That's the boyo, best tv outdoorsman/countryman/everyman character ever in my book, no drama no fuss, in fact the exact opposite he is usually as relaxed as you can be smiling away, the younguns will be thinking who the hell are we onaboot 
I Blame Ray Mears - narrowly escaped widow maker
- Thread starter GGTBod
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Yep, but I wonder at you seeing the dead stand and thinking "I'll not sleep under it but pitch my living space under it though". Does it make any diference how soon a dead tree falls, I suppose if you have permission you can fell the ones around the camp.
Other things that have kaputed others is that helpful birchsap craize. I don't mind digging a bit of grass, but if it's alive I do not like to touch it, look at the damage the sheer number of people have had on the lake district.
Other things that have kaputed others is that helpful birchsap craize. I don't mind digging a bit of grass, but if it's alive I do not like to touch it, look at the damage the sheer number of people have had on the lake district.
It wasn't a living space as in somewhere i'd be under more than a few seconds at a time just to grab or put back a bit of kit, but i did tell myself at least twice in my internal running narrative to pick somewhere else when setting it up but i told myself i knew better for some reason even though i was very aware of the danger, complacency is a killer too (shudda bloody listened to that little voice), it was just a tarp covering my kit so i can spread it out under it and have easy access to it all like cameras and spare clothing and food instead of having it all squashed under one small tarp still in bags in bags and it being a PIA to get at it and find stuff, so more like a temporary mancave/shed/dry storage zone if you will, i was out in nature there for over a month so there was more than normal supplies and kit, this is probably how none of gear got damaged as it was so spread out under the tarp.
The sap tapping like you said is another bushcrafty thing causing lots of problems, the whole hammered in piece of branch trick doesn't always work
I reckon you should have spotted that dead tree. Much of our forest is grown as crop, like the longer lived Pines where you camp. Birch is not planted as crop, it occurs naturally, colonises quickly, rots very quickly providing the soil with nutrients for Pine and Oak to grow. Ok, it's not great that idiots are cutting the cambium, and it's not great one fell your way, but it is a tree that provides materials that are useful, and it's highly prolific.
I often wonder, nothing personal to you just generally, why people type away on forums about trees being damaged when the sofa they're sat on is made of wood. There's a duality of opinion. Everyone likes wood, but then grumble about it actually being felled for use. Cutting bark and killing a tree is not good, but even without that, dead Birch stands awhile before they turn to damp sponge and fall over. It's just what they do, you'll need to check your site, you noticed quite a few dangers after the event that should have been noticed before.
Quoted from a forestry website.
"Birch is a pioneer species, which is one of the first to colonise a site. It is especially good at taking over old industrial locations. It is primarily associated, however, with wet, boggy ground. Birch trees are one of the shortest lived British native trees only living between 40-60 years.".
So it puts in a great deal in a short time. Only thing it's used for in bulk round here is pulpwood for paper. A far more damaging industry than bark removal.
I often wonder, nothing personal to you just generally, why people type away on forums about trees being damaged when the sofa they're sat on is made of wood. There's a duality of opinion. Everyone likes wood, but then grumble about it actually being felled for use. Cutting bark and killing a tree is not good, but even without that, dead Birch stands awhile before they turn to damp sponge and fall over. It's just what they do, you'll need to check your site, you noticed quite a few dangers after the event that should have been noticed before.
Quoted from a forestry website.
"Birch is a pioneer species, which is one of the first to colonise a site. It is especially good at taking over old industrial locations. It is primarily associated, however, with wet, boggy ground. Birch trees are one of the shortest lived British native trees only living between 40-60 years.".
So it puts in a great deal in a short time. Only thing it's used for in bulk round here is pulpwood for paper. A far more damaging industry than bark removal.
Yep, Friday night Granddad would come in from the farm, perch himself downstairs and he and I would watch Jack Hargreaves on Southern or was it TVS back then?, and when I thought Granddad wasn't looking id nick his pork pie off his plate, well i thought he wasnt looking, but of course he always knew but never said anything.
I have all of the Out if Town's on DVD, wonderful viewing, have you read Out of Town & The Old Country, fascinating reads.
No mate i haven't but thanks for pointing them out, off to amazon right now to find them, much appreciation i'd gladly relive them memories, my grandad use to have his bombay mix and his old holdborn baccy, what a smell combo
I loved that programme, Jack Hargreaves was a mentor for me. There's a good Wiki page.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hargreaves
lol, my granddad smelt of hydraulic oil & Golden Virginia when he came in on Friday night, i can still smell his workshop up the farm to this day, happy days and good times.
The footage is not from UK mate it is from USA about 70 mile north of the Canadian border in the Adirondack state park
No he is not, he is wholly irresponsible! Giving a scrap of knowledge to half wits is irresponsible. I believe the rant was against those who act on half a story and are too lazy to actually think!
