6 Months using Traditionals in the Jungle, Hiatus, and Continued Thanks

C

Cheeseiest1

Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
96
A bit over a year ago, when I was starting to finally post after years of silently stalking the traditional section of the forum and trying to become more actively involved in the community, I had a few life developments that stole me away- until now. I got pretty buried working on my honors thesis in the spring of last year and then graduated with my BS. That spilled right over into researching, applying to, and interviewing at graduate schools all across the country. Any of you have experienced the graduate lifestyle will forgive my continued absence during the fall of 2013, during which I endured the incredibly hectic first semester of working on earning a PhD. I applied myself heavily which yielded the most substantial result that for the first half of this year I had the good fortune to be funded as a research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which leads to the main point of this post. From January until June I lived in a small town right on the edge of some pristine tropical rain forest, and spent the majority of my time performing fieldwork in untamed jungle wilderness.





Now of course, as any knife nut would, I took a number of tools down to Panama with me and was excited to see how they held up to serious, hard, daily use. I won’t say anything about the tool that actually did the main brunt of the work necessary for my research, a machete, because it wasn’t traditional and wasn’t anything special. The knife that proved to be the most useful and my go-to surprised me- it was the beautiful but “definitely not just a decoration” Mike Miller custom small fixed blade that Carl (Jackknife) very warmly gifted to me over a year ago. Having a small fixed blade at hand proved to be unbelievably useful in the field, I used that thing at least a dozen times a day. I took a number of folders with me (My ‘nut, a few swiss armies, a few case knives, an opinel, etc.) but taking the time to pop them out of my pack or pocket, open them up, and then make a quick cut just wasn’t as convenient as grabbing the fixed blade from the sheath on my belt. I thought that the little guy might have too small of a blade to be of much use in the field so also brought a mora along for my adventures, but the nimble and very controllable blade of the Mike Miller blade just proved to be the more useful tool. I highly recommend to anyone that spends a lot of time doing any sort of field or woodsman work to at least try carrying a small (sub 3 inch) fixed blade knife, especially if you pair it with something heavier duty like a forest axe or a machete. It’s an incredibly functional combination.



I don’t think it will be too surprising to anyone here, but swiss army knives once again proved their usefulness. Opening tins, tightening screws, tinkering with pieces of field equipment, popping the tops off of bottles of cerveza- everyone should own a SAK and carry it whenever possible.
I also learned the very important lesson that opinels are scalpel sharp, but you really can’t work them too hard. I snapped the number 6 I had with me in half while carving a toggle to hang my hammock on during an overnight stay in the jungle (I was working quickly to beat the coming dark and was trying to lever off larger shavings of wood at a time than I should have). That being said, it’s nice that they are so affordable and the kind of knife that you can abuse in such a fashion without thinking twice about it.
Sadly, the loss of the opinel wasn’t the greatest tragedy to befall my knife collection during my time in Panama. Returning from the field one afternoon I was devastated to realize that my nut was no longer in my pocket. I just hope that if someone finds it out there they have the good sense to restore it and get it back into action.
This semester has also been packed full of work: analyzing the data I collected in Panama, teaching undergraduate classes, doing more research in the lab, taking classes. I’ve finally accepted that graduate school is always going to keep me very busy (not that I ever really suspected that this wasn’t the case), but lately the itch to drool over the beautiful knives that some of you guys and gals have and interact with this wonderful community has become too strong to ignore.
I just wanted to update anyone who may be interested about what I’ve been up to, provide a little insight I gained from 6 months of using traditional knives in the field, and above all else give a huge thanks to Carl for the wonderful gift of the Mike Miller fixed blade- it has turned out to be one of my absolutely favorite knives. I also want to thank Pertinux once again for the incredible gift of two GEC Tom’s Choice Barlows. Because I work on a college campus I can’t carry the Mike Miller fixed blade as part of my office/lab work life, and these GEC’s have been getting a majority of pocket time (especially in the absence of my ‘nut). I also used them regularly before I headed to the tropics as well; I only didn’t take them with me because I treasure them very highly and have noticed that they are pretty rust prone and was worried about how they would fare in the high humidity. I just realized how long I’ve been babbling on now so I’ll shut up and just thank all the rest of you for making this forum so much fun.





For any of you fellow beard lovers, here's what she looked like after my time in Panama.

