My 5 day hike

[pitdog]

I love barkies but that sounds like BS to me.:thumbdn:

Great work with the silky saw, btw, quite a feat!

Fraid I have to call the same , what you describe as unsupported chopping I have done many times with my JK TTSK, Dave Farmer Camp and ML Kephart all of which have very fine edges yet have never been damaged like that !!!!

 

[Ankar Sheng]

Yup live in the peg, You are one luck man to have grown up in that area what a backyard to have.

I didn't literally grow up at caddy lake, I'm from winnipeg, but I spent most of my summers when I was young at Caddy.

 

[markv]

man i am impressed with your camp , cooking ,fishing and photos.
you have a fine hand

not to mention alfresco fish grilling. my favorite way to cook fresh fish. i truly do love the "hobo" can stove.
the big can calzone looks gooood.

anyway, i am a fan of simple no bull camping. your post made me feel much better today.
Horace Kephart is alive and well.
thanks for posting
buzz

oh, btw,please send an email to Mike Stewart and let us know what he decides to do for you about the knife. i vote for a replacement.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Sorry I missed this one! Great pics, and looks like a great camp out. I'm jealous!

 

[MustardMan]

Great pictures - I love seeing more and more people hiking/camping with a hammock! :thumbup:

 

[shaker]

unless the knife came with instructions telling what "unsupported" chopping is then it would seem to me to be a non issue . everybody these days has to have an easy way out.
great hike you took , liked the pics and commentary .
shaker

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Hey AS, really enjoyed your pictures and your experiences.

My take, though, is screw the light weight, go shorter distances and enjoy it more - no alcohol, you say? Blasphemy!!

Just my 2 cents, of course.

Doc

 

[Fonly]

Loved the pics, im going out this weekand coming up to a nice spot in northern alberta for some cdn forces training. Can't wait to get back out and have some fun.

That is interesting the gunny and the story around it. I would like to see that reproduced with any other knife/steel. I have used my master hunter, Grohmans, bucks with the 2X edge work they do and NOTHING has done that, it really looks like something with the heat treat.

I have only seen something like that on a 3/16th 8" knife I had, and I bit in deep to some soft wood that had some nasty knots in it. But even then it wasn't that bad....

 

[myright]

Great pics - and great, honest write up of the trip.

 

[kgd]

Excellent pictures and story. Its been about ten years since I've camped the Whiteshell, but your pictures brought back some great memories. Also you were using some great bushcrafting techniques with the stove and the moss cooked fish. Apparently your colourless pike is somewhat rare. This is the only info I found on a Ohio DNR site:

... and there is also a mutation of Northern pike known as the Silver Pike, silvery-blue or silver in color, often referred to as Silver Muskellunge, occurring in scattered populations, lacking the rows of spots.

Sorry to hear about your knife. It really is a reason why I carry a couple of blades on me when I go out. Also, as you said, pre-testing a blade before hand will work out problems especially like what you encountered.

what the heck is "unsupported chopping" ?

Chopping while unemployed and you can't afford another one
I call B.S. along with pitdog on this one too. We refer to that chopping technique as snap cuts. Not only is so called unsupported chopping common, it is far more effective. Thing of how a golok (traditional) handle is shaped, with that big palm swell. You grab it lightly and hold onto the swell, using your wrist you snap the blade. This is particularly effective on shorter blades - as you very well know - because you were using this technique.

That said, I don't think you can fully judge BRK&T on a single knife. Hopefully they replace it and you get a chance to test it and see if it lives to its reputation.

After experiences hiking using numerous types of raingear I have found that if you are hiking and sweating the condensation inside will get you as wet or wetter than if you wore nothing.

If you don't sweat you are OK usually but last few years I have just been keeping a dry set of clothes to wear when I get to camp.

Plus 1 on this.....In the down fall you just really can't stay dry on the move. Best to just be able to get dry when you settle down. Thanks for the reminder Hollowdweller on this one....I gotta keep that dry sack in the kit. I've decided to now try out a poncho rather than my full gortex. I get wet in the full gortex anyway and it is heavier than the poncho and less versatile a piece of kit.

 

[MustardMan]

Ya'll might want to try out the driducks poncho. It's about the farthest thing possible from durable, but it's also cheap and quite breathable. I find I don't get nearly as wet in one of those as I do a non breathable poncho made from something like silnylon.