Where DO you practice skills.

any where I can...My apartment, THe park my buddies back yard plus I make at least a week;y trip to th heavily wooded areas to the north of me.
 
Joezilla said:
The backyard


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That looks like a helluva workout man,

I am only good for between 12 and 18 repititions of 12oz curles.:o

Good form by the way:D
 
currently, in a hotel room. i have been making cordage and practicing knots. But usually, in a designated area in my backyard.
 
There's a strange little spot near where I live. It's in between two busy roads on the north and south end, and two neighborhood roads on the east and west. From one of the latter a gravel path leads to a sewage treatment facility (Smells great ;) ) then to a few acres of swampy woodland. Big enough that I can camp out for a few days, small enough that I can leave from any location in the woods in less than 20 minutes. I go there to test out knives and flashlights, to try out fire making techniques, to experiment with building different shelters and to take photos. It's fun because I've been going there for about 3 or 4 years now and it's interesting watching the place change from season to season. Here are some photos:



Path leading up to the woods







 
I haven't "practiced" in decades, but I still apply knowledge to casual summertime fun at the cabin. While I really no longer need to test myself in any way, I do prefer to approach the casual outdoor experience with a touch of old school tactic, which means lighting fires with no accelerants, making do with only what you can carry and without whatever you have forgotten to pack. I just like to demonstrate to the kids how it was once done before the modern novelties came about. I like to show them non-poisonous limbs to mount the 'dogs, various safe plants along with certain dangerous ones, and I like to have the little buggers construct a lean-to in short order. I get my refreshment course through them, heh.

When I did need to rehearse my tactics back in the day, however, I always had access to a piece of crown land that had been leased out for 100 years to our group since 1967. I think it is around 69 acres or so, and is still in relatively the same shape as it was when I first went there. It is effectively an early 20th century logging camp that has been replanted with Lodgepole pines. The many paths and trails make for wonderful spots to enjoy the wild brush. Above all, it is wild, but still close enough to civilization that should the need arise, one could always go for supplies or help.
 
=/

So I went back to my spot last night and found a spot me and my friends has cleared out was discovered by someone. Nothing adds up though. Our tarp shelter had the rope cut, the poles taken down and both tarps were no where to be seen. The bags of food stashed were gone and the gallon jug of water was empty. The flashlights and fire starting equipment was gone. I also had a bottle of wine I had stashed out there and it was empty and the cork wasn't in the bottle, so whoever it was either happened to have a corkscrew on them or they knew before hand. Besides my two close friends that I've taken out there frequently (They helped me build it) there were only three other friends of ours that knew about it, and we don't think either of them did it. But if it was some kids, or people just poking around, or hunters etc, why would they systematically disassemble the shelter, haul out the food and rope etc. and drink the bottle of wine? Very weird, and now I'm kind of weirded out to go back to the spot and spend the night like I've been doing.
 
That sucks Vivi, I have come across similar set ups before in remote areas, and never would think about taking it apart. Some people are just a$$es.
 
My family owns a forrest and a few miles of large lake shoreline.

Which is nice (to practise skills).
 
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