 
Cool to hear, it must have been an interesting time down there.

As for the breaking Opinel...? I guess the #6 is dainty, never touched one smaller than the #8, and a #10 has been my workhorse for yrs, never failed and I tried to find its breaking point (within normal knife use) haven't yet.

Any other reviews you may have on the gear you took and used would likely be of interest to more folks than just me, if you have the time please add it in.

Thanks for posting.
 
NATE!!!!!!!!!


It does my heart such good to hear from you again, here.

Thanks so much for the detailed update, the pictures, and most especially for your worthy carrying-ons.

Cheeseiest1 said:
I won’t say anything about the tool that actually did the main brunt of the work necessary for my research, a machete, because it wasn’t traditional and wasn’t anything special.
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Actually, you just said a whole lot right there. In many ways, and in your chosen applications, there is nothing more traditional than a machete-- and, you discovered exactly what makes it 'special,' the simplicity of efficient utilitarianism. [Imagine your time in the jungle if you hadn't had a machete....]

The knife that proved to be the most useful and my go-to surprised me- it was the beautiful but “definitely not just a decoration” Mike Miller custom small fixed blade that Carl (Jackknife) very warmly gifted to me over a year ago. Having a small fixed blade at hand proved to be unbelievably useful in the field, I used that thing at least a dozen times a day.
Click to expand...

There's a lot to take in, in what you just wrote. I love small fixed blades, but have yet been in a situation when I 'needed' one, over and against other options. I am glad you had that one with you!
(Thank you again, Carl, for your generous and most timely gift!)

I don’t think it will be too surprising to anyone here, but swiss army knives once again proved their usefulness. Opening tins, tightening screws, tinkering with pieces of field equipment, popping the tops off of bottles of cerveza- everyone should own a SAK and carry it whenever possible.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

I also learned the very important lesson that opinels are scalpel sharp, but you really can’t work them too hard. I snapped the number 6 I had with me in half while carving a toggle to hang my hammock on during an overnight stay in the jungle (I was working quickly to beat the coming dark and was trying to lever off larger shavings of wood at a time than I should have). That being said, it’s nice that they are so affordable and the kind of knife that you can abuse in such a fashion without thinking twice about it.
Click to expand...

... Unless you're out in the jungle, break your only knife, and can't get another. ;-)

I also want to thank Pertinux once again for the incredible gift of two GEC Tom’s Choice Barlows. Because I work on a college campus I can’t carry the Mike Miller fixed blade as part of my office/lab work life, and these GEC’s have been getting a majority of pocket time (especially in the absence of my ‘nut). I also used them regularly before I headed to the tropics as well; I only didn’t take them with me because I treasure them very highly and have noticed that they are pretty rust prone and was worried about how they would fare in the high humidity.


Click to expand...

At the risk of becoming overly emotional and skeering you away...?

You have no idea what you just gave me, in your words and in these pictures.

I sensed I had invested well at the time, not in expectation of return or in your continued presence on BladeForums, but in a good heart. All the same, your seemingly-precipitous absence concerned me. I chose not to worry, having some sense of the road immediately ahead for you at the time, and understanding that we all vary in how much time or wherewithal we have to engage online in Bladeforums at any give time, or again.

Even more, I rested in knowing that I was in total peace (and great excitement) about sending those knives your way, and that they were yours regardless of what you did next and if I/we ever heard from you again.

So now I have tears in my eyes.

Thank you.

The honor is mine.

Onward. :)

~ P.
 
Nate, first of all, I want to give you a warm welcome home, and I'm glad you completed your journey without mishap. Of course , you have to give us an after pic of the beard now that your back in civilization. No more than a slight trim looks needed! :D

But most of all, I'm very happy that you found the little Mike Miller of good use. It's a great design, and I've always been a fan of the small pocket sized fixed blade.

Welcome home!!

Carl.
 
I spent a little bit of time at an ots biological station in Costa Rica may I ask what your field of study is?
 
I really enjoyed your post. Congratulations on your academic successes. Thank you for taking time to share your story and photos.

Curtis
 
Nate, I spent a lot of time in Panama back in the 80's. It is an absolutely beautiful country populated with some incredibly fine people! I loved the time I spent out in the mountains and "la selva" there. If I may ask, in what part of Panama were you working?

