- Joined
- Feb 13, 2008
- Messages
- 90
I tried my best to keep a daily journal of my learning experience while attending the Advanced Course at the WLC. Here are my notes from the week:
08/01/10
-Set up of camp at the school
-Introduction
-Overview of the Ten Essentials
Review of the 10 essentials to be carried at all times. More than 10 can be carried, just personal preference.
Skills Challenge #1 Make a bow and drill set and get a coal.
-I tried 4 different set ups and failed to get a coal. *Need to work on this skill
Skilsl Challenge #2 Gather Tinder/Kindling in the dark with the use of a head lamp. Once all material is gathered and you were to turn off you head lamp and build a fire. I got a fire on the first try. Good reminder to carry a fire steel at all times.
Equipment Used on Day #1
-Adventure Sworn Bushcraft Knife, 550 cord, Ferro Rod, Headlamp, water bottle, Haversack(sucked, got sick of it moving around and switched to my E&E pack),
Also made the decision to only use my Ten Essentials the entire week.
08/02/10
-Navigation & Pacing (information obtained was kept in a note book similar to a snipers dope book)
-Various aspects of trapping
Skills Challenge #3 Make a trap from a book.
-This was a test to show that just because it's in a book, doesn't make it easy or correct. I had one from a Mors Kochanski book, in which the traps trigger was a slip knot. It worked but not well.
Skills Challenge #4 Taking a Bearing
-I had some trouble with this one, and was off by 10 degrees on some. This was corrected after Marty showed me what I was doing wrong. Need to practice more.
Skills Challenge #5 Make a raft from a poncho or tarp
-Raft was constructed after a frame was made by pounding stakes into the ground and weaving various sticks and branches together in the shape of a wreath. After this it was placed on the tarp and later transported to the river where it fell apart in transportation, but did float for a while.
-During down time played with the coat hanger zip gun and forged a cutting tool out of a nail.
Equipment used on day #2
-Winkler Knife ( worked great as an overall knife, took a beating!), Compass, Water bottle, 550, FAK, Headlamp
08/03/10
-Heavy rain last night, my tent was floating, it never leaked but the water was at least an inch deep under it!
-Vehicle Survival Kits
-Overview of UTM grids
-Maptools.com for tools for the maps
-Vehicle Recovery and Off road driving
-1,2,3 Bracing
-Spanish Windlass
-Shelter Review
-More Trapping
Day 3 Equipment used;
-Winkler, FAK, Water Bottle, headlamp
08/04/10
-Load up and move out for field exercises
-Ten Essentials Carried inside of Kifaru E&E and pockets: WLC School Knife, Guyot Bottle & Ti Cup, Whistle & Mirror, Ferro Rod, 550 Cord, Elite headlamp, Military Poncho, Sportsmans Blanket, Compass, Snare Wire & Fishing kit.
-Clothing: BDU pants, 511 nylon shirt, wicking tee, smartwool socks, Merrill hikers, Boonie hat, pilots gloves, bug headnet, wool shirt ( rolled up inside of poncho)
-Comfort items: Ben's 100% deet, sun screen, not used.
-Was issued 2 mre's to ration out over the field exercise.
-Only GreyWolf was able to carry a coal of tinder fungus on the land navigation portion successfully. Failed to prepare the tinder bundle and coal wouldn't make the flame.
-Land Navigation, we came up short some how as a group, pacing had to have been off, since I was pacing, I'll take the responsibility.
-Arrived at location and filled up at the "spring" * Need to carry more water, I emptied my guyot on the trip in.
Skills Challenge #6 Build a shelter from natural materials:
-Located shelter location, constructed my fern bed, and made a modified dome/debris/shingled shelter. After frame work was complete, I covered the frame with leaves. After that I located birch and ash bark and used them to shingle the shelter then covered again with leaves.
-Made the fire pit and reflector(reflector was too close and even though it was wet punky wood, it caught on fire)
-Gathered fire wood.
-Everyone was give a piece of chicken to cook over the fire. After the everyone cooked and ate, the sky opened up! On went the poncho and I cooked some soup with my chicken bones. It was pretty damn good!
-Shelter survived the down pours and I only had one drip spot. At least I did something right.
-Way too warm in the shelter, sweating inside of the bug head net.
*Items that would have been nice to have: Tarp(took 2 1/2 hours to build shelter), Ax or big blade, and saw.
08/05/10
-After starting the fire and boiling water for coffee from MRE, attempted to rebuild reflector, got stung by yellow jackets. Spent the morning drunk on Benedryl.
-Survival Fishing, caught one small fish, let it go.
-Wilderness First Aid
-Survival Fishing again, caught 3 small fish and made a chowder. Also turned out pretty good
-Plant walk
-Made Frog Spears
-Swim in the river!(refreshing)
08/06/10
- Pack up and extraction from area.
-Lessons learned: Need work on land navigation, ALWAYS carry a tarp or shelter, you can make it without the latest and greatest high speed/low drag gear. 1 mre can last one day if you ration it.
-Gear missed: Ax, saw, sleeping pad(ferns just don't do it), tarp.
It was a good school and I learned a lot. The biggest thing for me was the confidence builder of doing it with less. It will effect my packing on future trips. While it won't be just the 10 essentials, it for sure will be less.
