A wet week bushcrafting & the TK2

[SouthernCross]

G'day everyone.

Last week I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a fair bit of time in the bush with my good friend Francois. Unlike previous years, there has been steady rain in the leadup to this trip, with it raining for 5 out of the six days of the trip.

The location of the trip is a pristine area close to home. In the 25 years I have been venturing into this area, I have yet to see any sign that anyone else has been through. The following pics give an indication of the area we were in.

I have been particularily looking forward to this trip as it would give me the opportunity to try out the Fallkniven TK2 in bushcraft tasks.

I also (for the first time) took along a Bahco laplander folding saw. One thing I will say about saws is they make it easier to harvest larger wood.

The folder for this trip was the TK4. Being so light, it wasn't noticed at all when carried as a "necker".

Being winter here the temps ranged from -2 degrees C to about +8 degrees C.

Even though its a lot of work to keep a fire going in wet weather, the benefits of hot food, warmth and the company a fire gives at night makes it all worthwhile.

More to follow...

 

[CKE2]

Lookin good. Thats a nice looking knife and some good looking grub there!

 

[Rockywolf]

Looking forward to the rest of this thread. You always teach me a lot. And what are those delicious looking sausages called?

 

[SouthernCross]

The wet weather certainly kept the focus on starting & maintaining a fire in wet conditions. As always, preparation goes a long way in making it easier to start a fire with wet wood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqW0lmj6lzA

As well as the work required around camp (collecting, drying and storing firewood), we spent a fair bit of time walking around and taking in the sights.

The TK2 saw a range of uses from the campfire to the camp kitchen.
The TK2 made very light work of shaving the bark from the firewood we used for a weeks worth of campfires (dries much quicker this way)

I must admit to being particularily interested in how robust the tip of the TK2 was. During the week I got to put it to the test by using it to drill/shave a hole in a 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick piece of seasoned hardwood without problem.

Being only 10cm (4 inch) long, battoning often required striking the tip of the TK2 as seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkpn1_SaKvc. After a weeks worth of battoning the TK2 shows zero signs of damage.


The next two videos give a good indication of how well the TK2 slices seasoned hardwood and the kind of working edge 3G can hold with regular use. Bear in mind they were taken on the last day when it was dry enough to get the camera out from under cover and on a tripod for filming. The edge shown is after 5 days of solid use without touching up in any way

The TK2 provided us with ample shavings for kindling throughout the week.

As the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je8CgtP1-jU shows, even though the TK2 shaved through knots, it still keeps going.

Part of notching timber involves cutting across the grain.

What started out as a notch became an opprotunity to see how the TK2 performed at cross grain cutting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaM9xNk0z-Q

Overall it was a great trip that enabled me to see how the TK2 would go at bushcraft. As you can see, I got my answer :thumbup::thumbup:

Personally, about the only way it could be improved as a bushcrafter would be with a more oval handle (eg H1). Hey, maybe that's something I might look into


Thanks for looking



Kind regards
Mick

 

[Mistwalker]

Great pics, I love food cooked over an open fire! I'm looking forward to the rest also.

 

[sicily02]

WOW great pics of the are you go camping in. I just love it LOL. I would sure like to visit that area some day. So do you have and critters in your area that could do you real harm? Like crocs and the funnel web spiders and the red back spider and so many snakes that I am not even going to try and name then LOL.
Do you have any Big cats or a type of bear?

Bryan

 

[sicily02]

That last pic with the night fire is soooooo cool LOL

Bryan

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Hey Mick,

Thanks for sharing your trip. At first when I saw the winter clothes, I thought WTH, but then remembered you're in winter.

Looks like some great country there.

Doc

 

[Shotgun]

Man you sure know how to camp. That looks good.

 

[tonym]

Looks like a great trip despite the rain.

That knife looks quite handy as well. Thanks for the pics and videos

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Love your posts Bro

Always learn a lot from you!!!!

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Bryan

... So do you have and critters in your area that could do you real harm? Like crocs and the funnel web spiders and the red back spider and so many snakes that I am not even going to try and name then LOL.
Do you have any Big cats or a type of bear?

Bryan

No crocs in this area (too cold in winter and often too dry in summer )

There are Funnel webs & Red back spiders in this area. There are also healthy populations of a number of snake species including eastern browns, tiger, redbelly blacks and copperheads.

There are stories of a "Black Panther" in the general area that I reckon is just a large Feral cat. I shot one in the 1980's that measured 1.05 meters (3 1/2 foot) from nose to anus, so they can get big.

The only bears we have here are Koala bears lol.


Here's a few more pics..

The old man of the bush

our lounge room for the week

the remains of a lightning strike.

Wombat hole

Washing up using Charcoal as a scourer

Hand soap in a stocking (keeps it free of dirt/leaves etc)

Kind regards
Mick

 

[pitdog]

Great pics buddy thanks.....I need to see a Wombat next time though, not just the hole , I like Wombats !!!!:thumbup:

 

[sicily02]

Thanks Mick, I for got about the koala bears LOL. So how offten do you see the snakes and the spiders every day, once a week not that often? If you were to get bit by one of them snakes( browns or the tiger or the redbelly blacks, The copper head is not as bad I am sure ) when you are out and about are you pretty much dead or can you get to the hospital in time?

Bryan

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Bryan

... So how offten do you see the snakes and the spiders every day, once a week not that often? If you were to get bit by one of them snakes( browns or the tiger or the redbelly blacks, The copper head is not as bad I am sure ) when you are out and about are you pretty much dead or can you get to the hospital in time?

The redbacks are active year round and it sure pays to keep your wits about you when collecting wood.

The funnellwebs are more of a problem in the warmer months (especially the more venemous males who leave their burrows and move around looking for a mate).

During the warmer months, it is common to see several snakes in the course of a day. There have been occasions when I have killed funnell webs around the camp site at night during the warmer months.

Of the species I mentioned, the more dangerous ones are the funnellweb spider, eastern Brown and Tiger snakes.

To get to this location, I get dropped off on the side of a rarely used 4 wheel drive only track, and then walk in cross country (takes about 2-3 hours depending on how heavy the pack is ). My pick up returns at a designated time. With no mobile phone reception, there is no way to contact my wife for an earlier pickup. So if you get a decent bite from one of the 3 mentioned, your pretty much finished.


Here's a few more pics..

Many of our accacia species produce edible seeds

Here's a close up of the fly tensioner

And one of wild pig sign

Kind regards
Mick

 

[lambertiana]

It looks like a nice area, and it must have been especially nice to have some real solitude there.

You can cook in my camp any time.

 

[bmilla35]

Cool pics! Thanks for sharing :thumbup: Australia seems to be a beautiful place...I hope I can visit it one day (and come back alive!)

 

[Mistwalker]

Are there any particular types of areas that are less populated by funnel webs? What precautions do you take because of them or to help minimize trouble from them?

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Mistwalker

Are there any particular types of areas that are less populated by funnel webs? What precautions do you take because of them or to help minimize trouble from them?

They tend to prefer areas with sandstone (crevices & cracks in sandstone make good lairs). The most venemous species of Funnell web is the Sydney Funnel web that is supposed to be only found in a 200km radius of Sydney (personally I reckon 300km is more accurate). It is mostly ground dwelling, but will on occasion climb trees.

Best precautions are a zipped up tent in the warmer months, check shoes before putting them on, and be carefull where you stick your hands.



Kind regards
Mick

 

[mtnfolk mike]

great pics as usual Mick..:thumbup: i have always loved your posts... the Australia outback looks amazing, i have to get over there one of these days...

cheers.. mike