JMB Spring Term Day 24

Date: May 13, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
 

Instead of heading out immediately we spent the day on the campsite at Mooseleuk Lake. I went for a long exploratory journey on the lake for much of the day. Tim gave an introduction to fly fishing, caught a brook trout, and showed us how to clean it. I made bannock in a reflector oven.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Worked on lake poling 

2) Learned about fly fishing

3) Learned how to clean brook trout

4) Made bannock in reflector oven

5) Sharpened crooked knife

Initial Reflections:
The lake was very interesting to explore. The area doesn't seem to get much use so the wildlife is quite active. My ability to pole around obstacles in flatwater is much improved.

Current Reflections:
Fly fishing, and angling too, are far more interesting than I had given them credit for. It was a "don't know what you don't know" kind of situation. I am no great fisherman but this experience awoke an interest in developing the skill.

JMB Spring Term Day 23

Date: May 12, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine

Day 1 of our first five day canoe trip. We packed in the morning and arrived at Mooseleuk around 4. We cooked brats in the dutch oven for dinner and made a load of sourdough. After camp was set up we explored the lake via canoe.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Worked on lake poling
2) Dumped humanure buckets (might seem odd as an "accomplishment" but I thought going through all the stages of the humanure composting system was important for understanding how it works)

Initial Reflections:
It is beautiful country up here. There are no other people but lots of wildlife. We have already seen loons and beaver. An early morning paddle should be interesting.

Current Reflections:
It really was a beautiful area. Exploring a shallow lake that has lots of obstacles is, for me, poling at its best. Poking around in the various microhabitats would have been very challenging by paddle but was really a pleasure by pole. Writing this is filling me with self pity as I have to spend my day studying math instead of poling a beautiful lake!

JMB Spring Term Day 22

Date: May 11, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine

Most of the day was preparation for the canoe trip. We planned the menu in the morning and spent much of the day acquiring the food we would need. In the evening I finished my crooked knife.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Planned trip menu
2) Bought trip food
3) Finished crooked knife

Initial Reflections:
I am really happy to have finished my crooked knife. I still need to sharpen it properly but it looks good.

Current Reflections:
Unfortunately, I STILL need to sharpen it properly. Its baseline functional but I should really have it going full steam by now. I am going to put it on my short term "to do" project list.

JMB Spring Term Day 21

Date: May 10, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine

Rest and recovery day, I spent most of it immersed in books or asleep.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Baked bannock in reflector oven

Initial Reflections:
I slept 12 hours last night and am feeling much better for it. Today emphasized the importance of getting proper sleep in the bush.

JMB Spring Term Day 20

Date: May 09, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine

Today was the end of the week 3, the "River Guide" course. We spent the morning doing rope work. We set up another tripod, built a winch, and practiced knots. After lunch I went onto the Aroostook to practice poling the rip.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Practiced clove hitch and larks head
2) Built "flipflop" winch
3) Set small tripod
4) Practiced downstream pole ferry and rip poling

Initial Reflections:
I am still having trouble pole ferrying in deep water. My shallow poling continues to improve.

Current Reflections:
I was actually amazed by the flipflop winch. I hadn't realized there was a mechanism for employing such strong forces so winches were a pleasant surprise! 

JMB Spring Term Day 19

Date: May 08, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine

As it rained last night today was another adventure in wet weather fire lighting. I found what seemed to be an appropriate tree for feather sticks. After felling it and bringing the top section back to camp I carved feather sticks. Before lunch we made net bags for water bottles. After lunch we went onto the Aroostook to work on poling. We poled up and down a section of rip a number of times. On the same section we tried lining the canoe up and down stream.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Made 2nd feather sticks
2) Made 1st net bag
3) Poled and snubbed a rip 5 times
4) Down stream pole ferry across Aroostook
5) Lined canoe

Initial Reflections:
Today's feather sticks were worse than the first ones. The log was too damp and the shavings were poor. The net bag is actually really useful and a great thing to know. I "got" poling today. Everything from earlier this week clicked and I could actually pole properly. I saw a varying hare again, I think its the same individual.

Current Reflections:
It was a great relief to have less canoe rage at this point. As I mentioned, I was getting quite frustrated about the whole boat situation but today helped correct that. Spending some time poling the same rip repeatedly was a valuable practice experience. I guess just like any physical task, getting to try the same thing over and over again to refine your approach helps your body learn.
My crappy feather sticks did a good job of highlighting the importance of being well experienced in essential bushcraft skills. If someone has a purely intellectual understanding of feather sticks (through books and youtube) the result could very easily be like my crappy failsticks. You need the experience for the places in between the "skills", like which trees are actually going to work and how to change your shaving technique depending on the wood.