Jerry
Pictures to follow
08/01/10
-Set up of camp at the school
-Introduction
-Overview of the Ten Essentials
Review of the 10 essentials to be carried at all times. More than 10 can be carried, just personal preference.
Skills Challenge #1 Make a bow and drill set and get a coal.
-I tried 4 different set ups and failed to get a coal. *Need to work on this skill
Skilsl Challenge #2 Gather Tinder/Kindling in the dark with the use of a head lamp. Once all material is gathered and you were to turn off you head lamp and build a fire. I got a fire on the first try. Good reminder to carry a fire steel at all times.
Equipment Used on Day #1
-Adventure Sworn Bushcraft Knife, 550 cord, Ferro Rod, Headlamp, water bottle, Haversack(sucked, got sick of it moving around and switched to my E&E pack),
Also made the decision to only use my Ten Essentials the entire week.
08/02/10
-Navigation & Pacing (information obtained was kept in a note book similar to a snipers dope book)
-Various aspects of trapping
Skills Challenge #3 Make a trap from a book.
-This was a test to show that just because it's in a book, doesn't make it easy or correct. I had one from a Mors Kochanski book, in which the traps trigger was a slip knot. It worked but not well.
Skills Challenge #4 Taking a Bearing
-I had some trouble with this one, and was off by 10 degrees on some. This was corrected after Marty showed me what I was doing wrong. Need to practice more.
Skills Challenge #5 Make a raft from a poncho or tarp
-Raft was constructed after a frame was made by pounding stakes into the ground and weaving various sticks and branches together in the shape of a wreath. After this it was placed on the tarp and later transported to the river where it fell apart in transportation, but did float for a while.
-During down time played with the coat hanger zip gun and forged a cutting tool out of a nail.
Equipment used on day #2
-Winkler Knife ( worked great as an overall knife, took a beating!), Compass, Water bottle, 550, FAK, Headlamp
08/03/10
-Heavy rain last night, my tent was floating, it never leaked but the water was at least an inch deep under it!
-Vehicle Survival Kits
-Overview of UTM grids
-Maptools.com for tools for the maps
-Vehicle Recovery and Off road driving
-1,2,3 Bracing
-Spanish Windlass
-Shelter Review
-More Trapping
Day 3 Equipment used;
-Winkler, FAK, Water Bottle, headlamp
08/04/10
-Load up and move out for field exercises
-Ten Essentials Carried inside of Kifaru E&E and pockets: WLC School Knife, Guyot Bottle & Ti Cup, Whistle & Mirror, Ferro Rod, 550 Cord, Elite headlamp, Military Poncho, Sportsmans Blanket, Compass, Snare Wire & Fishing kit.
-Clothing: BDU pants, 511 nylon shirt, wicking tee, smartwool socks, Merrill hikers, Boonie hat, pilots gloves, bug headnet, wool shirt ( rolled up inside of poncho)
-Comfort items: Ben's 100% deet, sun screen, not used.
-Was issued 2 mre's to ration out over the field exercise.
-Only GreyWolf was able to carry a coal of tinder fungus on the land navigation portion successfully. Failed to prepare the tinder bundle and coal wouldn't make the flame.
-Land Navigation, we came up short some how as a group, pacing had to have been off, since I was pacing, I'll take the responsibility.
-Arrived at location and filled up at the "spring" * Need to carry more water, I emptied my guyot on the trip in.
Skills Challenge #6 Build a shelter from natural materials:
-Located shelter location, constructed my fern bed, and made a modified dome/debris/shingled shelter. After frame work was complete, I covered the frame with leaves. After that I located birch and ash bark and used them to shingle the shelter then covered again with leaves.
-Made the fire pit and reflector(reflector was too close and even though it was wet punky wood, it caught on fire)
-Gathered fire wood.
-Everyone was give a piece of chicken to cook over the fire. After the everyone cooked and ate, the sky opened up! On went the poncho and I cooked some soup with my chicken bones. It was pretty damn good!
-Shelter survived the down pours and I only had one drip spot. At least I did something right.
-Way too warm in the shelter, sweating inside of the bug head net.
*Items that would have been nice to have: Tarp(took 2 1/2 hours to build shelter), Ax or big blade, and saw.
08/05/10
-After starting the fire and boiling water for coffee from MRE, attempted to rebuild reflector, got stung by yellow jackets. Spent the morning drunk on Benedryl.
-Survival Fishing, caught one small fish, let it go.
-Wilderness First Aid
-Survival Fishing again, caught 3 small fish and made a chowder. Also turned out pretty good
-Plant walk
-Made Frog Spears
-Swim in the river!(refreshing)
08/06/10
- Pack up and extraction from area.
-Lessons learned: Need work on land navigation, ALWAYS carry a tarp or shelter, you can make it without the latest and greatest high speed/low drag gear. 1 mre can last one day if you ration it.
-Gear missed: Ax, saw, sleeping pad(ferns just don't do it), tarp.
It was a good school and I learned a lot. The biggest thing for me was the confidence builder of doing it with less. It will effect my packing on future trips. While it won't be just the 10 essentials, it for sure will be less.
Jerry
Pictures to follow
