Urban Bushcraft....a sure way to get funny looks, and a lesson learned.

[Mistwalker]

Here are a few shots of the city I live in. Not the largest in the world by any means but sure not the smallest either.

This is the park that is down town.

Looking at some of the new police cars we seem to be going more and more green. I guess that really started when we moved away from industry and toward tourism....and then developed a major industrial park outside of town where, among others, Volks Wagon is building a factory.

Today, after tending to my business down town, I was ready for a good cup of coffee and a walk. Time to head to Rembrandts and then along the river walk.

There were a few types of berries along the way, I need to try to get these identified.

The pears are pretty small, but coming along..

It rained almost all night last night, but I noticed that the branches in the Cedar tree were a good bit dryer than the trunks...

so...I decided to experiment. I decided to try Cedar bark and a fire steel for the first time. This is where the funny looks come in. First I collected some strips of bark and laid them in the sun to dry a little more.

As you can see I'm not exactly in the woods....

....but interestingly enough the funny looks had nothing to do with the knife as no-one ever saw it. See why I want a smaller one now Bryan? The funny looks were all about me taking pictures of the berries, and this.....first the gathering of it, and then my trying to light it.

As much as I'd like to say I had great success....alas that would be a lie. I let it dry while I drank my coffee and took pictures, and then crumbled it up. Then I tried several times...I'm a fairly persistant person...but no joy. I was going to wait a while and try again but then I saw a team of bike cops in the distance and decided I was ready for another cup of coffee. So... no success, but the walk and the coffee were no less enjoyable because of it. Now to try it under drier conditions next time.

 

[xylaria]

The lower one, the plant with the shiney leaves looks like cherry laurel prunus laurocerasus. It is poisonous. The leaves can used be used crushed up in a jar to knock out insects, as it gives off that much cyanide. The fruit tastes like the wrong type of sweet and is also poisonous. The hedge with the rough leaves and downy underside is wayfairing tree viburnum lantana. The fruit can be processed into a sauce for meat (like cranberry) but I have never tried it.

 

[Andy2112]

Nice pics again MW, looks like a nice city to me, you should see the one i work in, urrgh.

 

[malente]

Nice pictures, and an interesting experiment.

It look slike a nice clean city.

Re firesteel. I almost went through half a firesteel before succeeding. The cedar bark looks usable, maybe crumple it up even finer and let it dry more. Put the firesteel tip right into the tinder. Then, using the spine of your knife at an almost 90 degree angle, only use the lower half of the firesteel, but try to push deliberatly and slowly downward, just enough so that big chunks of sparks fall into the tinder. This has worked for me.

Good luck!

Mike

 

[Mistwalker]

The lower one, the plant with the shiney leaves looks like cherry laurel prunus laurocerasus. It is poisonous. The leaves can used be used crushed up in a jar to knock out insects, as it gives off that much cyanide. The fruit tastes like the wrong type of sweet and is also poisonous. The hedge with the rough leaves and downy underside is wayfairing tree viburnum lantana. The fruit can be processed into a sauce for meat (like cranberry) but I have never tried it.

Thanks for the info, I'll have to look into that as an insecticide. Maybe that sauce as well...we seem to have plenty of both.

Nice pics again MW, looks like a nice city to me, you should see the one i work in, urrgh.

Thanks Andy, oh trust me, there are much worse parts of this one.

Nice pictures, and an interesting experiment.

It look slike a nice clean city.

Re firesteel. I almost went through half a firesteel before succeeding. The cedar bark looks usable, maybe crumple it up even finer and let it dry more. Put the firesteel tip right into the tinder. Then, using the spine of your knife at an almost 90 degree angle, only use the lower half of the firesteel, but try to push deliberatly and slowly downward, just enough so that big chunks of sparks fall into the tinder. This has worked for me.

Good luck!

Mike

Thank you Malente, it was definitely interesting.

Parts of it are very clean, and other parts of it....well...you know how cities go.

Thank you, you just described the conclusions I was drawing when my experiment was cut short. I'll make a mental note of that and do that next time.

 

[Sainty]

Nice pictures but I was disappointed not to see the Choo Choo on track 29.

Martin

 

[helixpteron]

I can't imagine the US police car chase video's featuring the eco-Toyota's!

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice pictures but I was disappointed not to see the Choo Choo on track 29.

Martin

Thanks! Sorry to disappoint you, I'll try to get down to the station tomorrow and take some pictures for you

I can't imagine the US police car chase video's featuring the eco-Toyota's!

Hahahahahaha! That would be a short race! They only use those for parking enforcement and traffic control in the inner city. They still have the police cruisers with high performance engines as well.

 

[Shewie]

Nice town you're in there MW

It reminds me a bit of Victoria in BC

 

[locum76]

the tree with the red berries looks like some sort of sorbus.

 

[Mistwalker]

Nice town you're in there MW

It reminds me a bit of Victoria in BC

Thanks Shewie, Inspite of some issues, I really like it here.

the tree with the red berries looks like some sort of sorbus.

Well...it's been identified here and by the UBC forum as being Cherry Laurel. I knew the leaves looked like Laurel but wasn't sure.

 

[Bryan Breeden]

Great pics Miswalker, Iet us know if you get that ceder bark to light up.

Bryan

 

[Mistwalker]

Great pics Miswalker, Iet us know if you get that ceder bark to light up.

Bryan

Well...I'm actually headed back down that way again tomorrow but it is supposed to rain again tonight.....