed plane with all your bones broken. Or if you have been incapacitated in any way.
What it is important is to have knowledge. Knowledge of your actions, your surrounding. And when it comes to the woods, bushcraft is the knowledge you need. And this knowledge is available to you to either escape this particular environment, or just sit comfy and whittle a kuksa.
It is also my belief, that by having this knowledge, you minimize the chances of needing to survive at some point.
What it is important is to have knowledge. Knowledge of your actions, your surrounding. And when it comes to the woods, bushcraft is the knowledge you need. And this knowledge is available to you to either escape this particular environment, or just sit comfy and whittle a kuksa.
It is also my belief, that by having this knowledge, you minimize the chances of needing to survive at some point.
Ray Mears nails it at the start of his Bushcraft series.
"It's about much more than just survival: bushcraft is a treasure trove of wisdom, that enables us to feel a real kinship with the landscape."
[video=youtube_share;fSvs8-ke8yY]http://youtu.be/fSvs8-ke8yY[/video]
"It's about much more than just survival: bushcraft is a treasure trove of wisdom, that enables us to feel a real kinship with the landscape."
[video=youtube_share;fSvs8-ke8yY]http://youtu.be/fSvs8-ke8yY[/video]
It sounds nice, but I personally find it to be meaningless statement. We tend to talk in abstract platitudes like this when it comes to bushcraft, and I don't think it does us any service. However one chooses to define bushcraft, there are certain realities of being in the woods that can not be circumvented by poetic language.
For me, "bushcraft" is synonymous with "wilderness skills". It is simply a set of skills or "craft" that one can use in the wilderness or "bush". These skills can be used to accomplish any range of things, whether it be survival after being stranded in the woods, or a leisurely fishing trip. These skills or bushcraft, can be used in any of those situations, although depending on the circumstances, certain skills would be more valuable and heavily relied upon than others. For example, on a hunting trip, tracking skills might be more important; in a difficult survival situation, the ability to keep warm by building shelter and making fire would be key; and on a nice weekend trip into the woods, the ability to carve entertaining objects might take priority. These are all wilderness skills, or bushcraft, and a well rounded outdoorsman would have knowledge of all of them, but different set of the skills would be more applicable in different situations.
Unfortunately (in my opinion), bushcraft has gradually been redefined as an activity all on its own. We have started to place more and more rules on what is real bushcraft, and as a result we have moved away from a tangible definition of the term. Inevitably, one is left with the impression that as long as you are “one with nature”, and “learn to understand her ways through the magic of bushcraft”, you can “thrive” under any conditions, armed with your knowledge and whatever bushcraft knife your favorite celebrity happens to be pushing this season.
All sorts of platitudes get espoused about how bushcraft is some transcendent knowledge that will make nature your loyal friend. If only you were one of the inner circle, and acquired this knowledge, then even after being stranded in the woods for months, the rescue team will find you living in a comfortable shelter, sipping spruce needle tea and relaxing by the fire. The proclamations about bushcraft get only more esoteric and abstract from there, to the point where reading a thread on “What is Bushcraft”, or in this case "Bushcraft vs. Survival" can make you feel like you are in a cult.
To be fair, there is some truth to those statements, but anyone who has spent significant time in the woods, more than ten feet away from their car, knows that these are just overly romanticized musing. Unfortunately, as a culture we have lost the day to day connection to our more primitive living skills. Few people even go into the woods, let alone try to make a living there with their own two hands. As a result, we now look at the past with rose colored glasses, and just like an old man sitting on the porch, yelling at kids about the “good ol’ days”, we paint the lives of those who actually had to live that way in a light that removes all of the toil, suffering and hardship. We have lost all realistic grasp on what it takes and the hardships one has to endure when living alone in the woods for any period of time. As a result, we start to separate bushcraft from survival.
Being one with nature, and living off the land looks great on TV. It’s even great when you are doing it with a support crew on a TV show, where a set of cast iron pots magically appears so you can cook your food, and the Range Rover is right there to take you to the nearest hotel when you get cold.
By being so isolated from the reality, and having as our only source of information the limited amount we see on TV, or from someone who has made a few YouTube videos, and now styles himself a bushcraft instructor, we come away with the impression that the only thing that separates us from a glorious and harmonious existence and unity with nature, is the bushcraft knowledge that we have to acquire. The reality of actually feeding yourself off the land, and surviving for prolonged periods of time under harsh conditions gets whitewashed by the romanticism perpetuated by certain TV hosts, and especially those who self-proclaim themselves as their disciples.
