Bushcraft

Ahhhhhh!!!!! There's nothing quite like the feeling that you get when you pull into Bushcraft Camp! Some of you that are reading this know exactly what I am talking about but, some readers have never had the opportunity to experience it yet. Of course there is the excitement of getting into the outdoors, enjoying a campfire, and trying out some new gear that you may have brought with you but, there are very few events that can rival the comradery that a Bushcraft Camp offers. Sometimes it's with old friends that you haven't seen in a while or, maybe it's simply an opportunity to coach an inquisitive novice that has recently been introduced into your group. Regardless, the atmosphere is typically rich with a willingness to share, whether it's knowledge, gear, or...some of the best food that you've had since that last time that you had to pack up Camp and head back to the "Rat Race".
My groups time is usually initially spent setting up our "Cover" and "Sleep Systems" but, quickly evolves into engaging in traditional activities such as collecting natural materials from our surroundings and establishing a "Flint and Steel" fire, charring additional materials for the next fire, collecting water from a nearby source and, sharing stories about how we've spent our time since our last outing and, conversing about agreed upon "challenges" for this particular weekend.

One example of how a friend of mine had spent a portion of his winter was, while helping a neighbor clean out an abandoned barn, he discovered an old Griddle. He asked if he could keep it and, the neighbor simply grinned and replied, "yes". My friend took it back to his shed and immediately proceeded to clean it up. He set it aside for a week or two and finally found the time to "re-season" the cast iron and...well...the picture above was taken while we cooked some bacon on it during it's reintroduction to the outdoors after being refurbished!!! Speaking of the photo above, the same friend is also the one that built this cooking structure from rocks that he found around the Campsite. These are two PRIME examples of how you may find Bushcrafters spending their time at Camp and, how they might spend their time preparing for the event as well. This Griddle is now a prized possession of my friends cooking "kit" and, will certainly be a conversation piece for many years to come. Anyone else may have simply thrown the old Griddle away but, he not only found it while helping a neighbor, he also earned it by the work that he put into bringing it back to life!

Earlier I mentioned "agreed upon 'challenges' for this particular weekend". Some folks engage in this tradition while others don't but, our challenges often consist of Timed Projects that we like to attempt that will ultimately contribute towards perfecting a Skill. This is meant to solely be friendly competition and, most of our time is spent respectfully observing each others techniques and offering CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. A few examples of these Timed Projects are; "One Stick Friction Fire" or, an overall 15 minute challenge that consists of 5 minutes to make Shelter and 5 minutes to make Fire and 5 minutes to Boil Water or, occasionally we'll participate in a makeshift Navigational Course where we will either try to reach a destination utilizing a Map and a Compass or else we will make a Map using only a Compass and Pace Beads. Inevitably the weather will have a tendency to reek havoc on some of our planned challenges and, we have to adapt our activities to something that we can complete inside of our Shelters. WHEN this happens, we will normally agree on making Jute Rope or, tying a series of Mainstay Knots or, carving Technical Notches into a "Try Stick". Regardless, you can see how by challenging each other with these Timed Projects, it encourages each of us to perfect these (potentially life saving) skills. We will discuss some of these examples/challenges in far greater detail in Future Subject Matter.

I think that it's important to note that, a lot of Bushcrafters utilize one consistent location to enjoy their discipline. There are certainly benefits to this approach. One such benefit is that they can establish "permanent"
sleeping areas, cooking areas, and practice locations for a variety of projects. There is also an ability to secure a level of comfort and confidence, due to the level of familiarity. Not everyone that enjoys Bushcraft has access to
multiple locations but, if you can find one or two alternate locations, this approach has its benefits as well. Sometimes we get exceptionally good at a specific Skill Set and, when we only practice that Skill Set at one specific location, we are not challenged with enhancing our abilities by forcing ourselves to use different materials or, modifying our techniques. One
specific Skill Set that comes immediately to mind is Fire Craft. It truly is amazing how difficult it can be to repeat a technique (like Friction Fire as an example) that worked perfectly with one material, such as Cottonwood, can be so difficult when switching over to a different material like Aspen. Or another example is how manageable Primitive Navigation can seem when you've been practicing it in Mountainous terrain but, can be so frustrating when re-applying the same perspectives in a Swampland environment.
Please don't get me wrong, the "Baseline" Skill Sets that we know and practice can be applied anywhere but, the slight adjustments that sometimesare needed when we "switch things up a little" truly do broaden our knowledge THROUGH EXPERIENCE!

Bushcrafting is a discipline that is enjoyed by people all over the world and,most of these individuals are willing to share their knowledge with anyone that is willing to enjoy it with them. If you are interested in this discipline, don't hesitate to reach out to someone that you know that has some level of expertise in it, they will most likely welcome you with open arms. If you are already in a Bushcraft group, invite someone that has expressed interest but, hasn't quite mustered up the courage yet to ask if they can tag along on your next outing. Enjoying the feeling that you get when you pull into Bushcraft Camp is a feeling that everyone should have an opportunity to experience!!

Although we cook a lot of traditional Bushcraft meals such as Chili or Stew, we won't hesitate to throw some Corn on the Cobb in the fire while grilling a few Chicken Breasts as well!!! I think that's part of the Bushcraft Appeal. There's not a lot of "set rules", and everyone has a tendency to bring some type of food and/or gear. Also, everyone eventually contributes to all of the Camp Chores. It may be splitting fire wood, it may be cleaning out the fire pit, and sometimes it even means washing a few dishes but, at the end of it all, we'll end up with a 5 star experience that leaves behind memories that last a lifetime!
Take a second to look closely at the Grill that we were using the night that this photo was taken. One of my friends brought this little gadget along with him on this particular outing. The entire thing disassembles into individual pieces and then the components stow within the tube(s), that also serves as the outer portion of the assembly! Lightweight, Compact, and Minimal!!! Just the way we like it!