Competition Time!

[ChrisKavanaugh]

I was finishing my Coast Guard enlistment in Alameda California on a manmade island with the inspiring name of government island. It had been formed during early dredging. It was the old Pan American China Clipper base and nearby I located the spot nearby where Jack London tied up Razzle Dazzle when a oyster pirate. Aside from the standard seagulls and pidgeons nature had fled the area to rusting WW2 ships waiting for the breakers and trendy fish retaurants trying desperately to look nautical with knock off antiques from New England. My barracks was a rather uninspired two story brick affair. One evening, we were watching the cult movie Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford. Several of us had served together in Alaska. Come commerical break, and we all ran to get a soda, use the lou etc. I was getting a coke from the vending machine when my friend Timmy walked up, tears in his eyes. "I miss Kodiak" escaped from our mouths simultaneously. So, I hatched a plot. My last duty billet was an insulting stint supervising the base grounds with a crew of drug rehab idiots doing everything ( and conversely nothing productive) to get discharged. We had taken delivery of several score 5 gallon pine trees to landscape the base. I cleared out my barracks room and with my 2 roommates 'borrowed' 24 of the trees over the weekend. I even had another Redford narrated LP playing various wolf howls and several of us 'camped out' getting drunk and telling Alaska stories everyone had heard ( and claimed the real role as the potagonist.) It was the CAMPFIRE that did us in and the hotdogs and smoors. The duty master at Arms, a sweet, 280 lb tongan named Sui Tuitasie knocked on the door, took one look and fled. I went below after him with a soda and hotdog. After promises to have it all cleared by Sunday evening and NO MORE FIRES, he agreed he hadn't seen or heard anything. We woke before reveille in our sleeping bags and withing minutes a line of sailors looking like Tolkien Ents went walking past the base chaplain on his bicycle. That monday the Co pulled a suprise inspection. He commented how nice our room looked ( no centerfolds) and SMELLED almost like a campground. "yes, I need some leavetime men. I swear I can smell pinetrees, a campfire and even smores."

 

[ditchfield]

I learned about being prepared the hard way when on one of my first mountain climbs (walks) in the Lake District when I was about 10, having to wear socks on my hands and shelter in a hollow rock during an impromptue blizzard. I will always remember that and found it tremendous fun at the time.

3766

 

[Douglas]

The walk I did today was great, we went un to "les Jumelles", they're "twin" mountains above Taney (the Taney lake had the most magnificiant colour by the way).

We were walking along the normal path, when all of a sudden we saw two bouquetins round the bend. (sorry I don't think there's an english name for them) They were just lying on the path, and ran off when they noticed us. They only went two meters further though, and just stayed there staring at us. We took a photo of them, then walked slowly towards them, got within 5 metres of them, and just stayed there awhile. Then a marmot appeared a bit further on, just sat peacefully on the rock and didn't move. The three of them (marmot + bouquetins) just didn't mind us.

We then moved on, and got to a little lake. There was a hole herd of bouquetins, at least 13 of them, with adults (mostly female, just one male), young ones and a baby. We watched them for a while and even had our picnic there. They were all sticking their heads in a little hole next to the lake, probably to drink fresher water than the lakes...but I'm not sure. We saw two walkers a bit further that said they saw a newborn baby, that couldn't walk yet and was still yet (like all newborns...).

Arriving at the top was quite something, you're on the stony hill whith just the view down the valley, then you get to the ridge, poke your head over it and there's a beautifull plunging view on the lake and everything that's behind it. It was really breathtaking.

Unfortunately the camera had a problem with the battery so I don't have many photos, and the ones I have aren't very good. Sorry for the size of the pictures...

These are the first two (no photo of the marmot)

This is the herd, the baby is in the shadow of his mother near the top left, and the younger one is the hairy one in the bottom right.

This is the hole they stick their heads in, it's the male that looks like the "master" with his head in it, and the baby is in the middle of the photograph.

I'm completely worn out, but it was a great day!

*EDIT* forgot the number: #500

 

[Strider]

Whilst treking through Cotopaxi National Park during travels in Ecuador...
We set up camp under the cover of darkness and rain. This was not the greatest end to an overclouded, wet, headache-from-altitude filled day!!
However, crawling out my tent the next morning to This:

...made it all seem worthwile.

#4552
Cheers!!

 

[alick]

In Norway on my first holiday with my wife-to-be and two old friends. Arriving on foot in a small village far north of the arctic circle we asked if there was a camping ground where we could stay the night. The owner of the hotel where we asked said simply to walk down the beach until we were clear of the wooden racks used for drying fish and then camp anywhere we chose. He then invited us to set in to fill up our water supplies and use their hot water to freshen up.

