Hiking, Camping, Bow Drill, and Passing it on to the youth!

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

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Mar 19, 2007
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A few weekends ago I went out (we do this twice a semester) with a group of students from Lonestar College - Cy-Fair. This course is a linked course that combines Biology 2 and Hiking and Camping course. I am invited to come along to teach WSS skills to the kids as well as help the prepare their own PSK (it is part of their grade).

On Friday we got settled and helped them pitch their tents and talked about proper placement of tents, packs, and the like. We work on fire making (trunk camping style first) and food preparation around camp. Once they have camp set we take them out for a night hike of a few miles.

In the morning we take them out for a 8 - 10 mile hike and stop along the way to teach them about plants, shelter making, trail etiiquitte, geo cashing, and a myriad of other cool things.

Here are some pics of the adventure:

Can you tell who I am in this pic?: ( ;) )

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I hitched this guy to our biology professor when he wasn't looking. He stayed on for about 6 miles:

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Here we are finding our first geocache. The kids seemed to love it. Oh - and I am LOVING the bamboo walking stick I harvested last year.

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Here I am starting a bow drill fire. I had showed them the night before how to properly split wood, gather tinder, and build a base and brace fire. Now I was showing them combustion. I had showed them Flint and Steel, matches, and lighter - and now I wanted to show them / train them on making fire with little but a sharp blade and some cordage.

Here is the cycle:

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Cont...
 
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At this point I had a good coal and transfered it to some harvested cedar bark. I had showed them how to make a tinder bundle and was now blowing it into flame. Look at the amazement! ;)

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Then we had some that wanted to learn. I carefully instructed them, helped with their form, and hoped for the best. I was SO PROUD - they busted two viable coals and blew them into flame!

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This student prepared his own spindle and hearth after the initial one became glazed:

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TF
 
Good work Tal. Someday I'll have to try to make fire the hard way. What park were you camped out in?

PS. You are the tall guy in the black hat. Of course I have seen you in person. :)
 
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Looks like a great course T. You get them all hiking 8 miles? Thats some serious motivation for some of them kids. Looks like you did a great job on the fire demos. What kind of things were discussed about on the plants?
 
Kgd,

My goodness bro - remember this is a biology class - so they know the root systems, the leaf structure, the latin names - and so on.

I try to tell them if it burns, can be used for shelter, or they can eat it! ;)

I am not very good with plants - so I am learning.

TF
 
That's cool stuff T. That had to be a blast. I'm sure they were cracking up at the hitchhiker, I know I laughed. Looks like a good time had by all.
 
My hat is off to you Brother, WELL DONE!!! Thanks for taking the time to pass these life lessons on...
 
Talfuchre said:
camping148.jpg


At this point I had a good coal and transfered it to some harvested cedar bark. I had showed them how to make a tinder bundle and was now blowing it into flame. Look at the amazement! ;)

camping149.jpg

TF
Click to expand...

Good job TF! Great to see this being taught to your class. You really had their full attention!

Looks like a beautiful park to hike!
 
Did you say camping and hiking college course??? Do many colleges have a hiking and camping class?

Geez, my best classes in college were philosophy and military science.
 
jaymeister99 said:
Did you say camping and hiking college course??? Do many colleges have a hiking and camping class?
Click to expand...

I have a BA in Outdoor Recreation Management from Springfield College. It is amongst more than 300 universities and colleges throughout the US offering similar degree-granting majors.
 
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Good on ya TF. Its awesome to see ya passin along the skills.

You have become quite the woodsmen over the years. Its been a pleasure to watch. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
jaymeister99 said:
Did you say camping and hiking college course??? Do many colleges have a hiking and camping class?

Geez, my best classes in college were philosophy and military science.
Click to expand...

Bigblue17 said:
I have a BA in Outdoor Recreation Management from Springfield College. It is amongst more than 300 universities and colleges throughout the US offering similar degree-granting majors.
Click to expand...

Theres a degree for everything. :D

My cuz got his degree in leasure studies. He makes waay more then me now takin folks on Vacation. He learned to surf in Fiji, backpacked through Spain, got robbed in Amsterdam, all while making six figures. Bastid :grumpy:
 
Looks like a neat class, hope they had a good time. Universities do offer some fun courses... I took Backpacking, flyfishing, and a couple other neat classes for college credit.

They have me beat on that trip pretty good. Never done bow drill or geocaching.
 
Awesome stuff! Working with kids is so important now adays. KEEP PASSING THE FLAME!
 
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