The likely reality is that for our ancestors, trying to live alone in the wilderness was either a test of manhood, if done for a short period of time, or a death sentence if done for a prolonged period of time. People survived in communities, which together strived to gather resources where locally available, so that they can survive periods of the year where those resources could not be procured. I doubt they drew any line between bushcraft and survival. They are all wilderness skills. We apply them as needed in the situations that present themselves to us.
Anyway, sorry for rambling so long. I promise I tried to stay away from this thread as long as I could.
It sounds nice, but I personally find it to be meaningless statement. We tend to talk in abstract platitudes like this when it comes to bushcraft, and I don't think it does us any service. However one chooses to define bushcraft, there are certain realities of being in the woods that can not be circumvented by poetic language.
Anyway, sorry for rambling so long. I promise I tried to stay away from this thread as long as I could.
It sounds nice, but that's not the reason for it being true. It could have been said in an ugly way and still be true.
I fail to see how bushcraft is neither a "treasure trove of wisdom" nor a kinship with the wilderness. Of course there are finer details in that, but as a broad generalisation it's a good summary.
Personally, I think everyone should read 'The Jungle is Neutral'. This book, for me, clearly shows how bushcraft and survival are in fact two sides of the same coin. Neither is perfect, both are worth practising. I like to consider myself as someone who takes a little from both, uses what works and disregards the rest. In other words, don't pigeonhole yourself.
Like they say, the devil is in the details.
I personally (and that's just me) do not think bushcraft has anything to do with "kinship with nature". It certainly occurs in nature, and is an interaction with nature, but I think calling it kinship is overly romanticizing the experience. It can be a "treasure trove of wisdom" if you are listening to the right people. If you are not, then it will not be. But then again, that can be said about absolutely anything, including the most vulgar forms of survivalism. I didn't mean to nitpick the particular sentence. That was not my intention. My issue was with the fact that we talk in generalities too often, which creates the impression that bushcraft is this magical, warm, fuzzy thing, somehow distinct from and transcending other outdoor experiences and pursuits. In my opinion, the reality of it is in the details, and is much different.
Because frankly you don't need any bushcraft skills to feel a "kinship with the wilderness." An occassional picnic in the park or a trip to the zoo can give that self-same kinship with little to no knowledge or skill. And true bushcraft involves more than "a treasure trove of wisdom." Simply the wisdom of how to light a fire carries no value at all if you cain't physically do it. Most bushcraft skills involve not only knowledge (wisdom) but also practice and often hard work (e.g. cutting, splitting, and stacking a supply of firewood for the winter) It ain't romantic; it's HARD WORK.
In this same sub-forum, lannyman8 did a challenge back in September: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89191. In broad terms, the challenge is to go out for three days and two night with some basic, although rather generous gear (includes cutting tools, cordage, and cooking equipment), and find/gather food for the three days as well as make a camp. Of course, that does not mean starve for three days under a tree. Let's say gather enough food to equal about 2000 cal per day, an build one of those comfortable camps that people have been discussing int his thread.
I would think that with all of us here, who have been writing about bushcraft for years and how we will thrive in nature with it, or in other words, smooth it, this would be a great way to show how all this bushcraft knowledge can be used to live comfortably in nature.
I say, let's go and do it. So far no one seems to have taken on the challenge. I know from experience that I can not do it. I do not have the ability to gather such amounts of food in the forests here. As far a comfortable camp, the last time I built a waterproof lean to from natural materials it took me over five hours. But then again, I don't claim to be a bushcrafter. For those of you who are more experienced in bushcraft, please share your experience in this challenge with us, so we can see what works and what doesn't.
Maybe that way we will be able to see how the bushcraft approach to the situation is different than the survival one. Maybe they will turn out to be the same, but I want to see from people who are experienced in bushcraft this "thriving" thing I have been hearing about so much. I would love to see in what type of environment that works and under what conditions. I think that when we see it on camera, it may once and for all put an end to these debates.
Thanks guys. I look forward to reading all the reports.
I would think that with all of us here, who have been writing about bushcraft for years and how we will thrive in nature with it, or in other words, smooth it, this would be a great way to show how all this bushcraft knowledge can be used to live comfortably in nature.
I say, let's go and do it. So far no one seems to have taken on the challenge. I know from experience that I can not do it. I do not have the ability to gather such amounts of food in the forests here. As far a comfortable camp, the last time I built a waterproof lean to from natural materials it took me over five hours. But then again, I don't claim to be a bushcrafter. For those of you who are more experienced in bushcraft, please share your experience in this challenge with us, so we can see what works and what doesn't.