This is nothing to do with the tons of great stuff he has been responsible for or the many people who have learned and learned well from his example.
I was going to call the video Patrick Mcglinchey Saved My Life as that is who taught me all about the dangers of widowmakers which made me not sleep there even though the view was better but Patrick although a highly skills outdoorsman is a low profile kinda guy and that is how he likes it so it wouldn't have been as catchy a title, plus i'd have had to edit out my Ray Mears ranting when i was in shock and recording the footage, if you watch the video again you can see the point of realisation hit me about halfway through where i laugh and say rant over and suck air in like it is the newest freshest air i've ever tasted and say something along the lines of happy to be alive
but Patrick although a highly skills outdoorsman is a low profile kinda guy and that is how he likes it so it wouldn't have been as catchy a title, plus i'd have had to edit out my Ray Mears ranting when i was in shock and recording the footage, if you watch the video again you can see the point of realisation hit me about halfway through where i laugh and say rant over and suck air in like it is the newest freshest air i've ever tasted and say something along the lines of happy to be alive 
Yes, very fond memories of 'out of town'. Got hold of the DVDs and made my wife watch - she wasn't impressed, said every episode seemed to be about carts!
Dont know, still think a 'ray made me do it' t-shirt would be a great way of abrogating all responsibility for my actions.
Want to wear your knife on your belt and carry your axe over your shoulder while walking down the high street, just make sure you're wearing your 'Ray made me do it' t-shirt.
Think a 'jack made me do it' t-shirt would be even better but guessing not many folk would remember him these days - definitely one for those of us of a certain age!!
Dont know, still think a 'ray made me do it' t-shirt would be a great way of abrogating all responsibility for my actions.
Want to wear your knife on your belt and carry your axe over your shoulder while walking down the high street, just make sure you're wearing your 'Ray made me do it' t-shirt.
Think a 'jack made me do it' t-shirt would be even better but guessing not many folk would remember him these days - definitely one for those of us of a certain age!!
The footage is not from UK mate it is from USA about 70 mile north of the Canadian border in the Adirondack state park
Very north east England.
I did wonder about about the paper bark, our UK Birch is not like that.
Very north east England.
I did wonder about about the paper bark, our UK Birch is not like that.
at times you could easy kid yourself you were in Scotland or The lake District and then you see the signs saying stash your food from bears and at night you can hear the coyote packs calling to each other, but geographically, geology-wise even flora and fauna to an extent is very similar, like every berry that grows here grows there and so does every tree, just made myself really miss Scotland there writing that, off to the Cairngorms in a couple of weeks for my first trip up that way
Aye Up,
Close call - glad you were 'out'.
It just goes to show that even with all the negative hype about coffee, it saved your life!
Re the RM/BG aspect - the problem as I see it is that the programmes that they make are entertainment as opposed to instructional and often don't cover or emphasise strongly enough the necessary detail to prevent or limit damage beyond whatever the demo that is taking place. Arguably YT is even worse with many instances of the 'blind leading the blind'. Some serious damage has been/is taking place around the UK including in National parks because of it. Where the 'blame' lays is debatable.
Wouldn't school be great if professionally taught bushcraft was a mandatory key subject throughout schooling?!
Re the dead-fall itself - I posted on here some time ago about 'July drop' and how (as well as applying the aspects mentioned by Janne #20) I also rig an additional, diagonal running line (550 para) several feet above my basher, hopefully to deflect at least any small-ish falling timber.
I think that on the strength of Hammock_man's comment I might now upgrade that to a length of 3-5mm dyneema.
Close call - glad you were 'out'.
It just goes to show that even with all the negative hype about coffee, it saved your life!
Re the RM/BG aspect - the problem as I see it is that the programmes that they make are entertainment as opposed to instructional and often don't cover or emphasise strongly enough the necessary detail to prevent or limit damage beyond whatever the demo that is taking place. Arguably YT is even worse with many instances of the 'blind leading the blind'. Some serious damage has been/is taking place around the UK including in National parks because of it. Where the 'blame' lays is debatable.
Wouldn't school be great if professionally taught bushcraft was a mandatory key subject throughout schooling?!
Re the dead-fall itself - I posted on here some time ago about 'July drop' and how (as well as applying the aspects mentioned by Janne #20) I also rig an additional, diagonal running line (550 para) several feet above my basher, hopefully to deflect at least any small-ish falling timber.
I think that on the strength of Hammock_man's comment I might now upgrade that to a length of 3-5mm dyneema.
You see a lot of birch bark christmas decorations these days, both commercial ones and craft market types as well. I always wonder where they get the birch from but I bet at least some gets cut from live trees without permission (from the landowner or the tree).