After choosing a place to bivvy, we set a generous fire of driftwood and enjoyed a meal followed by a walk along the waters edge. Then as the midnight sun dipped towards the horizon and rose again without setting we sat around the fire telling stories and watched a flock of arctic terns feeding offshore far into the "night".

It was the highlight of a magical trip and remains one of the most vivid memories of my life.

Alick

#1974

 

[BorderReiver]

Simple pleasures III.

Sitting by your campfire eating a meal that you have taken from the wild yourself.

 

[TheViking]

Hey

It is easy to say that it will not rain on your next trip, when you sit inside, but when you're just about to leave your house!: Take the raincoat with you too!

#2500

 

[Andy]

When in the first year of sixth form I sorted ot starting the D of E. The only group I could go with was with four lads I didn't know, the first thingthey said was do you have a tent to use. We camped on the last weekend of November. Very nasty weather with windchil down to about -11 waking up with ice on my pillow and finding my mess tin filled with ice.
0001

 

[sargey]

cool stuff!

keep 'em coming, chris k and ditchfield, don't forget your numbers!

cheers, and.

 

[Kath]

#661

Beautiful sunset last night - the sun set right behind the mountains of Mourne across the Irish Sea.


Kids shelters were a SASS combined rucksack cover/emergency shelter with a SASS pole as central support or using a low earth wall (no trees ...!)

For dinner, I ate ratpack pork casserole and treacle pud cooked on hexy, lit with Bushcraft Bison and charcloth. The kids took turns to use the blast match to light their stoves. (it's awesome! - cheers Jamie ) Luckily the rain put out the small brushfire on the headland!

Spent the night under my basha (SASS again) :-D


Woke up about 5 am with an oyster catcher about 10 feet away from me - completely unpeturbed by me shuffling around, getting my camera out of the bag, opening velcro etc but flew off when my camera beeped!


All in all, a great time!

 

[MartiniDave]

#42

Being able to walk through the middle of a wheat field yesterday evening, (on a footpath of course!) without so much as a hint of havfever!

Dave

P.S. That looks a great spot Kath, wonderful photos!

 

[Buckshot]

When I'm talking to people at work I sometimes have to stop and think.

Sometimes I forget just how lucky my lifestyle makes me.

When you spend alot of time out and about you see all kind of things, Badgers and deer, Buzzards and Red Kytes, the eruption of life in the spring and the ceasation of it in winter.

Occasionally, just occasionally, when talking about what I did at the weekend, or last night, people look at me in disbelief, I forget not everyone see the things I do.

I feel privilieged and humbled to a small part of this wonderfull thing called nature :ekt:

Thanks

Mark

869

 

[PC2K]

An easy way to clean your shoe's from dung you got at the beginning of a hike, is to walk through several diffrent terrains, crass, mud, durt and gravel combind are wonderfull crap cleaners, for the botom of your shoes that is. Walk several hunderd yard on hard sufaces to clean all the gravel and stuff...

#4321

 

[MagiKelly]

Not strictly bushcraft but the best advice I ever got was

Choose work as if the money did not matter

Love like you have never been hurt

& Dance like you do when no one is looking

#1

 

[Adi007]

Simple advice, but practice, practice and practice some more. Don't just limit practicing your skills to trips or expeditions but take every opportunity to refine your skills.

#1954

 

[Doc]

The Ten Bushcraft Commandments

Thou shalt not lend thy neighbour thy knife. For thy neighbour understandeth not these things, and shall surely use it dig latrines, etc.

Thou shalt not lend thy neighbour thy axe. For he shall surely smite himself with it, and his skull blunteth the edge that thou spent hours honing.

Thou had best not lend thy neighbour thy saw either, to be honest. For there is no end to the ingenuity of fools.

Thou shalt not wear coats of many colours, like the tribe of Ramblerites and Hikerites, for such garb scareth the deer.

But neither shalt thou look like a flipping mercenary.

Thou shalt not pretend to thy less experienced brethren that the bow-drill is easy.

Thou shalt not kill, unless thou intendeth to eat it afterwards.

Thou shalt not falsely identify mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe to thy neighbour, claiming that they are a delicacy.

…….sorry, somebody else provide the last two!!

 

[Roving Rich]

Thou shalt leave no trace when thou leaveth the woods....
and erm 87
(it will be mine, mine i tell you mwahhaahaahaahaa)

Cheers Rich

 

[MartiniDave]

...Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's Axe.

Thou shalt not make char cloth from your good woman's best table cloth :wave:

Dave

 

[ESpy]

Thou shalt not snore.

 

[Adi007]

Thou shalt not make char cloth from your good woman's best table cloth :wave:

Dave

I was waiting for that one! ): :rolmao: