BK9 and Shaerks Knives in La Tigra National Cloud Forest

[levernutt]

So I headed out this week for two days hiking/camping in La Tigra National Cloud Forest outside of Tegucigalpa. I wanted to test my new Shaerks knives and brought along my trusty BK9 for the heavy work. First I hiked down to the falls, then back to the truck to get my overnight gear. Firemaking is always a challenge as even when it doesn't rain, it is difficult to find dry wood. When I reached my campsite, I broke out the 9 and cut some standing dead wood, but even that was a little damp inside. I've learned to cut and split a lot of wood, then stack it by the fire so that it dries out from the heat of the campfire over time. It still means tending the fire pretty much constantly, though, until enough wood dries.

Still it was a blast. I tested out my new tarp set-up, which worked like a charm and kept me dry even with on-and-off showers during the evening, and my new mini firebox stove for coffee and fried biscuits for breakfast the next morning. I'll try to post some pics below (haven't had much luck in the past with setting up links to photobucket).

Here's the trail head to the falls.

Camp set up.

Trusty BK9 with my Shaerks big and little mooks.

BK9 and breakfast.

Mmmm. Fried biscuits.

Ceiba tree. These guys are huge.

This tree looks like a camel.

The falls.

View from the trail.

All in all a great trip, and the knives all performed like champs!

-Levernutt

 

[Ausseknifeknut]

Wow beautiful location , and the king looks right in it's element there :thumbup:

 

[tanglediver]

Hard to see the jungle through the trees! Nice views!

 

[dynamicmoves]

Great pics. What'd you think of the new knives?

 

[Diamondshooter]

Very cool pics, I love the woods

 

[levernutt]

dynamicmoves,

Knives all did great. BK9 is a beast. My folding saw blade is getting a little dull, and I found with some of the forearm sized deadwood I was cutting it was less effort and faster to chop through it with the 9 than keep sawing. Tent pegs and toggles for the tarp were cut from longer sticks with a single chop. Ethan Becker is a god.

The little mook is a great neck knife. Light, tough, and super sharp. Mine has black micarta scales and 1095 steel like the big mook (I got them as a matched pair). Shaved super long, super thin feathers on feather sticks with little effort. The big mook is also very good chopper, better than its weight would indicate. It is not blade-heavy either, but really bit into the wood and made quick work of wrist sized sticks of hardwood. It batonned well too.

I used the 9 on the big stuff though. It went through 4 foot long, forearm-sized pieces of knotty hardwood like they were butter. Three great knives. I have no complaints about the performance of any of them. :thumbup:

-Levernutt

 

[Shaerk]

I'm jealous. La Tigra looks awesome. That BK9 is a beast. Seeing it next to the Big Mook gives me a point of reference.

 

[levernutt]

Mark,

Give you any ideas for a BK9-sized "Mega Mook" chopper? In 5160 maybe?

-Levernutt

 

[Shaerk]

Mark,

Give you any ideas for a BK9-sized "Mega Mook" chopper? In 5160 maybe?

-Levernutt

Actually, I have a couple of things in the works... A large knife in 1/4" 5160 and another in 3/16" A2. Interested?

 

[levernutt]

Actually, I have a couple of things in the works... A large knife in 1/4" 5160 and another in 3/16" A2. Interested?

Might could be.

Can't wait to see the prototypes.

-Levernutt

 

[trailbum]

I really like the big mook.