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- Jun 3, 2010
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Winter Bushwhacking.
I posted this in another forum but there is some knife and axe action so maybe some here might enjoy it. Loaded up my Kifaru EMR and E&E combo for winter bushwhacking aka crawling around in the woods.
I changed out of my street cotton Dockers and shirt into fleece pants, Gortex over pants, fleece jacket, synthetic vest (already being worn), long sleeve synthetic shirt, wool socks, synthetic winter hat and insulated winter boots. Also packed 2 sets of synthetic socks, synthetic shorts/short sleeved shirt and insulated waterproof gloves. For the E&E my fire kit only included a carbon steel striker, chert, and chaga inside an altoids tin wrapped with jute but clipped on a DIY sparker/tinder/duct tape combo just incase. One pro to having kit items on carabineers is the ability to move them around between packs or quickly toss the item into my pocket. The downside is potential loss or damage of the item so this is something I prefer for inexpensive backup gear.
I found these rose hips at the margins of the woods. They’re past season but should work fine for tea.
Took down this standing deadwood sapling with my small axe/hatchet. My plan was gather wood and dump it at a day camp. Finding wood during the day is so much easier than at night in the winter. It wasn’t the world's biggest sapling but once sawed and split up it provided hours of fuel for my dampened down Kifaru Small Stove.
Dragging wood behind slowed me down bit. Gathered wood was found off the ground. With temps just below freezing and some melt in sun lit areas I didn’t want to place my wood in the snow.
Clearing away the snow from an old fire ring. I planned on fishing then maybe cooking a trout for a late lunch before setting up my night camp. Also intended on doing a little firecraft practice and charred tinder making for future trips. Best to do this work sooner than later.
I wasn’t the only one walking through this area.
Hemlock needle tea is a favorite of mine so took the opportunity to gather needles. I like to drink plenty of fluids during winter.
The small cones aid in identification.
Remember we are talking about Hemlock the conifer, not the kill you dead poisonous weed. Granted most here know this but making 100% certain is never a mistake. To brew Hemlock tea I first bring the water to a near or total boil then take the pot off the heat. Then let it sit for a few seconds before adding the needles. The tea is allowed to steep for 5-minutes or so. If you boil the needles it comes out kinda nasty IMO but if done correctly the tea is excellent.
Gathered some Yellow birch bark for my day camp fire.
I like to hang packs in trees to keep them off the snow etc. Also means I don’t have to bend over to pick up or access the contents. The fatter and older I get the more ways I find to be lazy.
A nice little stand of American Beech growing along the banks of the stream. Beech and sometimes certain types of Oak will hold on to their leaves long into winter.
Despite some recent cooler weather the stream was flowing. This raised my hopes for fishing success. I only had a DIY canteen hand caser with weighted bobber and fly but this worked in the past. Unfortunately I didn’t catch anything given there was only 30 minutes of time allotted for this task. I spent too much time doing other things. Oh well, I plan to return and get my revenge on the elusive winter trout soon.
This punk wood was a bit dampish in some areas. I took the driest to be charred. My intentions were to use traditional flint and steel to start a fire from natural uncharred materials then use that fire to char natural materials. This natural char would then be a resource for the next time. Charred materials can be easier to take a coal from a spark or concentrated sunlight. They’re a nice addition to a fire kit or as extra tinder that can be made in the field. I used a natural tinder bundle made from dry mixed weeds found above the snow for the initial fire.
My fire prep done at the day camp. I have enough Birch bark to melt the polar ice caps. Just a fast twig fire heavily dependant on the power of birch bark to get started. There were some very thin twigs near the bark and mixed into the pile as well. My hands were cold from fishing making the prospect of sitting near a fire agreeable.
Here is a video of the entire process of starting the fire, charring the punk wood then using the charred material to spawn a new fire.
[video=youtube;20n8sMhB8fw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20n8sMhB8fw[/video]
The coolness of charred punk wood igniting with a single strike from traditional flint and steel. It goes without saying it would also easily take a spark from an empty Bic. Charring both man made and natural materials is a skill worth having IMHO. The same goes for blowing a coal into flames.
[video=youtube;gHOAX_JIhTY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHOAX_JIhTY[/video]
No trout but did have this smoked fish. I used my 20 dollar Titanium chop sticks purchased at REI. :lol:
Hiking during the night to find a nice flat spot, firewood and water. All of these resources were gathered during the day so all I needed was a flat spot near the stashed wood.
