Playing Around In The Mists & Fog

Mistwalker · Jan 13, 2012

I've been slammed with work lately to the point where my head gets crowded. So...I went for a walk in the winter mist just to get out away for a while and think. Along the way I ended up stumbling into an experiment.

These shots should set the tone for the hike.

Lots of vines here, grape vines, muscadine, etc., some rather large in diameter.

A lot of fungi in this area also.

After seeing so much of one particular type that reminded me of horse hoof fungus I decided I was going to experiment a little. I knew it was really damp out and doubted anything would come of the experiments that day but thought what the heck I'm here...it's here...nothing better to do...so why not? Even in the humid environment it seemed to be dry-ish on the inside and it scraped up into a fibrous mass good, so I thought I'd see if I could get it to ember using the hot sparks of a ferro rod.

But it was to no avail. With many stubborn attempts, and even scraping off shavings of the rod to add to the mix I never could get it to ember that day.

So now the next experiment will be to see if I can get it to ember after drying some of it, then to see if I can dry some and get it to take a spark from plain flint and steel...if it ever stops raining long enough.

.

beanbag · Jan 13, 2012

Great photos Mist.

This was my favorite:

Regarding the fungus you tried to torch-

I recently harvested a totally different unidentified fungus and tried to light up and ember with a ferro-rod in the field and it didn't work, but like yours, it seemed to have the right properties for fire. I dried it out at home for a couple of weeks, crushed some up and tried again- instant ember. I'm not too good a plant i.d., so for cordage, tinder, etc. I often just try to use stuff that looks like it should work, and sometimes it does.

Mistwalker · Jan 13, 2012

beanbag said:
Great photos Mist.

This was my favorite:

Regarding the fungus you tried to torch-

I recently harvested a totally different unidentified fungus and tried to light up and ember with a ferro-rod in the field and it didn't work, but like yours, it seemed to have the right properties for fire. I dried it out at home for a couple of weeks, crushed some up and tried again- instant ember. I'm not too good a plant i.d., so for cordage, tinder, etc. I often just try to use stuff that looks like it should work, and sometimes it does.

Thanks man, I have no idea what vine those seeds pods are on, they just sort of reminded me of a wind chime.

That's what I do when it comes to fungi. I look at properties and look for characteristics that are similar to what I've seen in other people's experiments. I've used dried white shelf fungus as a smolder to drive away mosquitoes before. This fungus reminded me of how tinder fungus looks in some of the other fire starting experiments I've seen that others have done. The inside material does look promising, I will definitely be experimenting more with it later

I'm the same way on a lot of plants. I tried reading plant ID manuals when I was young but all of the ink drawings just confused me even more. Without being able to see colors and shades it was hard, pretty much impossible in a lot of cases, for me to make a positive ID in the bush. I really didn't start getting back into plant ID till I got a digital camera and a computer. That's one of the reasons I am putting in a plant ID section in the website I am working on with lots of full color photos and close-up detail.

WILLIAM.M · Jan 13, 2012

Great Photos Mist!!

upnorth · Jan 13, 2012

mistwalker said:
So now the next experiment will be to see if I can get it to ember after drying some of it, then to see if I can dry some and get it to take a spark from plain flint and steel...if it ever stops raining long enough.

.

It's nice to see others experimenting and finding the challenge difficult at times also. I had a swatch of grass and a swatch of some thistle type plant today. The thistle plant had whispy fibers in the heads, but I failed to ignite it. The grass of course went up easily. I'm really trying to get away from the easy to light grass........ You weren't kidding when said said a misty walk! A day like that you hear a twig snap over there and it sounds like a gun shot !

TheGame · Jan 13, 2012

Great pics, bro. I like the opening pic of the mist. It looked like that here, yesterday.

By the way, what was the weather like there last night? My mom was on the way home from Knoxville and hit an ice storm in Kentucky. Was wondering if that storm also hit you last night?

Mistwalker · Jan 13, 2012

WILLIAM.M said:
Great Photos Mist!!

Thanks Doc, more pics next time I promise

upnorth said:
It's nice to see others experimenting and finding the challenge difficult at times also. I had a swatch of grass and a swatch of some thistle type plant today. The thistle plant had whispy fibers in the heads, but I failed to ignite it. The grass of course went up easily. I'm really trying to get away from the easy to light grass........ You weren't kidding when said said a misty walk! A day like that you hear a twig snap over there and it sounds like a gun shot !

