A little walk in the woods

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Mar 9, 2011
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Hey Guys,

since I'm still recovering from a knee injury (chopped it open with an axe, all the way to the shin bone), I can't go on full-on hikes. But I'm trying to give my leg a bit of training, and I try to venture out into the woods at least once a week.

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I was very happy to see this, tiny spots of lichen on a dead tree branch. This picture was taken about 300m from a busy 4-lane road, I thought that was pretty impressive, since those symbiotic lifeforms need very clean air.

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The path deeper into the woods. There aren't any real hiking trails, as the whole area only covers a few km², and this wooded area called the "Grunewald" (old German expression for "Green Forest") is directly "next to" Berlin.

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I found this wad of hair, any ideas what animals it could come from? We have boar and deer in these woods, and a lot of people walk their dogs there. I'm leaning towards dogs, but I'm not really sure. It doesn't have a distinct smell.

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My sharps for the day, pretty much my EDC at the moment. Yes, it's legal to carry fixed blades up to a blade length of 12cm. Combine these with a hatchet, saw or machete, and you're pretty well set. The Mora Bushcraft is an amazing knife.

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Some feathersticks from very dry pinewood. I'm still learning this skill, so please excuse me for butchering the definition of a "featherstick" with my bad pictures :D

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Even found some pitchwood in there...

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...which, in combination with a few twigs, burns like hell.

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Let it burn down, and, because I forgot to bring some water, peed on the ashes. Gotta be safe, right?

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Wait for a few minutes, then dig the ashes up with a piece of bark and scatter them everywhere. Cover up with dirt and debris.

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I like to cut a green twig and put it on the firepit. Don't know why, it's a traditional thing from my scout tribe. That's my walking pole on the right.

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A shot of the area, from my fireplace. I like these woods.

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I think this path will be blocked in a short time. That huge branch is held by only a few twigs on the right side. Made me pretty nervous walking under it :D

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Instant forest fire. Just add one cigarette butt.

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I found this freaky piece of wood, it kinda looks like a boar's head. Pretty mean club, too, if you like to look at things that way.

I hope you enjoyed looking and reading. I know I had some fun that afternoon.

Have a nice weekend, and don't let anything keep you from getting out there!

maethor
 
Cutting, burning and peeing on stuff. Sounds like a great day. :thumbup:
 
Looks like a good time meat. Good to see you're healing my friend.
 
Looks exactly like a wad of dog hair from a brush that I usually chuck outside for the birds.

I'm curious about that green twig tradition I only know of toilet spots being marked like that. Anyway, I wish more people were as conscientious as you about leaving stuff in pristine condition.

Speedy recovery with the knee then, sounds like a stinger.
 
I just looked into an old scout book of mine, it says that you should leave a cross of green twigs on your fireplace to prove it wasn't your fault if a fire breaks out later, near your camp location. Does that make sense or not? You decide.

I wouldn't say that I practice LNT camping, I think it's natural to leave some traces, even animals do. But when I change something in the woods, I try to cover it up or replace it. I never leave any trash behind, I often pack other people's trash out, I always bury my fire and my feces. I think you can start a fire and have it burn for a whole night and still cover it up so a week or two later, no one's gonna see anything left over. I usually make a fire pit if I plan to sustain a fire for some time, and if there's any ground vegetation (especially grass) I will dig up the soil, put the divots somewhere else and put them back into the hole after scattering the ashes. Scattering the ashes with your bare hands is also a good method to check if you have any hot coals left. Of course, you should pour some water on it first ;-). Lots of people think it's enough to empty half a gallon over the fire, and it's alright, but in my experience you need about 10 liters or 2 1/2 gallon to fully extinguish a medium sized camp fire in a camp of 5-8 people. What I also like to do is check on my fire area half an hour after I put the fire out, just to be sure.

I believe it is very important to know your responsibilities if you go out in the woods (or anywhere else, for that matter).
 
Super cool, meathor. Good for you for getting out despite the injury.
 
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