A cool day in the valley

DOC-CANADA · Jan 31, 2011

Today, my buddy Phil and I got out to play in the woods for a bit. We were joined by a self-admitted BladeForums lurker by the name of 'Ipaddlemyowncanoe'. I won't even start to tell you how long he's been lurking, because he promised to make his first post about his experiences, and I'll leave it up to him to come clean.

First of all, we went for a hike and along the way we revisited Kochanski's Flip Flop winch, which we had experimented with last February (thread seen here). You need to repeat these experiments in order to fix them in your brain. The Flip Flop winch worked admirably, but the log was severely frozen in place, so we decided, in the interest of safety, to call it a job well done and move on. I also introduced Tim to a couple of my toggled knots. He said he liked them. I think he was humouring me.

There are no pictures of this part of the day, because, like a dummy, Tim, no Phil.............., ok, it was me - I left the camera in my van.

After the hike, it was decided that Tim (Ipaddlemyowncanoe) should try out flint and steel (not a ferro rod). (fade to the pictures)

It was then decided he would do make his first attempt for a bow drill coal. At this point I got distracted by a couple of ladies who were out hiking, when I got back, HE ALREADY HAD HIS COAL! (so I got no pictures of the actual drilling

)

This is his first coal and a fine coal it was.

Now to blow it into flames.

Excellent! It is really gratifying to help someone get their first friction fire and this one was no exception.

At this point, apparently, Ipaddlemyowncanoe had to paddlehiswayhome to keep himself out of the doghouse, but I think he had a good day. I'll leave it up to him to confirm or deny. I also want to be the first one to welcome Ipaddlemyowncanoe to BladeForums and out of the closet.

. He was very keen to master the various skills and was a very pleasant companion for the afternoon. Hopefully, we can do it again.

Phil and I stuck around a little longer and experimented with another live bird trap. Phil had taken a picture of this a year or two ago, while over in France. We set it up, completely using Teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris). This is an advantageous material to use in a survival situation, because all the trigger parts, with the exception of a little bit of cordage, can be fashioned with a sharp rock.

The trap worked very well (tripped very easy). Phil and I tried to compare it with the Arapuca, and decided that the Arapuca was a bit better trigger mechanism, but still a very cool release system

I apologize for my poor picture layout, but I think you got the gist.

Thanks for looking,

Doc

DennisStrickland · Jan 31, 2011

doc canada i always enjoy your great pics & the cogent outdoors knowledge.--dennis

sicily02 · Jan 31, 2011

Great pics, Doc. I love the comentary lol. Neat looking trap.
Great Job on getting your first of many coals using friction fire.
Bryan

kgd · Jan 31, 2011

Good stuff Doc! Looked like fun. I got saddled paining the house this weekend. Not much worse ways to spend your time than painting walls. Great stuff teaching the fire!

tonym · Jan 31, 2011

Good stuff GP!

I am sure Mr. Paddlehisowncanoe had a great time with you guys. As for why he left early, well there is only so much Doc one can take in a day...

DOC-CANADA · Jan 31, 2011

DennisStrickland said:
doc canada i always enjoy your great pics & the cogent outdoors knowledge.--dennis

Thanks Dennis. I wish I had more pictures to work with, but that darn Phil, I mean Tim....................er, well you know what I mean.

sicily02 said:
Great pics, Doc. I love the comentary lol. Neat looking trap.
Great Job on getting your first of many coals using friction fire.
Bryan

Thanks Bryan. I really liked the trap trigger. What Phil and I decided made the Arapuca better is that most of the trigger mechanism is under the trap, but with this one, it could be more easily tripped from without.

kgd said:
Good stuff Doc! Looked like fun. I got saddled paining the house this weekend. Not much worse ways to spend your time than painting walls. Great stuff teaching the fire!

Sometimes, being you must suck!

That part of the valley must be lucky for first time fire makers, eh?

tonym said:
Good stuff GP!

I am sure Mr. Paddlehisowncanoe had a great time with you guys. As for why he left early, well there is only so much Doc one can take in a day...

I just realized this is the first time this week I have to tell you to bite me!

GP

I see you lurking there, Tim.

ipaddlemyowncanoe · Jan 31, 2011

For those who want to know what a day with Doc & Phil looks like:

1. First of all you couldn't pick two more knowledgable, more skilled, more profane [!] guys to act as teachers. Although no stranger to outdoor skills, I certainly learn more by doing than reading and with Doc & Phil, the nuances they have perfected over the years just make the learning curve much, much shorter. You guys were great and I certainly look forward to another time out.

2. If you should get out there with Doc, be very careful about the knife you bring and expect good- natured teasing. I brought my trusty BK-2 [a knife that has served me well in many Northern Ontario canoe trips, which I found quickly may be the best train-wrecker around but has limitations for the very fine detail work that Doc and Phil are capable of]. Very early, Doc was calling me 'Tenderfoot with Big Knife.' Nice.

3. They both astonished me with their 'art' of bow & drill fire. This alone was a revelation; from quaility of wood chosen for bow & drill, the well-thought out skill of starting the groove and only after cutting the knotch, an easy way to maximize the bow string's strength, the ideal body position and almost a Tai Chi approach to the bowing that gets the most out of your efforts. Phil was great in showing me and using different types of material to catch a coal and then an optimum way to transport this to the bundle. I believe both of them when thet told me that these component parts took them 10 years to perfect. I've seen this skill demonstrated to me and have read extensively on the subject; nothing close to learning at the hands of these two masters. The forum is lucky to have these guys around and they were more than willing to share their skill. It was very appreciated. Nothing like getting fire your first time out, an unbelievable sense of accomplishment that you have to have in your arsenal of skills. Gents, again... my thanks.