Half the point of the experiment is the challenge, I think it takes failures and successes to actually learn. Thistle can be finicky, the slightest moisture and it doesn't burn well at all, and I even have problems with dead grass here on foggy days.

TheGame said:
Great pics, bro. I like the opening pic of the mist. It looked like that here, yesterday.

By the way, what was the weather like there last night? My mom was on the way home from Knoxville and hit an ice storm in Kentucky. Was wondering if that storm also hit you last night?

Yeah, it almost made it down this far. We had some sleet and my truck doors were iced over last night when I went out but it didn't last long or do much. Mainly it was just windy and cold. Glad your mom made it ok.

mtnfolk mike · Jan 13, 2012

great pics Brian.. i love those misty weather hikes..

LMT66 · Jan 13, 2012

Nice shots of the mist, Mist! I've been trying to ignite different things this last week. It seems those materials that appear most likely to take a spark don't and others that you wouldn't have much confidence in spark right up.

Your statement, " Half the point of the experiment is the challenge, I think it takes failures and successes to actually learn.", is so true! Great post!

tknife · Jan 14, 2012

Great pics Mist. I love hiking in the fog, feels so peaceful.

jball1125 · Jan 14, 2012

Looks like a nice quiet time. Great pics BTW.

sicily02 · Jan 14, 2012

Brian, great looking pics you posted.

Mistwalker · Jan 14, 2012

mtnfolk mike said:
great pics Brian.. i love those misty weather hikes..

Thanks Mike, yeah me too!

LMT66 said:
Nice shots of the mist, Mist! I've been trying to ignite different things this last week. It seems those materials that appear most likely to take a spark don't and others that you wouldn't have much confidence in spark right up.

Your statement, " Half the point of the experiment is the challenge, I think it takes failures and successes to actually learn.", is so true! Great post!

Thanks man, and it's funny how that happens sometimes, keeps us on our toes though eh?

I love to experiment and learn. Much rather learn failures under calm circumstances than under stressful ones.

tknife said:
Great pics Mist. I love hiking in the fog, feels so peaceful.

Thanks T, me too. I like having the woods mostly too myself and I like how it sometimes narrows my focal area and I notice more it seems.

jball1125 said:
Looks like a nice quiet time. Great pics BTW.

Thank you, and yes it was a nice peaceful walk, I needed that.

sicily02 said:
Brian, great looking pics you posted.

Thanks Bryan, glad you enjoyed them.

Stray Round · Jan 21, 2012

Mist, I was told as a boy from an old timer that the fungus that you tried to burn was used by old timers as a way of carrying fire. He said that a coal was placed in a hole in the fungus where it would smolder and remain alight. Never tried it and don't know if will work but that is what I was told.

Mistwalker · Jan 21, 2012

Stray Round said:
Mist, I was told as a boy from an old timer that the fungus that you tried to burn was used by old timers as a way of carrying fire. He said that a coal was placed in a hole in the fungus where it would smolder and remain alight. Never tried it and don't know if will work but that is what I was told.

Thanks, it definitely looks like it should work.

JV3 · Jan 22, 2012

nice pics, man! i like that atmosphere. one of my friends got the nickname "the werewolf" from me when he picked the trail to mountain bike that day and it was all foggy like that.

Mistwalker · Jan 22, 2012

JV3 said:
nice pics, man! i like that atmosphere. one of my friends got the nickname "the werewolf" from me when he picked the trail to mountain bike that day and it was all foggy like that.

Thanks man, I love hiking on days like this. I have stood against trees and watched deer eat and drink from about 10 meters away and I really dig that.

scruffuk · Jan 23, 2012

Great thread and pics!

I didn't get chance to post before I ventured out at the weekend, but when I happened across some Tinder Fungus, I was keen to give it a whirl raw as you discussed here....and with great success (with thanks to my new NanoStriker XL too!

)

Thanks for the inspiration.

scruff

Mistwalker · Jan 23, 2012

scruffuk said:
Great thread and pics!

I didn't get chance to post before I ventured out at the weekend, but when I happened across some Tinder Fungus, I was keen to give it a whirl raw as you discussed here....and with great success (with thanks to my new NanoStriker XL too! )

Thanks for the inspiration.

scruff

Thanks. That's pretty awesome. I have a piece of this drying now, if it ever stops raining I have a few experiments I want to try. I like my NXL too very much, I put in in a neck knife kit I carry a lot of the time and I think I'll end up ordering a couple more. Glad to be an inspiration!