When no longer using the E&E I tossed most of the contents into my EMR. I prefer not having heavy items hanging off the back of a pack.
It took 30 minutes to saw and split up that sapling. This doesn’t sound all much but for me it was an investment in time and energy. Often I can just break up sticks with my hands and feet only sawing that which is too hard. When combined with some broken sticks the wood lasted till 2 am then burned for some hours the next day.
The rose hip tea worked out well. When it comes to tea often preparation is based on a person’s personal preference. What at first might suck could be better if made differently. Pine needle tea is a good example. If interested my advice is to read up on the topic then experiment to find out what works best for you. Never consume anything unless you’re 100% sure of the ID. Granted once again most know this but a reminder never hurt anyone.
Just a view of my shelter with the stove burning the next day.
Breaking down camp. Took this photo to show I could also use the shelter as an open front tarp setup. Floorless shaped tarp shelters are versatile, working well in many environments.
Some of my Kit used during the outing.
Fenix HL20 and 4SEVENS Quark mini AA.
The HL20 now replaced by the HL21 is a very nice 1XAA headlamp with good throw and easy change of batteries in cold dark conditions. For me there are a bunch less issues changing out 1XAA than 3XAAA in the field. The beam has throw but works well in camp. The headlamp comes with a diffuser but that is a separate easily broken part. I added a different headband. The Quark mini AA is UL and works nice as a backup for those who carry AA batteries. Without a light my work time would be greatly reduced, more so in winter.
Edged tools included a Roselli axe which is new to me, sawvivor, Mora companion high visibility knife and BHK scandi Tiger Knapp.
[video=youtube;k99O7zSlIh4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99O7zSlIh4[/video]
I put a paracord wrap on the necker. This seemed to help a bit when my cold hands were trying to cut a burning coal out of the chaga.
My Bond Arms .410/.45 long colt. Maybe not the most practical gun but just like the way it looks.
Despite using .410 or .45 long colt the weight and size of the gun helps reduce the perceived recoil a bit.
Like most people I enjoy showing off my latest knife, gun, flashlight, pack etc etc etc however sometimes very useful but maybe under appreciated gear like these micro spikes can make a big difference.
I posted this in another forum but there is some knife and axe action so maybe some here might enjoy it. Loaded up my Kifaru EMR and E&E combo for winter bushwhacking aka crawling around in the woods.
I changed out of my street cotton Dockers and shirt into fleece pants, Gortex over pants, fleece jacket, synthetic vest (already being worn), long sleeve synthetic shirt, wool socks, synthetic winter hat and insulated winter boots. Also packed 2 sets of synthetic socks, synthetic shorts/short sleeved shirt and insulated waterproof gloves. For the E&E my fire kit only included a carbon steel striker, chert, and chaga inside an altoids tin wrapped with jute but clipped on a DIY sparker/tinder/duct tape combo just incase. One pro to having kit items on carabineers is the ability to move them around between packs or quickly toss the item into my pocket. The downside is potential loss or damage of the item so this is something I prefer for inexpensive backup gear.
I found these rose hips at the margins of the woods. They’re past season but should work fine for tea.
Took down this standing deadwood sapling with my small axe/hatchet. My plan was gather wood and dump it at a day camp. Finding wood during the day is so much easier than at night in the winter. It wasn’t the world's biggest sapling but once sawed and split up it provided hours of fuel for my dampened down Kifaru Small Stove.
Dragging wood behind slowed me down bit. Gathered wood was found off the ground. With temps just below freezing and some melt in sun lit areas I didn’t want to place my wood in the snow.
Clearing away the snow from an old fire ring. I planned on fishing then maybe cooking a trout for a late lunch before setting up my night camp. Also intended on doing a little firecraft practice and charred tinder making for future trips. Best to do this work sooner than later.
I wasn’t the only one walking through this area.
Hemlock needle tea is a favorite of mine so took the opportunity to gather needles. I like to drink plenty of fluids during winter.
The small cones aid in identification.
Remember we are talking about Hemlock the conifer, not the kill you dead poisonous weed. Granted most here know this but making 100% certain is never a mistake. To brew Hemlock tea I first bring the water to a near or total boil then take the pot off the heat. Then let it sit for a few seconds before adding the needles. The tea is allowed to steep for 5-minutes or so. If you boil the needles it comes out kinda nasty IMO but if done correctly the tea is excellent.