Regards,
Ron
 
Another really great small fixed blade in case your ever looking for one is the AG Russel Deer Hunter. It is one great little cutter.
 
db said:
Another really great small fixed blade in case your ever looking for one is the AG Russel Deer Hunter. It is one great little cutter.
Click to expand...

The A. G. Russell woods walker in the kydex sheath is a great little unfolding pocket knife. Very light weight and a thin blade that slices like an Opinel.
 
THE LAD IS BACK!!!! :thumbup: (in the absence of a Pertinux singing and dancing smarticon!) :D

Great post Nate, it's good to have word from you, I'm glad that all is going well with your life, and thanks for sharing your adventures :thumbup:

That Mike Miller is a beauty. I think out in the field, a small FB really comes into its own. Well done Carl, I'm sure that knife had a story to it prior to you gifting it Nate, and now it has a whole new life ahead :)

Great stuff forumites :thumbup: :)
 
Aw P, you're gonna make me blush! Thank you so very much for the warm welcome back :) As to your concerns about breaking the opinel and losing my only knife in the middle of the jungle; what kind of knife nut would I be if I only had one knife when I was deep in the woods?! I kept my SAK stashed in my pack at almost all times, never was without my machete (not great for fine carving but it'll do in a pinch), and to be honest probably had another one somewhere else. You're right about the simple utilitarian nature of machetes. I think I only disparage mine because I reeeeallllly wanted to pick up one of the nicer wood-handled traditionals I saw natives using all the time, but never found one that wasn't gimmicky for sale. Thanks again for the Barlows, they're true beauts. Glad to be back interacting with all of the good people here :)

Best,
N
 
jackknife said:
Nate, first of all, I want to give you a warm welcome home, and I'm glad you completed your journey without mishap. Of course , you have to give us an after pic of the beard now that your back in civilization. No more than a slight trim looks needed! :D
Click to expand...

Haha never fear, my mug is much too ugly not to keep at least part of it covered at all times. I do try to go for a less unkempt look when I'm teaching and so forth (although as soon as I go gray I'm gonna go for a big ol' beard, full Darwin style). Carl asked in a private message about how the opinel held up in the humidity of the tropics and I thought others might be interested. The blade definitely got rust spots a few times, but I rubbed it down with oil (olive oil was all I had that was non-toxic) daily and it held up fine. Because the locking ring and bolster (or whatever you call it on an opinel) are stainless they held up fine. The main reason I didn't take the TC barlows is because the bolsters, liners, etc. are all prone to rust and are a lot more difficult to keep oiled and protected. The wooden handle of the opinel actually didn't swell much at all and I never had problems with things getting stuck.

Thanks for the warm welcome back :)
 
Certainly a worthy endeavor. You have completed a part of your life you will not soon forget. It was extremely enjoyable to read your post and gain a bit of knowledge and impression of what you encountered down there in Panama. Few will get or even take an opportunity such as this, one for the record books indeed!
Perry
 
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(sorry for the third separate response) Cchu518 and db both asked about where I was and what I was doing. I was working in Soberania National Park, mostly on pipeline road (this is a famous birding destination if anyone is familiar with it; gorgeous birds abounded). Pipeline road was constructed by the US army during the Canal Zone days to protect an oil pipeline they were planning to install, which never actually happened. These days it's a really rutted thin muddy track that cuts about 10 miles into the woods until it just ends (sort of slowly fades out the deeper you go). My housing was in Gamboa, a really small town that is about half the way up the canal and lies on its banks. It is the headquarters of the dredging division of the Canal Authority. I'm in the first semester of my second year of working on my PhD so I don't have a dissertation project totally nailed down, but more generally I'm a behavioral ecologist (my official program title is just a combination of Animal Behavior and Evolution) who works with the majestic myrmicines (ants). I'm interested both in nutritional and cognitive ecology, and both in Panama and now in the lab I've been working on a project that investigate foraging behaviors and nutritional regulation, another that studies how certain types of learning are adaptive, and have also started a few pilot studies looking at the links between the two (how foraging behavior of a species is related to learning capabilities). I thought about mentioning some of this in the original post but thought it might be a little boring, thanks for expressing interest!
 
Cheeseiest1 said:
I had a little lump in my throat after reading P's post too.
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I thought you'd gone all tough living in the jungle! :D ;)

Good stuff Nate, hope you're going to stick around for a while :thumbup:
 
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