Hail to you all from Quebec, Canada !!

[fredcraft]

Hello folks,
Just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to all of the BCUK members. I came across your this site a couple weeks ago and it seems that I have to get my daily fix of it now .

I come from a rural area where I use to enjoy the outdoors much more than I do now (I'm a computer technician living in a urban area now :aargh4: ) and everyday I feel the call (callback?) of nature as I sit at my desk programming stuff ...

I'm starting to get more and more interested into bushcraft and DIY crafts, but unfortunately, my lifestyle and lack of experience in bushcrafting make me a bit confused as to where I should begin to gain more experience and ease with bushcraft skills . I envy you all when I see all the neat stuff you guys can do with natural ressources available out there :Wow: .

Any of you have in mind starting projects that a beginner bushcrafter could do to get more and more involved with bushcrafting :bluThinki: ? Perhaps some DIY crafts that can be done in the comfort of my livingroom ?

I'm planning on a weekend all in the wild, to try building my own spot with a shelter and safe fireplace so that I can cook my first outdoor meal ... well that is as soon as I get my missing equipment and as soon as the weather is a bit more suitable for a newbie buscrafter ! Also, i've started whittling a spoon but I'm having some difficulties as I think that my piece of dead wood is not suitable (too hard), is it better to whittle with green wood ?

Thanks,
Fred

PS : excuse my poor english, my main language is french.

 

[BorderReiver]

Welcome to BcUK Fred.

 

[rich59]

A warm welcome Fredcraft. Green wood is more carvable. But that doesn't mean you can't get good results with the hard stuff. Just needs a different technique. Think of the hammer and chisel. Try clamping your spoon and using 2 hands for the carving - perhaps use something to hit the back of the knife with for more power and control.

For an indoor project - learning how to make rope/ cordage from collected natural fibres? Or, if you have a chimney - learning new ways to light the fire? Or carry on carving but put a sheet down to collect the trimmings.

 

[leon-b]

yes green wood is easy to carve, give sycamore or birch a go
leon

 

[fredcraft]

Thanks for the tips folks :You_Rock_

Speaking of chisels, I was wondering if any of you used them to carve the bowl of their spoons instead of crooked knives ? I'm thinking of getting a couple of good chisels for my wood working projects and I question myself if they are really worth the expense.

I'm gonna work more on that once I'm done shoveling those 2' of snow that we got last thursday

Fred

 

[fred gordon]

Hi Fred. A welcome from one Fred to another! You will enjoy this site I'm sure. Hope you get out into the wilds soon.

 

[Johnboy06]

Hi
Im also new to bushcraft, however altough not strictly bush craft last year i went to canada ( i live in the uk) to visit my cousin. When i was there i went on a week long organized trip to algonquin national park. Not sure where abouts it is but im sure you do(all i know is its about 4 hours from toronto) it was a canoeing trip. Although there was no strictly bush crafting skills it was the best trip iv ever been on and if you want to get into the wilds thats a good place to start as a beginner. It wasnt bushcraft but I learnt to canoe (properly) also had an amazing guide who knew alot about the wildlife (tracks and things). The company was Call of the Wild. Its a trip ill never forget. You should check it out, brilliant. Its got me into the mood to do bushcraft in this country and is a great starter for non outdoor people like me who want to get into it. Youve got some of the best wild country in the world in canada!

 

[fredcraft]

Hi
Im also new to bushcraft, however altough not strictly bush craft last year i went to canada ( i live in the uk) to visit my cousin. When i was there i went on a week long organized trip to algonquin national park. Not sure where abouts it is but im sure you do(all i know is its about 4 hours from toronto) it was a canoeing trip. Although there was no strictly bush crafting skills it was the best trip iv ever been on and if you want to get into the wilds thats a good place to start as a beginner. It wasnt bushcraft but I learnt to canoe (properly) also had an amazing guide who knew alot about the wildlife (tracks and things). The company was Call of the Wild. Its a trip ill never forget. You should check it out, brilliant. Its got me into the mood to do bushcraft in this country and is a great starter for non outdoor people like me who want to get into it. Youve got some of the best wild country in the world in canada!

Welcome at BCUK Johnboy06 (weird to say that in my very own introductory post )

Ya we have great wild places here in Canada. It's very big too, when you consider that 80%+ of the people live in the southern part of the country which represent about 20% of the territory. So there is a huge proportion of the country which is still wild and pretty much unhabitated.

There are also many provincial parks in Quebec (I gotta do a 6 hours car ride to get to Algonquin provincial park ! ). There's actualy one at a 10 min drive from where I work. It's called Orford. There is a ski resort there and hundreads of acres of wild territory. It's actualy in quite a bit of problems as we speak since the provincial government want to privatize it. They want to sell the land to an entrepreneur that would build condominiums and other attractions for tourrists... way to go for the preservation of a provincial treasure.... sigh...)

 

[addyb]

Hi Fred and welcome to the greatest online planet on the planet!

It's nice to see more fellow Canucks joining the forums...we're something of a minority here!

Enjoy your stay and be sure that you purchase a Mora knife. 'tis the mark of any seasoned bushcrafter and is worth its weight in gold.

Cheers,

Adam

PS: Check your sanity from time to time. This place seems to have a strange affect on people.

 

[Mungo]

Bonjour Fred,

Welcome to the forum - I have not heard of Orford before, but I see it on the map now. It looks like a great region of Quebec!

à bientôt,

Mungo

 

[Johnboy06]

Yes indeed you have fantastic country. At the same time i had the chance to go to ibiza which is like an island full of night clubs and basicaly drinking and throwing up for a week. Im so glad i went to canada and i hope one day to return with some actual bushcraft knowledge to implement!