Tim [ipaddlemyowncanoe]

Doc13 · Jan 31, 2011

Wow, you have been lurking

Welcome to the world of posting:thumbup:

tonym · Jan 31, 2011

ipaddlemyowncanoe said:
For those who want to know what a day with Doc & Phil looks like:

1. First of all you couldn't pick two more knowledgable, more skilled, more profane [!] guys to act as teachers. Although no stranger to outdoor skills, I certainly learn more by doing than reading and with Doc & Phil, the nuances they have perfected over the years just make the learning curve much, much shorter. You guys were great and I certainly look forward to another time out.

2. If you should get out there with Doc, be very careful about the knife you bring and expect good- natured teasing. I brought my trusty BK-2 [a knife that has served me well in many Northern Ontario canoe trips, which I found quickly may be the best train-wrecker around but has limitations for the very fine detail work that Doc and Phil are capable of]. Very early, Doc was calling me 'Tenderfoot with Big Knife.' Nice.

3. They both astonished me with their 'art' of bow & drill fire. This alone was a revelation; from quaility of wood chosen for bow & drill, the well-thought out skill of starting the groove and only after cutting the knotch, an easy way to maximize the bow string's strength, the ideal body position and almost a Tai Chi approach to the bowing that gets the most out of your efforts. Phil was great in showing me and using different types of material to catch a coal and then an optimum way to transport this to the bundle. I believe both of them when thet told me that these component parts took them 10 years to perfect. I've seen this skill demonstrated to me and have read extensively on the subject; nothing close to learning at the hands of these two masters. The forum is lucky to have these guys around and they were more than willing to share their skill. It was very appreciated. Nothing like getting fire your first time out, an unbelievable sense of accomplishment that you have to have in your arsenal of skills. Gents, again... my thanks.

Tim [ipaddlemyowncanoe]

Wow, your first post in almost 6 years!! Welcome at last:thumbup:

I was lucky enough to spend a day with the old man and Phil last year. I have to agree with everything you said above. Two of the best people I ever had the pleasure of meeting:thumbup:

pitdog · Jan 31, 2011

Great stuff as usual Doc, I bet your a real smooth talker with the women eh !

TheGame · Jan 31, 2011

Thanks for sharing the story Doc and Tim. Sounds like a great day was had! :thumbup:

Oh, and welcome.. well, to posting on BF.

A.W.U.K. · Jan 31, 2011

Great story, great pics

SmokinOnion · Jan 31, 2011

That was awesome!

ChapmanPreferred · Jan 31, 2011

Nice thread.

DOC-CANADA · Jan 31, 2011

ipaddlemyowncanoe said:
For those who want to know what a day with Doc & Phil looks like:

1. First of all you couldn't pick two more knowledgable, more skilled, more profane [!] guys to act as teachers. Although no stranger to outdoor skills, I certainly learn more by doing than reading and with Doc & Phil, the nuances they have perfected over the years just make the learning curve much, much shorter. You guys were great and I certainly look forward to another time out.

I just want to clear up one thing, here. Phil is not a profane person. And Tim, thank you and you're welcome.

2. If you should get out there with Doc, be very careful about the knife you bring and expect good- natured teasing. I brought my trusty BK-2 [a knife that has served me well in many Northern Ontario canoe trips, which I found quickly may be the best train-wrecker around but has limitations for the very fine detail work that Doc and Phil are capable of]. Very early, Doc was calling me 'Tenderfoot with Big Knife.' Nice.

Actually that's not quite the truth. I, too, own a BK-2, so I wasn't slagging the knife per se. "And now for the rest of the story..........." At one point, Tim's feet got cold so he sat on the trail and removed his boots and socks to rub his feet to increase circulation. At that point, I bemoaned the fact that the camera was in the van, because it would make a great picture - 'TENDERFOOT WITH BIG KNIFE'.

The only person I tease because of his knives is Phil. A look-alike SAK and a Lee Valley Mora. Funny thing, though, he never seems to be lacking a knife for whatever job is at hand

3. They both astonished me with their 'art' of bow & drill fire. This alone was a revelation; from quaility of wood chosen for bow & drill, the well-thought out skill of starting the groove and only after cutting the knotch, an easy way to maximize the bow string's strength, the ideal body position and almost a Tai Chi approach to the bowing that gets the most out of your efforts. Phil was great in showing me and using different types of material to catch a coal and then an optimum way to transport this to the bundle. I believe both of them when thet told me that these component parts took them 10 years to perfect. I've seen this skill demonstrated to me and have read extensively on the subject; nothing close to learning at the hands of these two masters. The forum is lucky to have these guys around and they were more than willing to share their skill. It was very appreciated. Nothing like getting fire your first time out, an unbelievable sense of accomplishment that you have to have in your arsenal of skills. Gents, again... my thanks.

It was me who took 10 years to get my first coal (from the first attempt to success). I never had the luxury of first hand instruction, from an older Brad Pitt look-alike , like certain people

Tim [ipaddlemyowncanoe]

tonym said:
Wow, your first post in almost 6 years!! Welcome at last:thumbup:

I was lucky enough to spend a day with the old man and Phil last year. I have to agree with everything you said above. Two of the best people I ever had the pleasure of meeting:thumbup:

The feeling is mutilated, GS

pitdog said:
Great stuff as usual Doc, I bet your a real smooth talker with the women eh !

Damn straight, bro.

Thanks, everyone for the great comments.

Hopefully, down the road you'll see more of the elusive Ipaddlemyowncanoe

BTW, Tim, I will be emailing you the unDOCtored pictures.

and you're added to the Weekend Warrior email list.

Doc