Gathered some Yellow birch bark for my day camp fire.
I like to hang packs in trees to keep them off the snow etc. Also means I don’t have to bend over to pick up or access the contents. The fatter and older I get the more ways I find to be lazy.
A nice little stand of American Beech growing along the banks of the stream. Beech and sometimes certain types of Oak will hold on to their leaves long into winter.
Despite some recent cooler weather the stream was flowing. This raised my hopes for fishing success. I only had a DIY canteen hand caser with weighted bobber and fly but this worked in the past. Unfortunately I didn’t catch anything given there was only 30 minutes of time allotted for this task. I spent too much time doing other things. Oh well, I plan to return and get my revenge on the elusive winter trout soon.
This punk wood was a bit dampish in some areas. I took the driest to be charred. My intentions were to use traditional flint and steel to start a fire from natural uncharred materials then use that fire to char natural materials. This natural char would then be a resource for the next time. Charred materials can be easier to take a coal from a spark or concentrated sunlight. They’re a nice addition to a fire kit or as extra tinder that can be made in the field. I used a natural tinder bundle made from dry mixed weeds found above the snow for the initial fire.
My fire prep done at the day camp. I have enough Birch bark to melt the polar ice caps. Just a fast twig fire heavily dependant on the power of birch bark to get started. There were some very thin twigs near the bark and mixed into the pile as well. My hands were cold from fishing making the prospect of sitting near a fire agreeable.
Here is a video of the entire process of starting the fire, charring the punk wood then using the charred material to spawn a new fire.
[video=youtube;20n8sMhB8fw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20n8sMhB8fw[/video]
The coolness of charred punk wood igniting with a single strike from traditional flint and steel. It goes without saying it would also easily take a spark from an empty Bic. Charring both man made and natural materials is a skill worth having IMHO. The same goes for blowing a coal into flames.
[video=youtube;gHOAX_JIhTY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHOAX_JIhTY[/video]
No trout but did have this smoked fish. I used my 20 dollar Titanium chop sticks purchased at REI. :lol:
Hiking during the night to find a nice flat spot, firewood and water. All of these resources were gathered during the day so all I needed was a flat spot near the stashed wood.
When no longer using the E&E I tossed most of the contents into my EMR. I prefer not having heavy items hanging off the back of a pack.
It took 30 minutes to saw and split up that sapling. This doesn’t sound all much but for me it was an investment in time and energy. Often I can just break up sticks with my hands and feet only sawing that which is too hard. When combined with some broken sticks the wood lasted till 2 am then burned for some hours the next day.
The rose hip tea worked out well. When it comes to tea often preparation is based on a person’s personal preference. What at first might suck could be better if made differently. Pine needle tea is a good example. If interested my advice is to read up on the topic then experiment to find out what works best for you. Never consume anything unless you’re 100% sure of the ID. Granted once again most know this but a reminder never hurt anyone.
Just a view of my shelter with the stove burning the next day.
Breaking down camp. Took this photo to show I could also use the shelter as an open front tarp setup. Floorless shaped tarp shelters are versatile, working well in many environments.
Some of my Kit used during the outing.
Fenix HL20 and 4SEVENS Quark mini AA.
The HL20 now replaced by the HL21 is a very nice 1XAA headlamp with good throw and easy change of batteries in cold dark conditions. For me there are a bunch less issues changing out 1XAA than 3XAAA in the field. The beam has throw but works well in camp. The headlamp comes with a diffuser but that is a separate easily broken part. I added a different headband. The Quark mini AA is UL and works nice as a backup for those who carry AA batteries. Without a light my work time would be greatly reduced, more so in winter.
Edged tools included a Roselli axe which is new to me, sawvivor, Mora companion high visibility knife and BHK scandi Tiger Knapp.
[video=youtube;k99O7zSlIh4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99O7zSlIh4[/video]
I put a paracord wrap on the necker. This seemed to help a bit when my cold hands were trying to cut a burning coal out of the chaga.
My Bond Arms .410/.45 long colt. Maybe not the most practical gun but just like the way it looks.
Despite using .410 or .45 long colt the weight and size of the gun helps reduce the perceived recoil a bit.
Like most people I enjoy showing off my latest knife, gun, flashlight, pack etc etc etc however sometimes very useful but maybe under appreciated gear like these micro spikes can make a big difference.
