When did you start and why?

[bushcraftkid2001]

I just wondered: when did all you guys start bushcrafting and why?
I started when I got the SAS survival guide when I was 9. I read it whilst in the Scottish Highlands, and then sorta put it to the side. Then, a few years later(when I was 11), my friend came around to my house who had recently got into prepping and survival. We were making survival kits and voila, the SAS survival guide appeared. At first, I just watched a few bear grylls episodes, but then, I found ray mears. I started to watch him doing bushcraft more and more, realising that being in the woods didn't have to be uncomfortable, until I no longer watched poor old bear. From then on, I went out, practiced my new skills, and loved bushcraft more by the day. And they all lived happily ever after. The end.

 

[cranmere]

My Dad used to take me walking on Dartmoor from the time I could trot along behind him, and taught me all sorts of old fashioned camping and countryside things. I had his old Scout books too, from back in the 1920s. So, I've been doing bushcrafty type things for well over 50 years.

 

[Clouston98]

I've been camping with my dad since I was small, went on or first wild camp when I was 7- haven't stopped since reall and can't say I've ever lost interest in the outdoors. it really took off at about 11 then it developed into more proper stuff at around 13 in the canoe and more foraging etc then I am where I am now really- doing all sorts from bowdrill to fly fishing. I've got into all sorts of stuff and basically along as its outdoors I'll enjoy it so that's what I keep doing and I'll be doing it till I pop my clogs .

Oh and the why is simply because I enjoy it .

 

[santaman2000]

Same here; just kinda grew up doing it.

 

[Kerne]

Didn't know there was such a thing as "bushcrafting" as a kid but went snaring rabbits, picking mushrooms, camping, walking, sitting about in the woods etc. because that's what you did with your mates when you weren't playing football. Stopped when I "grew up" and got a job and suchlike (though I got into sailing and did a load of that...) Then I moved away from the sea and started doing ultralight backpacking. Then Mr Mears came on the telly and talked about a lot of the things that I used to do as a kid and it seemed to fit in with the backpacking quite nicely. So I started again.

 

[wandering1]

I'd say since I was 7
I literally grew up on an allotment growing stuff learning bout plants n wot not
But I've always been an outdoors person whether that be lightweight camping backpacking mountaineering orienteering field sports (walking the hedgeways picking berries birdwatching (yes I know.a Twitcher) fishing, trapping

Why. Cos.I enjoy.it simple.as

 

[Faz]

Same as most here, grew up doing it. Started at Cubs, scouts, ventures, RAF and after leaving on my own and slowly getting my two lads in to it.

Reason why was to escape three sisters at home.

 

[Dr Nic]

I started when I was 5 I remember my first time out and a young man telling me about eating some plants in the wild. As i grew up I did more and more bushcraft. I have seem it as part of life and I enjoy it. A few years ago I was working with some young homeless kids, one of whom had never even seen a sheep. I decided I dont want what I have been taught to be lost.

 

[BlueTrain]

Since I'm an American, I'm not sure I ever have. But I've been playing around with things outside for a long time, since the 1950s.

I grew up in a small town in the hills of West Virginia. It was a place where you could build a fire out back in the vegetable garden (off season, usually) and walk three blocks to find a totally unfenced, unsupervised and very unsanitary pond. It was also unnatural but a fun place to spend a Saturday afternoon. I belonged to the scouts for a while but none of my friends did and anyway, I did more on my own. One uncle's family spent a lot of time camping and I went with them as much as I could. Since school and moving to the suburbs of a larger town, most of my outings have been in national parks and national forests within a hundred miles from home but I also live where I see more wild things behind the house than I do anywhere else. I'm not sure that anything I do qualifies as bushcraft, however.