- Joined
- Apr 1, 2009
- Messages
- 1,079
Hey Fellas-
Long time no post, but I got out yesterday with Skippy and took a great picture of him that I wanted to share with Y'all. Actually, as you will see, I went picture crazy on this hike.
We stayed close to home at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Westchester County, NY, which overlooks some of NYC's highly protected watershed areas.
We started out passing by a wintery swamp:
We got into the woods where the trails made their way past some nice rocky outcrops:
Skip and I did lots of rock hopping over the course of the hike:
After and hour or so, we got up to a view of the reservoirs:
Here is my newest hiking stick and my new pack. The stick is made from a Maple sapling. For the handle, I used two layers of bicycle inner-tube wrapped with hockey tape for a nice cushy grip. Instead of being attached through a drilled hole, I whipped the paracord on. The pack is a Camelbak Ridge Runner, and I really like it. It holds plenty for a day hike and is super comfortable.
And now for that Skippy pic I told you about. Ta da:
IMHO, this one ain't half bad either:
After we were done up top, we made our way down to Leatherman's Cave. You can see it at the bottom right of this picture:
It has made a very roomy shelter for many over the years including someone named the "Leatherman" who lived there on and off for years:
I got to play around with a new toy that I'm really liking- A Hinderer XM-18! I know it's not what most would consider a bushcraft blade, but wow, what a knife!!!
It's a used and spa'd XM-18, 3.5" with yellow g-10 scales. The second I picked it up, I knew I was going to love it. The fit and finish is perfect, it's super sharp, it flips open like a dream, and fits my hand perfectly.
I know that for resale purposes, you should be positive you like a knife before you go ahead and use it. Even though this knife is kind of grailish for me, after only a week of flipping and getting the feel for this baby, I decided to pull the trigger and give it a quick test drive because I just could tell it was a keeper. I was not disappointed.
First I made a tent peg. The XM-18 chewed right through the wood to make a nice point in no time:
Notching was also easy:
I also made a feather stick. It was no problem making controlled curls both thick and thin with the XM-18. Though the choil is a bit small for my fingers, it is still useable, and after all, how much cutting edge can you really give up on a 3.5" folder?
With these yellow scales this baby won't be easy to lose!
We made our way out along this rock wall lined woods road for a bit, and found just a little bit of color in the gray, bleak early winter landscape:
We passed the swamp again and we were done.
Thanks for looking, and Happy New Year Everyone!!!!
Long time no post, but I got out yesterday with Skippy and took a great picture of him that I wanted to share with Y'all. Actually, as you will see, I went picture crazy on this hike.
We stayed close to home at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Westchester County, NY, which overlooks some of NYC's highly protected watershed areas.
We started out passing by a wintery swamp:
We got into the woods where the trails made their way past some nice rocky outcrops:
Skip and I did lots of rock hopping over the course of the hike:
After and hour or so, we got up to a view of the reservoirs:
Here is my newest hiking stick and my new pack. The stick is made from a Maple sapling. For the handle, I used two layers of bicycle inner-tube wrapped with hockey tape for a nice cushy grip. Instead of being attached through a drilled hole, I whipped the paracord on. The pack is a Camelbak Ridge Runner, and I really like it. It holds plenty for a day hike and is super comfortable.
And now for that Skippy pic I told you about. Ta da:
IMHO, this one ain't half bad either:
After we were done up top, we made our way down to Leatherman's Cave. You can see it at the bottom right of this picture:
It has made a very roomy shelter for many over the years including someone named the "Leatherman" who lived there on and off for years:
I got to play around with a new toy that I'm really liking- A Hinderer XM-18! I know it's not what most would consider a bushcraft blade, but wow, what a knife!!!
It's a used and spa'd XM-18, 3.5" with yellow g-10 scales. The second I picked it up, I knew I was going to love it. The fit and finish is perfect, it's super sharp, it flips open like a dream, and fits my hand perfectly.
I know that for resale purposes, you should be positive you like a knife before you go ahead and use it. Even though this knife is kind of grailish for me, after only a week of flipping and getting the feel for this baby, I decided to pull the trigger and give it a quick test drive because I just could tell it was a keeper. I was not disappointed.
First I made a tent peg. The XM-18 chewed right through the wood to make a nice point in no time:
Notching was also easy:
I also made a feather stick. It was no problem making controlled curls both thick and thin with the XM-18. Though the choil is a bit small for my fingers, it is still useable, and after all, how much cutting edge can you really give up on a 3.5" folder?
With these yellow scales this baby won't be easy to lose!
We made our way out along this rock wall lined woods road for a bit, and found just a little bit of color in the gray, bleak early winter landscape:
We passed the swamp again and we were done.
Thanks for looking, and Happy New Year Everyone!!!!
Last edited:
