Hobbiton – a Tribute to Mistwalker

[jaz322]

Been wanting to do this for a while and found some extra time over the holiday weekend. To acknowledge and supplement Mistwalker’s still life’s that depict the plotting of middle earth adventures over Fiddleback-infused hobbit meals…..some pics for the fellowship from a fairly recent trip to a place that has enchanted so many –– Hobbiton.


First a knife pic since this is a BladeForums post : ) During this trip my wife and I were at sea for 5 days diving the Great Barrier Reef. The FOX NAVITA (one bad ass piece of steel) was strapped to my calf during every descent. Wanted to dive with a Fiddleback but couldn’t find the right knife/sheath combo for that application.

Over to NZ across the North Island’s countryside to Matamata.

Lord of the Rings has been a boon for this small town. The visitor center.

View of The Shire as we entered. Being a stormy day, most visitors skipped out….but the clouds parted and the sun shined just as we began.

Making our way up the hill past the longbottom leaves to the grandest hobbit hole – you know who lives here….

btw, the tree above Bilbo’s home is artificial.

Hobbit holes along a path.

The Green Dragon – a hobbits pub and playing ground for quoits and festivities.

A cozy place.

We sat by the fire for drink and a snack.

Leaving The Shire’s Rest, a final look.

Easy to visualize Gandalf and his horse-drawn wagon.

Beautiful countryside in and around Hobbiton.

Mist – thank you for sharing an impressive portfolio over the years. I thought about your images more than once on this trip!

 

[pertinux]

Fantastic!

This picture, especially, draws me right in:

Thanks!

~ P.

 

[fatboyclone]

looks like you had a fantastic trip! thanks for sharing

 

[Fiddleback]

That is cool as hell.

 

[Nbrackett]

That place is beautiful!

 

[Mistwalker]

That was amazing! Thank you for sharing your trip!! I love and find a LOT of inspiration in it. If you don't mind I'm going to save some of these photos just to remember the inspirations for future images from.

 

[Mistwalker]

First a knife pic since this is a BladeForums post : ) During this trip my wife and I were at sea for 5 days diving the Great Barrier Reef. The FOX NAVITA (one bad ass piece of steel) was strapped to my calf during every descent. Wanted to dive with a Fiddleback but couldn’t find the right knife/sheath combo for that application.

The Fiddleback I have planned for salt water ops is the midtech Kephart. I've been looking at kydex sheath options for it for a while but haven't settled on one yet.

 

[jaz322]

Mist, the s35vn in that size makes sense for a dive knife. Food for thought regarding the sheath - the rubber straps are very effective at retaining the knife on your calf. Nylon tends to loosen as it lacks the elasticity to retract as the muscle flexes and relaxes. Using a calf strap is also more versatile for the recreational diver, as most divers rent the vest (buoyancy control device (bcd)) that come in all different shapes and sizes, making it a potential issue to find a good place to clip a knife/sheath. And trust me, you don’t want to be the one holding up the dive because you can’t find a good way to fasten your knife to the bcd you just took a crash course on However, for those that use the same bcd, a cam lock clip would be great if there’s a good place such as the shoulder strap to fasten the sheath.

PM incoming in regard to full res images of the trip that you might be interested in having for reference (Hobbiton and/or diving).

 

[Onedog]

Man, these pictures are just awesome! I really want to take a trip there but I fear that I'd never come back. Thanks for the post!

 

[Mistwalker]

Mist, the s35vn in that size makes sense for a dive knife. Food for thought regarding the sheath - the rubber straps are very effective at retaining the knife on your calf. Nylon tends to loosen as it lacks the elasticity to retract as the muscle flexes and relaxes. Using a calf strap is also more versatile for the recreational diver, as most divers rent the vest (buoyancy control device (bcd)) that come in all different shapes and sizes, making it a potential issue to find a good place to clip a knife/sheath. And trust me, you don’t want to be the one holding up the dive because you can’t find a good way to fasten your knife to the bcd you just took a crash course on However, for those that use the same bcd, a cam lock clip would be great if there’s a good place such as the shoulder strap to fasten the sheath.

PM incoming in regard to full res images of the trip that you might be interested in having for reference (Hobbiton and/or diving).

Thanks man. Yeah, I have experimented with a lot of over and covert carry methods over the years. I like going the calf carry on knives on different occasions. I've done forearm carry as well with smaller knives. I have used calf carry in a few of the articles I have written, and after a bad accident several years ago that sent a rear axle, hub assembly tire and all through my windshield like a nail through a board, pinning my hands to the wheel for a few seconds, I always have an ASEK strapped to my ankle on highway road trips now. Once away from the wheel, though pretty badly cut up, I could reach my legs but not my side. So now I keep a knife low on my person on road trips also.

Thank you for the PM Jason, I'll email you about those later today or soon. Crazy week helping my daughter with a project she is having issues with.

Man, these pictures are just awesome! I really want to take a trip there but I fear that I'd never come back. Thanks for the post!

My thoughts exactly Jim...Especially this past year with the divorce and all

 

[Halfneck]

I read The Hobbit when I was in middle school and it inspired my love of reading. To visit the Shire and enjoy a drink by the fire would be incredible.

 

[texasrimfirenut]

Way too cool. Gonna have to share this with others.

 

[Tim the Wizard]

IMHO the Kephart tip is too acute for a dive knife. I'd go with a sheeps foot blade - something that isn't going to pierce your regulator inadvertently.

Jaz we need to talk diving sometime. I have a book I will send you over pm.

 

[Silas]

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