In a break from my usual write up style I'm just going to post the photos and label them as required. Next Boone trip I'll do a bigger/more usual write up
Boonie Goonies on foot
Shoulder carried bed roll
Sampling some wild apples-sharp!
Now an assortement of shelter shots
Fires were lit both nights using flint and steel, the collection of tinder should of been more considered. I gathered some dead thistles the second day which worked very well as fine kindling despite the acrid smoke. I do need to think of a better way of carrying them as I got spiked a lot.
Andor also suggested charring Punk Wood instead of char cloth which on experimentation definitely has potetial and needs further investigation
Meals were mainly stews/soups for main meal and either left overs for breakfast or sausage/meat cheese apples and such like
I've said a few things about kit in the main Boone challenge but I'll add ramblings on here as well
*I took far too much i could of been comfortable with less of everything.
*My canvas tarp is too big for just me, would of worked well for if the rain had been with us it would provide living space as well as sleeping area. I think a smaller tarp say 3x3 would be suitable
*I could of reduced the cook kit if i had catered for just myself rather than sharing cooking duties with Albus. A small billy, and two metal mugs would suffice for meals for one, 9 out of 10 times its a stew or similar, a few metal skewers would not take up much space but allow meat to be cooked a different way for variation to diet
*I took too much food, I should of thought longer and harder about the amount of items I took, rather than pack a whole chorizo i could of only packed half for example, used half an onion one night rather than packing two onions etc.
* Water is an essential item and rationing it isn't fun, I think next time I will add more water containers at cost of other non essentials
* An axe is unessential (don't hurt me!) we managed fine with just breaking larger sticks, a small fire definitely helped in this
*I could of pressed my poncho modified blanket into use for around the fire rather than taking a swannie that only got used as a pillow. alternatively I could of slept in or under my swannie, thinking about multi uses of the stuff I had with me should of been closer to the front of my approach to kit.
*I didn't need to take a project (spoon) with me socialising was sufficient for me, although had we stuck to splitting into smaller groups it would of been needed I think.
*Getting grub cooked and eaten before dark makes it easier when not using a head torch.
*Candle light is OK for general illumination, tea lights cast a nice ambient light when under a small tarp but dinner table style candles are better for larger areas. The tobacco tin candle holder I made worked nicely for the job it will find its way into my pack again I'm pretty certain.
*A loaf of soda bread or similar whilst bulkier may of been better than the bannock mix I took and didn't use for two days a loaf will survive especially if using a market wallet
* Butter beans give me horrific wind! Its the painful truth and I apologise again to every one
*We had available quite a lot of wild fruits, blackberries, sloes, apples rose hips and haws from hawthorn. If we had been thinking more we could of gathered some for later (or gorged at the time)
*By striking camp and moving the second day it really focussed you on what you had with you. I was already reassessing my kit by then.
* I carried the bed roll the first day balanced on top of my pack and used the strap similar to a tump line, this was quite effective but did prevent the use of hands for anything else, fine for ambling along sides of a field had we been properly bushwhacking our way through woods it wouldn't of been as easy or enjoyable.
* Due to it being a newish permission understandably a no green wood harvesting rule was in place. I fully agree with this as constant harvesting can quickly deplete the area used, this said suspending a billy can i find makes a faster boil than putting the billy in one side of the fire, so on this thinking a squirrel cooker would be most useful to suspend the billy over the fire
* I took a hip flask as was my wont, I had two sips from it and passed it around the fire once. Not a vital item to take but I enjoy a wee nip in the evening, however a smaller hip flask would of been just as good.
so there you go folks a write up and reflection on my latest Boone adventure, doing it in a group definitely changes the feel in comparison to doing it solo or with just one other person.
Next I have planned a brass monkey Boone now the weather is changing a bit
Boonie Goonies on foot
Shoulder carried bed roll
Sampling some wild apples-sharp!
Now an assortement of shelter shots
Fires were lit both nights using flint and steel, the collection of tinder should of been more considered. I gathered some dead thistles the second day which worked very well as fine kindling despite the acrid smoke. I do need to think of a better way of carrying them as I got spiked a lot.
Andor also suggested charring Punk Wood instead of char cloth which on experimentation definitely has potetial and needs further investigation
Meals were mainly stews/soups for main meal and either left overs for breakfast or sausage/meat cheese apples and such like
I've said a few things about kit in the main Boone challenge but I'll add ramblings on here as well
*I took far too much i could of been comfortable with less of everything.
*My canvas tarp is too big for just me, would of worked well for if the rain had been with us it would provide living space as well as sleeping area. I think a smaller tarp say 3x3 would be suitable
*I could of reduced the cook kit if i had catered for just myself rather than sharing cooking duties with Albus. A small billy, and two metal mugs would suffice for meals for one, 9 out of 10 times its a stew or similar, a few metal skewers would not take up much space but allow meat to be cooked a different way for variation to diet
*I took too much food, I should of thought longer and harder about the amount of items I took, rather than pack a whole chorizo i could of only packed half for example, used half an onion one night rather than packing two onions etc.
* Water is an essential item and rationing it isn't fun, I think next time I will add more water containers at cost of other non essentials
* An axe is unessential (don't hurt me!) we managed fine with just breaking larger sticks, a small fire definitely helped in this
*I could of pressed my poncho modified blanket into use for around the fire rather than taking a swannie that only got used as a pillow. alternatively I could of slept in or under my swannie, thinking about multi uses of the stuff I had with me should of been closer to the front of my approach to kit.
*I didn't need to take a project (spoon) with me socialising was sufficient for me, although had we stuck to splitting into smaller groups it would of been needed I think.
*Getting grub cooked and eaten before dark makes it easier when not using a head torch.
*Candle light is OK for general illumination, tea lights cast a nice ambient light when under a small tarp but dinner table style candles are better for larger areas. The tobacco tin candle holder I made worked nicely for the job it will find its way into my pack again I'm pretty certain.
*A loaf of soda bread or similar whilst bulkier may of been better than the bannock mix I took and didn't use for two days a loaf will survive especially if using a market wallet
* Butter beans give me horrific wind! Its the painful truth and I apologise again to every one
*We had available quite a lot of wild fruits, blackberries, sloes, apples rose hips and haws from hawthorn. If we had been thinking more we could of gathered some for later (or gorged at the time)
*By striking camp and moving the second day it really focussed you on what you had with you. I was already reassessing my kit by then.
* I carried the bed roll the first day balanced on top of my pack and used the strap similar to a tump line, this was quite effective but did prevent the use of hands for anything else, fine for ambling along sides of a field had we been properly bushwhacking our way through woods it wouldn't of been as easy or enjoyable.
* Due to it being a newish permission understandably a no green wood harvesting rule was in place. I fully agree with this as constant harvesting can quickly deplete the area used, this said suspending a billy can i find makes a faster boil than putting the billy in one side of the fire, so on this thinking a squirrel cooker would be most useful to suspend the billy over the fire
* I took a hip flask as was my wont, I had two sips from it and passed it around the fire once. Not a vital item to take but I enjoy a wee nip in the evening, however a smaller hip flask would of been just as good.
so there you go folks a write up and reflection on my latest Boone adventure, doing it in a group definitely changes the feel in comparison to doing it solo or with just one other person.
Next I have planned a brass monkey Boone now the weather is changing a bit