Hi all. Sorry I've been away for so long, but the summer has been just too good for Internet time. I just got back yesterday from a month of camping in the Adirondacks with Abby, my 12-year old daughter. Much fun was had, and it was a wonderful chance to connect with her before she becomes a teenager. We summited four mountains and climbed their fire towers. We canoed 4 lake and parts of the Hudson River. We did 15-mile hikes to seldom seen waters. We slept out under the stars and had epic mountain bike rides.
And while I packed a ton of knives to play with, the extra knives weren't required. I tossed Rondeau, my ironwood 77 Barlow, into my pocket on the first day, and it stayed there for the entire trip. Other than some daily work with a hatchet and folding saw, Rondeau made every cut during the month of August. It was a interesting change from the usual Camillus saw scout while camping. I had to be a bit careful about rust with the Barlow, but the edge holding on GEC's 1095 was soooooooo much better than the Camillus 440A. I spent an hour midway through the trip, to touch up the edges, first on a Carborundum stone, and then moving to a soft and hard Arkansas stone, and finished on a leather strop. But other than that one sharpening session, no touch-ups were required. Simply amazing edge holding and efficient cutting. In contrast, my Camillus would have required touch-ups every few days.
I was also worried about losing the knife, fearing that it might slip from its leather pouch, unlike a scout knife that can be shackled directly to me with a lanyard. But my worries were unfounded. The knife never fell out once. My old homemade leather pouch did its job well.
What a wonderful way to spend a month of summertime. A time I know you will both treasure and remember for the rest of your life! I suspected that the 77 Barlow would be up to any task that could be asked of it. I think you have probably proved that fact! 
