M
mrnim
Guest
SUB-ARCTIC EXPEDITION WITH WOODSMOKE
Hi, I have been meaning to write a review of the Woodsmoke winter skills expedition that I joined this Jan, as I feel I am in good position to write one having previously attended several winter skills courses - an expensive trip into the arctic with a very well known company and a shorter budget expedition to Norway.
I wanted to take the next step and really apply the skills Id learned and after reading The Snow Walkers Companion (recommended by one of the guys in Norway last year), I saw that its authors (Garrett & Alexandra Conover) had teamed up with Woodsmoke to run a bushcraft specific, 14-day winter skills expedition. Woodsmoke is priced somewhere in the middle of the other two trips, and in my humble opinion the previous expeds cant hold a candle to what I experienced in Maine with Ben McNutt, and the team he has surrounded himself with.
The Expedition was run with fantastic instruction. It was held on an almost one to one basis in a very relaxed fashion. We were encouraged to ask questions and pick the brains of those who have lived and worked in this environment as full time guides for many many years. The Conovers are without a doubt some of the most respected and renowned winter travellers in the world, and to have them at your side day and night for two weeks is priceless even after years of guiding they are all still literally oozing enthusiasm and to find that in instructors is a rarity in its self. You are asked from the outset what is it you want gain from your trip crafts, travel skills, ice reading, bushcraft and survival skills, natural history, tracking, etc. - and because its such a small group those aspirations are well and truly catered for by those at the pinnacle of winter travel.
It is an unsupported expedition and feels very authentic, as this is the real deal! You are involved in every aspect of the journey, including two days expedition prep at the Conovers big wood cabin (what a place the biggest winter skills library youll ever see and two birch-bark canoes, one over 100 years old). Here we refreshed a few skills, learned a few more, and got involved in dehydrating the vegetables for our food (which was great), packing, sorting and readying our equipment (loan of mittens, mukluks, parkas, snowshoes, duffels, etc was all free), through to the route planning, loading toboggans, using the snowshoes, camp selection, using the ice chisel for water collection (purification), cooking etc, etc, etc in short you learn how to live in the wilderness!
One of the big differences between this experience and previous Arctic courses was that there is no popping in and out of a cabin or tent for a lecture or demonstration. You are on the trail and so a lot of travelling skills are learned subconsciously because of the people you are surrounded by. The instructors are in it with you, sleeping in the same tents and eating the same food. You are fully involved in the skills and the environment, and what a beautiful environment it is. You travel along twisting brooks, through muskeg, across expansive lakes and through the frozen forest (when you have to portage the toboggans round some rapids or an open lead). We didnt see another soul the whole time we were on the trail, in fact the only sign we saw was a lone snow machine trail as we were crossing a big lake. Garrett and Alexandra know this landscape intimately and happily share their knowledge about the wildlife as you travel and Ben added some great tracking tips. There were tracks everywhere, straight lines of coyote and fox tracks, crazy looping moose trails, bounding weasels and fishers, otter slides and even Lynx. The wildlife sightings were rare, but we were treated to a glimpse of a Moose and even a Bobcat.
The snow conditions we had were perfect, sometimes dipping to a chilly -28°C at night; we had a combination of heavy snow dumps and clear skies. A first for me, was making an igloo which was by far the best nights sleep, and amazing to wake up to the spiral of light pouring in. We also made the obligatory Quinzee, but with Bens trade secrets a two-man was finished after just three hours of work, which allowed us to do some backwoods metallurgy! It was a really cool bonus to learn how to shape, make, quench and temper our own traditional crook knives on the trail. The blades were made from old files, just using the wood stove and a bit of know-how. The stoves kicked out some serious heat in the evenings, and ironically the worry was become being too hot, rather than too cold. The food on the journey was served in huge portions and really tasty. Bacon and bannock for breakfast, a picnic lunch on a snow table everyday (complete with tablecloth) and dinner ranged from spag bog with red wine and wild mushrooms to curries and stews.
A few last things that stood out, were Bens star-lore talk, learning a few of Garretts top tips for using an axe in the snow, the little tricks (like learning to use snowballs as loo roll) and getting down the basics of ice reading. The crew I was with were a really sound bunch, which really added to my experience.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but essentially I was so impressed with every aspect of this exped that I am whole-heartedly encouraging anyone interested in a winter skills trip to go with these guys you will not regret it for a second! if you want a pristine environment and to be with incredibly knowledgeable people on the topography, fauna and flora of the area, and you dont mind getting involved with every aspect of bushcraft for this region, then definitely give this Woodsmoke expedition serious consideration...it was exactly what I wanted from a winter skills course and a deeply memorable experience.
There was some talk of running an intermediate course taking the skills to the next level, which Im sorely tempted by. Also, dont be put off by the distance or the flights, as its a 14-day trip (10 days on the trail and a few days to travel and prep at the start) and I found that it was actually cheaper to get to Maine than it was to the Northern parts of Europe this year.
Some good links/photos from this years expedition
http://www.woodsmoke.uk.com/p/v/Exp...ness+Bushcraft/2011+Northwoods+Video+Gallery/
www.arctic-stories.com
A really special trip thanks to the Conovers and the Woodsmoke team!
