Bushcraft, survival and wilderness skills courses

There used to be a time when all I carved was spoon shaped firewood, but after hundreds of  attempts and fires I am finally getting to a point where I can be proud of my spoons.

To be honest for years I was more concerned with other things and put no effort in trying to improve my preferred method of making an implement that had some semblance of spoonishness. It was all about function and nothing to do with form, but a few things have changed my opinion over the last few years first off having spent time with much more talented carvers and secondly a gift from the other half.

Safe to say I am still by no means a master craftsman, but I have started to make some spoons that have both looks and purpose. My last one was sent to Bangkok as my contribution to the worlds biggest secret Santa. Here's a quick run through should you be inspired to have a go yourself.

I should mention before you start that to do this right you need sharp tools. and you need to know how to use them

safely before you start cutting the wood, yourself or anyone else for that matter

I am always in awe of how the internet makes the world such a small place, and was chuffed to bits to find an old acquaintance; whom I've not heard from for a while whilst looking for inspiration for carving some Christmas gifts.

Steve Tomlin is a greenwood worker, Craftsman and all round good guy who I met on the wood fair circuit in the early days of WildPath bushcraft. Setting up a bushcraft school in North Devon I had started out feeling quite isolated, but soon found a few like minded souls all within a 20 mile radius. Steve was living and working at a sawmill teaching spoon and bowl carving at weekends.

After he moved away to build a log cabin in the North we lost touch but finding his new website Steve Tomlin Crafts  I see he continues to inspire others and live the life of a true woodsman.

We had tried to set up a spoon carving and bushcraft weekend that never came to fruition, watch this space though as there is a renewed interest in courses so things maybe afoot in 2012

I was chatting to  someone enquiring about an introduction to bushcraft course the other day,. When I was asked what the difference between bushcraft and survival was.

It is a question that pops up on most courses and one which I usually answer with a simple "Bushcraft means you chose to be there, survival is when you would rather be somewhere else."

But it got me to thinking about peoples perceptions of bushcraft and survival and what it is that actually separates them both.

I know when I first started spending time in the outdoors I didn't ever stop to think what the correct term for what I was doing is. Until I was given my very own copy of Lofty Wiseman's book, at which point it became survival. As I spent more time in the outdoors and came to become an outdoor pursuits instructor, my interests changed and I became a climber, a surfer a snowboarder and the skills that I had learnt just became the things that I did when I was in the outdoors.

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.

Well I am home and unpacked after a great few days at this years Wilderness gathering.

It had been something of a last minute trip after original plans fell through and new opportunities arose. Mainly the offer of free tickets in return for some work with Lone Scout bushcraft. Ian was organising the activities for the younger bushcrafters (the coyote kids.) and never seemed to be still for longer than 5 minutes so I spent a while manning his stand and pointing a lot of very enthusiastic Kids to the right bushcraft courses that had been laid on as part of the weekend.

As it was I barely got chance to do much more than empty my bank account and catch up with some old friends, but did have some insightful chats and listen to some interesting Bushcraft and tracking discussions. There was certainly plenty to keep me occupied and without being too much of a bore Ill recount some of the highlights.

I get used to strange looks from passers by when I'm out on dog walks, I can see the puzzled faces struggling to make sense of what I must be  so intrigued by a bit of dirt, smelling a stick or eating strange weeds. Sometimes they ask but often they wander by with a wry giggle or smile.

This morning was just such one of those occasions as Hobbes and I did our morning tour of Kipling Tor. I was filling a bag with what must have at first looked like blackberries but as the walkers got a little closer they just gawked as I grabbed a handfull of fireweed seed pods causing an explosion of downy seeds to blow over them.

The fireweed is starting to seed and I am making the most of the opportunity to gather the downy seeds for use in fire making for the rest of the year.
But its not just the seeds that have a use.

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.

Well to say things were busy would be something of an understatement.

 I gave up counting after building the 44th den of the day and twice had to order out from the  Rangers for more brash, branches and tea ( I didn't get 5 minutes in the whole day to get the kettle on.) with 1400 visitors to the country skills day there was a constant flow of volunteers eager to learn the fundamental skills of building the bestest, secretest coolest looking dens there are.