First lean-to Woods Shelter

I never really used to take cameras with me on my big hikes. We didn't have digital cameras or anything, about the fanciest was the Polaroid, which was very large but spit out developed photos on the spot. Otherwise you'd need a good camera and bunch of extra gear just to get a good shot in varying lights and weather conditions, so it was just too bulky to pack on any serious adventure. I see kids taking great pictures with tiny cell phones these days and wish I could have had that technology 30 years ago, heheh. I might have some old pics of a similar shelter in an album somewhere, but I would have no idea even where to begin in order to make them available to be viewed on the internet.

The trick to the moss on the shelter was to carefully cut the moss from the forest floor so it just lifts away gently in large 2 x 2 sheets. It brings all the soil, bugs and critters with it, and it doesn't disturb its growth so long as when placed onto the shelter, it gets about the same amount of light that it did on the ground. Direct sunlight will dry it out and kill it, so angle it away from the sun, or ensure the shelter is shaded in the trees. Also the moss gets heavy, so the shelter's frame was built from large diameter fallen lodgepole pines that I measured and sawed to fit nicely. The shelter did take some time to construct, but it was well worth the effort.
 
In that third photo in the top row, I couldn't figure out what the yarn was... I thought it was a big fat green weasel, waiting to pounce on you when you got back on the ladder! :eek:

Keep posting the photos!


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Ive found that braided catfish line works good as cordage. its easily found in the fishing section of wallyworld for like $3 for 200ft and it has a rating of 150lbs before breaking
 
That was looking like a serious shelter. As for cordage I always use para cord. My buddy is in the army so I get like a never ending supply lol.
 
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