Maybe that way we will be able to see how the bushcraft approach to the situation is different than the survival one. Maybe they will turn out to be the same, but I want to see from people who are experienced in bushcraft this "thriving" thing I have been hearing about so much. I would love to see in what type of environment that works and under what conditions. I think that when we see it on camera, it may once and for all put an end to these debates.
Thanks guys. I look forward to reading all the reports.
Like they say, the devil is in the details.
Interesting thoughts. What about people that undeniably are masters of bushcraft? Like the Hadza for example, to say they don't have a kinship with their surroundings is perplexing to me.
Of course it's hard work, but knowledge is certainly not the same as wisdom.
I know what you're saying, that someone can do outdoorsy things and get that good feeling, I just can't agree that someone can go to a zoo and get the same kinship with the wilderness as someone on a fortnight canoe trip through Canada. It doesn't help that we all have different definitions of "bushcraft", "kinship" etc.
All just my opinions of course.
That's the problem I have. We are using very vague, terms, which sound great as long as we don't think too much about what they mean. For example, the term "kinship" is defined as: 1. Blood relationship; 2. A sharing of characteristics or origin. If I start digging into all this, I don't see how the Hadza can possibly have a kinship with an inanimate entity such as "nature". Again, my point is not to fight over definitions, it's to point out that the use of vague, flowery statements about bushcraft tells us nothing about it, and worse, creates an unrealistic expectations.
No no, "completely undefined term (a) is vastly superior to completely undefined term (b)" - but only because its how I choose to define myself.
I cannot accurately explain the difference in terms that are not
1) meaningless platitudes
and
2) calcualted to insult
...but I know I am right
I cannot accurately explain the difference in terms that are not
1) meaningless platitudes
and
2) calcualted to insult
...but I know I am right
There-in lies the problem. I've been a fisherman and a hunter almost all my life and I'm good at it (at least within the confines of the geograpic/habitat areas that I'm familiar with) However not even that still doesn't guarentee success. I've been on trips where I've caught my limit of Bass, Perch, Bream, Catfish, or whatever in a few short hours; but I've also spent days fishing without so much as a nibble.Same story hunting. On any given trip (survival situation) I might "thrive" easily; yet on another trip with almost equal conditions I might very well nearly starve (or actually starve if the situation lasts a sufficient duration) Like wise the possibilities for gathering plant foods; they may be there, they may not. And it's very likely beyond your control no matter how good a bushcrafter you are.
I believe it's all about the personality, character, experience, and (most importantly the expectations) of the individual. I know some people who could take that fortnight canoe trip through Canada and get nothing more than remorse for having to endure what they believe is drudgery and boredom. Whereas others such as most of us on the forum would relish such a trip.
....and thats why, if I had to pick a label, I'll be a survivalist
I enjoy growing my own food (not bushcraft)
I enjoying preserving my own food (not bushcraft)
I enjoy making mead and hedgerow wine ( not bushcraft)
I enjoy learning about beekeeping ( not bushcraft)
I enjoy cooking over wood every day (not UK bushcraft)
I enjoy making my own soap ( not bushcraft)
....shall I go on?
I enjoy so many things that are real, practical, accesible and a viable UK lifestyle.
They are all part of the reality (not the fantasy) of survival - but not of bushcraft.
I have learned a great deal fro the bushcrat community - but why the snobbery exists escapes me
I enjoy growing my own food (not bushcraft)
I enjoying preserving my own food (not bushcraft)
I enjoy making mead and hedgerow wine ( not bushcraft)
I enjoy learning about beekeeping ( not bushcraft)
I enjoy cooking over wood every day (not UK bushcraft)
I enjoy making my own soap ( not bushcraft)
....shall I go on?
I enjoy so many things that are real, practical, accesible and a viable UK lifestyle.
They are all part of the reality (not the fantasy) of survival - but not of bushcraft.
I have learned a great deal fro the bushcrat community - but why the snobbery exists escapes me
That kind of ambiguity with the flowery statements can of course be a bad thing, but I would also argue that simply having that space to define it as you please, gives the freedom to make this "bushcraft" thing very individual - which again may or may not be a good thing depending on your views.
A fine point.
Fabulous book, literally so in places, but reading a biography of Chapman one can see tragic flaws in his personality that IMHO hardship and living in the wild kept at bay. The message in his book though is a good one for survival and bushcraft, Nature is neutral or indifferent and we are animals living on its surplus.
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