- Joined
- May 14, 2001
- Messages
- 34
What a night last night was! Actually the whole day was something else. A couple of us went hiking into the Linville Gorge wildnerness area in North Carolina. The trails are not marked, and according to reports, more people are lost in this rugged area than in any other part of North Carolina. Well, count me in on this number too...
After traveling down into the gorge and walking for several miles, we couldn't find the next trail that would take us out of there. When they named this a "wilderness area" they weren't kidding. We climbed over two thousand feet three times and just tried to get to the top of the gorge and make it out that way. However, we kept running into rock cliffs we couldn't get past. We decided around 6 that we were going to have to go back to the bottom and find a place to camp out next to the river for water. The trails are too narrow, steep, and rocky to try and navigate in the dark.
We got back to the bottom and had to set up a makeshift camp because we hadn't intended on staying out all night. That's where the Battle Mistress came into play. It came in handy several different ways. It had just started to rain and we had to get a shelter up quick and get a fire going. The Battle Mistress made quick work of several small trees/saplings, and we were able to improvise a lean-to next to a small rock overhang. By leaning the saplings against the small cave, we were able to increase the square footage of our living area, with the leaves and pine boughs helping to keep the water from straight down next to our sleeping area. It was a good arrangments, and the Battle Mistress shined in helping me get this done quickly.
By this time, the rain had started to pick up and we had to collect wood to get the fire started. There were a lot of dead trees lying about that were soaked on the outside, but once I chopped into them and broke them apart, I found some usable wood to get the fire started. However...While chopping into one, I heard this sick "pinging" sound. When I looked at the blade of my BM, I saw that I had hit something that chipped the blade. Talk about a sick feeling in the gut. I know these knives are to be used, but you still get a little woozy when you do something like that to a knife you love. By this time, it was getting fairly dark and I couldn't make out what I had hit. But, I was able to continue using the blade to gather up enough wood for the night.
A lot of people "in the know" talk about needing only a small 3-4" blade when out camping, saying that's all you need to get the tasks done around camp. Well, I couldn't have done half the things last night with that kind of blade that I did with my Battle Mistress. No, it wasn't a night of luxury (as we hadn't planned on being out), but we were able to rest in relative comfort with the supplies we had and inside of our shelter that had been made.
I examined the blade today, and there is a small chip. Something that did surprise me was that the blade edge already started to pick up some rust overnight. It was extremely wet out last night in the rain while we were working, and the lack of drainholes in the sheath trapped some water and I'm sure contributed to the blade edge beginning to corrode.
I have to say that I am extremely pleased with the Battle Mistress. This was the first time that I had to use it in a situation that demanded fast and furious action. I had used it for similar things, but only to test it under controlled conditions. Last night was anything but controlled. The BM has a good heft to it, is well balanced, and did just about everything I needed, including helping to prepare dinner. The only modification I have made to my BM is with the handle. Previously, I had put some slightly padded rubber raquet tape around it. This protects the nice micarta slabs, and also gives me a better purchase on the thinner handle. This modification made using the knife extremely comfortable and I suffered no fatigue in my hands or wrists even with the extensive amount of chopping that I did.
Anyway, I just wanted to give a report on the performance of my Battle Mistress. I was extremely pleased with it, and I don't believe that I've ever had a knife that I have trusted as much as I do this one. That's important to me. I want something that won't fail, and will do what I need it to do when things get a little hairy.
Now, I've just got to figure out how to fix this chip in the blade so nobody thinks that I abuse my baby...
After traveling down into the gorge and walking for several miles, we couldn't find the next trail that would take us out of there. When they named this a "wilderness area" they weren't kidding. We climbed over two thousand feet three times and just tried to get to the top of the gorge and make it out that way. However, we kept running into rock cliffs we couldn't get past. We decided around 6 that we were going to have to go back to the bottom and find a place to camp out next to the river for water. The trails are too narrow, steep, and rocky to try and navigate in the dark.
We got back to the bottom and had to set up a makeshift camp because we hadn't intended on staying out all night. That's where the Battle Mistress came into play. It came in handy several different ways. It had just started to rain and we had to get a shelter up quick and get a fire going. The Battle Mistress made quick work of several small trees/saplings, and we were able to improvise a lean-to next to a small rock overhang. By leaning the saplings against the small cave, we were able to increase the square footage of our living area, with the leaves and pine boughs helping to keep the water from straight down next to our sleeping area. It was a good arrangments, and the Battle Mistress shined in helping me get this done quickly.
By this time, the rain had started to pick up and we had to collect wood to get the fire started. There were a lot of dead trees lying about that were soaked on the outside, but once I chopped into them and broke them apart, I found some usable wood to get the fire started. However...While chopping into one, I heard this sick "pinging" sound. When I looked at the blade of my BM, I saw that I had hit something that chipped the blade. Talk about a sick feeling in the gut. I know these knives are to be used, but you still get a little woozy when you do something like that to a knife you love. By this time, it was getting fairly dark and I couldn't make out what I had hit. But, I was able to continue using the blade to gather up enough wood for the night.
A lot of people "in the know" talk about needing only a small 3-4" blade when out camping, saying that's all you need to get the tasks done around camp. Well, I couldn't have done half the things last night with that kind of blade that I did with my Battle Mistress. No, it wasn't a night of luxury (as we hadn't planned on being out), but we were able to rest in relative comfort with the supplies we had and inside of our shelter that had been made.
I examined the blade today, and there is a small chip. Something that did surprise me was that the blade edge already started to pick up some rust overnight. It was extremely wet out last night in the rain while we were working, and the lack of drainholes in the sheath trapped some water and I'm sure contributed to the blade edge beginning to corrode.
I have to say that I am extremely pleased with the Battle Mistress. This was the first time that I had to use it in a situation that demanded fast and furious action. I had used it for similar things, but only to test it under controlled conditions. Last night was anything but controlled. The BM has a good heft to it, is well balanced, and did just about everything I needed, including helping to prepare dinner. The only modification I have made to my BM is with the handle. Previously, I had put some slightly padded rubber raquet tape around it. This protects the nice micarta slabs, and also gives me a better purchase on the thinner handle. This modification made using the knife extremely comfortable and I suffered no fatigue in my hands or wrists even with the extensive amount of chopping that I did.
Anyway, I just wanted to give a report on the performance of my Battle Mistress. I was extremely pleased with it, and I don't believe that I've ever had a knife that I have trusted as much as I do this one. That's important to me. I want something that won't fail, and will do what I need it to do when things get a little hairy.
Now, I've just got to figure out how to fix this chip in the blade so nobody thinks that I abuse my baby...