Mr Nim.
Hi, I have been meaning to write a review of the Woodsmoke winter skills expedition that I joined this Jan, as I feel I am in good position to write one having previously attended several winter skills courses - an expensive trip into the arctic with a very well known company and a shorter budget expedition to Norway.
I wanted to take the next step and really apply the skills Id learned and after reading The Snow Walkers Companion (recommended by one of the guys in Norway last year), I saw that its authors (Garrett & Alexandra Conover) had teamed up with Woodsmoke to run a bushcraft specific, 14-day winter skills expedition. Woodsmoke is priced somewhere in the middle of the other two trips, and in my humble opinion the previous expeds cant hold a candle to what I experienced in Maine with Ben McNutt, and the team he has surrounded himself with.
The Expedition was run with fantastic instruction. It was held on an almost one to one basis in a very relaxed fashion. We were encouraged to ask questions and pick the brains of those who have lived and worked in this environment as full time guides for many many years. The Conovers are without a doubt some of the most respected and renowned winter travellers in the world, and to have them at your side day and night for two weeks is priceless even after years of guiding they are all still literally oozing enthusiasm and to find that in instructors is a rarity in its self. You are asked from the outset what is it you want gain from your trip crafts, travel skills, ice reading, bushcraft and survival skills, natural history, tracking, etc. - and because its such a small group those aspirations are well and truly catered for by those at the pinnacle of winter travel.
It is an unsupported expedition and feels very authentic, as this is the real deal! You are involved in every aspect of the journey, including two days expedition prep at the Conovers big wood cabin (what a place the biggest winter skills library youll ever see and two birch-bark canoes, one over 100 years old). Here we refreshed a few skills, learned a few more, and got involved in dehydrating the vegetables for our food (which was great), packing, sorting and readying our equipment (loan of mittens, mukluks, parkas, snowshoes, duffels, etc was all free), through to the route planning, loading toboggans, using the snowshoes, camp selection, using the ice chisel for water collection (purification), cooking etc, etc, etc in short you learn how to live in the wilderness!
One of the big differences between this experience and previous Arctic courses was that there is no popping in and out of a cabin or tent for a lecture or demonstration. You are on the trail and so a lot of travelling skills are learned subconsciously because of the people you are surrounded by. The instructors are in it with you, sleeping in the same tents and eating the same food. You are fully involved in the skills and the environment, and what a beautiful environment it is. You travel along twisting brooks, through muskeg, across expansive lakes and through the frozen forest (when you have to portage the toboggans round some rapids or an open lead). We didnt see another soul the whole time we were on the trail, in fact the only sign we saw was a lone snow machine trail as we were crossing a big lake. Garrett and Alexandra know this landscape intimately and happily share their knowledge about the wildlife as you travel and Ben added some great tracking tips. There were tracks everywhere, straight lines of coyote and fox tracks, crazy looping moose trails, bounding weasels and fishers, otter slides and even Lynx. The wildlife sightings were rare, but we were treated to a glimpse of a Moose and even a Bobcat.
The snow conditions we had were perfect, sometimes dipping to a chilly -28°C at night; we had a combination of heavy snow dumps and clear skies. A first for me, was making an igloo which was by far the best nights sleep, and amazing to wake up to the spiral of light pouring in. We also made the obligatory Quinzee, but with Bens trade secrets a two-man was finished after just three hours of work, which allowed us to do some backwoods metallurgy! It was a really cool bonus to learn how to shape, make, quench and temper our own traditional crook knives on the trail. The blades were made from old files, just using the wood stove and a bit of know-how. The stoves kicked out some serious heat in the evenings, and ironically the worry was become being too hot, rather than too cold. The food on the journey was served in huge portions and really tasty. Bacon and bannock for breakfast, a picnic lunch on a snow table everyday (complete with tablecloth) and dinner ranged from spag bog with red wine and wild mushrooms to curries and stews.
A few last things that stood out, were Bens star-lore talk, learning a few of Garretts top tips for using an axe in the snow, the little tricks (like learning to use snowballs as loo roll) and getting down the basics of ice reading. The crew I was with were a really sound bunch, which really added to my experience.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but essentially I was so impressed with every aspect of this exped that I am whole-heartedly encouraging anyone interested in a winter skills trip to go with these guys you will not regret it for a second! if you want a pristine environment and to be with incredibly knowledgeable people on the topography, fauna and flora of the area, and you dont mind getting involved with every aspect of bushcraft for this region, then definitely give this Woodsmoke expedition serious consideration...it was exactly what I wanted from a winter skills course and a deeply memorable experience.
There was some talk of running an intermediate course taking the skills to the next level, which Im sorely tempted by. Also, dont be put off by the distance or the flights, as its a 14-day trip (10 days on the trail and a few days to travel and prep at the start) and I found that it was actually cheaper to get to Maine than it was to the Northern parts of Europe this year.
Some good links/photos from this years expedition
http://www.woodsmoke.uk.com/p/v/Exp...ness+Bushcraft/2011+Northwoods+Video+Gallery/
www.arctic-stories.com
A really special trip thanks to the Conovers and the Woodsmoke team!
Mr Nim.
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