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Well it has been a crazy couple of days and well worth a mention here.
Things have been in the pipeline for a few weeks now with possibilities and potentials, but I got a call on Monday to ask if I would like to join the Hunter Force team, to track a few celebrities that would be staging a break out from Dartmoor prison on Thursday. I can't say too much about the who's, what's and why's as it is yet to air. However the request was that I would make myself available on Thursday from dawn In the middle of Dartmoor.
I set out at dark'o'clock to be sure I was early, I had been told filming would start prompt and early, and wanted too hook up with the rest of the tracking team to check comms, call signs and intel. the other 3 guys on this Hunter force had stayed on the moor overnight (That may sound hardcore but the hotel was quite plush actually.)I was there just after 06:30 and as usual we sat drank tea/coffee and talked about kit.
After a bit of to'ing and fro'ing we were told to head to the RV for our brief.
I had leant a camera trap to a landowner I know who had told me of some amazing encounters with otters early in the year. He had set the trap up and was going to leave it for a few days which turned into a week or so. I decided to wander down to check the trap and had another amazing mornings tracking.
A friend was visiting and having sworn him to secrecy and explained the plan we set out at 04:30 in the morning to be sure we had the best chance of spotting otter.
I had forgotten how satisfying taking a cast of a print can be, but once I had set out to create this tutorial many a childhood memory came flooding back and it has given me new vigour to start a new collection of casts. From the unusual to the specific there is something in making a cast that like tracking gives you a kind of direct contact with the subject.
The process is simple and relatively quick, ok its not a digital pic. but it gives so much more definition, detail and realism that its worth the extra 20 minutes or so. I was aware that a new blog hasn't been added for a week or so and have foregone the painting but Im sure that will come soon.
For now here is my not so rough guide to taking a cast of a print.
Well I have been slow with the updates but after nearly a month in the woods, I think in the last four weeks I have only been in my own bed for 6 nights the rest were under a tarp. So expect a flurry of updates as I get chance to write them.
I did come home from last weeks National Trust Working holiday, where WildPath provided two days of Bushcraft tuition to National Trust volunteers as a break from there work putting up fences, clearing brash and laying hedges. To find an email from one of my first clients who has become something of a friend. Neil has been on a few bushcraft courses and has put his practised skills to use to get some impressive pics.
Last time I saw him I did suggest he might like to write something of his experiences and what follows is his report from the field.
It seems that each time I have to leave the woods for home it becomes that little bit more difficult.
Having been in the woods for the last 5 days returning home was something of a trial, more so as it was one of the few times I spend with the Shadowhawk team. A bunch of Trackers with whom I have been associated for the past 6 years.
I try and get along to help Max with his courses a few times every year, and am always greeted into camp by old friends. All excited about the upcoming course and arrival of new students who are as yet unaware of the wonders that the next few days will bring.
Had a fairly uneventful dog walk apart from a few swallows flying low along our path and the usual panoramas of Bideford bay.
But as always every walk I find something to study, ponder and identify.
Not my ancient bash proof phone but the hairy little fella' on the path next to it.
On this mornings dog walk I was pondering the various reports coming in and taking in all the local news.
More reliable than print, less hyperbole than the radio, no conjecture like TV and more honest reports than the web.
Wondering where my news was coming from?
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After a late show of interest in introductory courses we have decided to run an additional course in September. The course will be run in the Arlington Court estate and is part of the Wild camping trial that we have initiated with the National Trust. Certifying attendees that complete the course to return to stay in the woods overnight for the next five years.
The course is a introduction to all the fundamental skills to start you on your way to being a fully fledged bushcrafter and although no two courses are ever the same will cover friction fire lighting, shelter building, wild foods, tracking and some rudimentary woodland crafts.
Attendees will leave the weekend with a good grounding and experience that should let them venture into the woods alone and spend a few nights in comfort enjoying the wilderness and honing their skills.
Well you've been out and cut your stick, saved a few lambs from emasculation and you are all set to do some tracking.
For the start we will concentrate on man tracking. Although once you have the concept in your tracking tool box the theory can be applied to most walking animals. Of course this isn't an all seeing eye or magic pointer there is still a great deal of dirt time necessary to learn to interpret the tracks and see the stories they tell.
You will be using the stick to guide your eye to the next probable imprint. Just the same as Quantum mechanics this is about probabilities. so always consider the "what if ?" factor; your subject may speed up, slow down or take more stealthy evasive action. However as you read the spoor you will come to see that all changes will be shown in the track.
Many a time has my trusty stick got me out of a fix whilst Ive been tracking, and my mentor Max's words still ring in my ears from the day I passed my advanced tracking course and earned my silver feather "trust your stick."
Tracking sticks come in many forms from striped down ski poles and traditional walking staffs to custom made purpose built sticks. However my preference is for a personally made stick. I have found that as years have passed I have developed a bond with my trusty apple wood stick from the day I cut it to the next time I take it tracking. I know I am not alone and every tracker I know will go to great lengths to make sure their stick is close to hand.
The stick is used to estimate the next foot fall in a track whilst also gauging your following the right track, and with a little pimping giving a good idea of direction of travel.
