Mrs KGD fire practice & Peche Island

kgd

kgd

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Feb 28, 2007
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I had to clean up our work boat today, so I took the Mrs' with me and we spend a few hours over at Peche Island, which is a city park owned by Windsor but is accessible only by boat. It is only about 500 m boat ride from Lakeview Marina.

It was a really nice day, they have lots of picnic tables and we decided to get in a little fire practice using fire steel, fatwood and only small knives (RC-3; Breeden Kat and my little Wade necker).

First, an areal shot of the Peche Island (not mine stolen from the web). The city of Windsor is to the right, Detroit River off screen over to the left. You are looking upstream of the Detroit River, and beyond the island is Lake St. Clair.

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On the Island proper with a view towards Lake St. Clair.

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One of the canals leading into the island. We were on foot at this point.

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The spot we decided to do our fire practice

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Becky was up - first scraping fatwood and then the firesteel. I sort of cringed watching her use the edge of the knife, but she didn't like using the spine or the striker. As I told her it might dull her knife, she just looked at me and said - I know you will just sharpen it when we get home - and continued using the edge. I figured, since this was her first time using a striker that it was best for her to figure out what works well for her.

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She had a bit of trouble getting the fatwood to ignite. I then tore apart a firestraw and puffed up some PJC and she was able to get that to light right off the bat. Here she is prepping the kindling. She was really amazed at what a small 3" knife could do in fire prep. Mind you a bigger knife is easier, but the point of this was to demonstrate it could be done with our EDC tools. In fact, dare I say, I had no preconceived notion that we were going to make a fire today. We just use what is in our PSK's.

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Alas a nice little blaze.

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For kindling, the RC-3 easily won out over the other two knives. It just had the better gripping handle and that wider and fatter blade made the batoning much easier. I'm not sure the RC-3 would so easily win over my osage kat knife though - that will be fore the next time.

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We roasted a couple of apples on sticks and had some hot chocolate out of a thermos. All in all very fun. Becky decided to try her hand at whittling. I showed her how to do notches and she started practicing. It was cool when she said to me - I see why you like to have a bunch of different knives, each having a task they are best suited to.

I'm just smacking my lips here from eating that backed apple. Simplest thing in the world. Stick the apple on a piece of greenwood and roast it until the skin gets nicely blackened. Toss the skin and eat it. Taste like apple pie without all the extra sugar - but plenty sweet enough!

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Here is a cool tree whose limb fell and it looks like a fox head.

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There is some wonderful old trees on this island...

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I'm not sure why I like sticking Wade's necker in holes so much.....But I do :D

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A little bluegill sunfish in the canal

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A pretty fun Sunday afternoon. Best part is my wife wants to come out for more skills practice!
 
Great pics bro and very cool of Becky making a fire like that, gonna have to test Mrs Pit now and see if she is up to the task !!!
 
Great pics, looks like it was a lot of fun. Not much else can get someone 'hooked' better than starting their own matchless fire! (Or lighterless..)

I would have been cringing too, watching someone use the blade for scraping. Ouch. You'll have to make her a dedicated firesteel scraper out of a pink hacksaw piece or something! :D
 
Sounds like a great day. I tried to coax my wife out but she was feeling under the weather. You guys in the great white North sure do have some pretty countryside!
 
wow.. awesome pics... it sure is gorgeaous out there....:eek:

great knife selection... your wife seems to be enjoying her KAT knife...:thumbup:
 
Nice scenery... both the island and you and your wife!

I see some very dedicated Canadians being 'true to your school' wearing your Tilley hats! :)

Stitchawl
 
Looks like a great time was had! That KAT knife sure looks well loved. :)
 
Thanks guys, it was really cool going through the PSK items with her. Now I need to start learning more stuff. Traps are something I haven't started yet and there is that friction fire. Which I know will take a pile of time to get the hang of.

The funny thing is that island park is just a half km away from 4 million people in Detroit and 200 thousand in Windsor. In some respects it is a bit of a shame that you need a private boat to (or canoe or kayak) to get there. But in other respect it is what makes it such a unique little get-away.

There were about 6 boats parked at the docks there and we only encountered about 3 people the entire time. Most people, for whatever reason, tend to stay right on the main lawn right at the boat docks. I think they like the safety of being within a 100' of a public toilet :D

Edit - yep we like our Tilleys - I have two a hemp and a nylon and my wife has two as well.
 
kgd said:
The funny thing is that island park is just a half km away from 4 million people in Detroit and 200 thousand in Windsor. In some respects it is a bit of a shame that you need a private boat to (or canoe or kayak) to get there. But in other respect it is what makes it such a unique little get-away.
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I wish we had something like that on this side of the river. Best we have to offer is Belle Isle. :p

Great pics kgd! Thank you for sharing. :thumbup:
 
kgd said:
Becky was up - first scraping fatwood and then the firesteel. I sort of cringed watching her use the edge of the knife, but she didn't like using the spine or the striker.
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That sounds like beautiful day with scenery to match.

I was listening to the radio while I was reading this, and Bruce Springsteen was singing Dancing in the Dark when I came these pictures:
"you can't start a fire without a spark"!
 
Great pics, I had the misses making and using a fire bow this summer, She did the whole "Tom Hanks I made fire dance" and everything pretty neat .

I haven't been over to Peche Island in years, ( Bad story about a homemade boat motor an oversized canoe and a box 50) never in the fall, hard to picture it not crawling with boaters , looked like a different place.

I love the leather you put on that little guy, I have a bunch of that here and and going to do a few in the next batch, I'll have to call the KGD models:D


Thanks for sharing


Cya
jimi
 
Rupestris - you do have such an island - Sugar Island on the downstream end. It is just on the otherside (towards Canada) of Grosse Isle at the lower end. They even allow camping on that one! You need to go there some time if you have a canoe you can easily get there.

Cool Esav - the Boss singing to the tune of the 'formely named' cousin of the BOS in action!

Kathy - the first shot becky is using her kat knife and the 2nd one she is batoning with the Rat cutlery RC-3. The thicker slabs on the bigger RC-3 were a help in this particular excercise. Of course the kat is better suited to EDC. Still it goes through wood when called to duty!

Wade - the leather wrap works really nicely - a good balance of comfy and has a rustic look to it.
 
Talfuchre said:
Kdg,

I grew up vacationing on Sugar Island - what a great island. Ahhh the memories.

TF
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Really - that is pretty cool Talfuchre! That part of the river is certainly the prettiest I think. I used to do a lot of research on Celeron.
 
looks like a great day, nice weather, nice area, nice company.

good on ya for getting your wife out practicing skills, sounds like she enjoys it.

its funny, i did the same thing last night at a party. we bobbed for apples in close to freezing temps and then i tucked mine in the coals while i dried my face by the fire. when i was dried off it was ready so i pulled it out and went to town. good stuff :thumbup:
 
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