Date: May 19, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The "4-hour" bow is taking me quite a bit longer than 4 hours. I spent the whole morning tillering one side of the bow. The afternoon I spent angling down on the river. I didn't catch anything. This was the first fishing I had done in a long time and it was good to review the process.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Review angling basics
2) Learned the clinch knot
3) Worked on "4-hour bow"
4) Cooked rice, lentils, and potatoes in sun oven
Initial Reflections:
I am going to take my spokeshave to the bow tomorrow. I really need to be taking off more material. I "almost" caught a trout. We are going fishing again tomorrow so hopefully I will have better luck.
Current Reflections:
Fishing was, and continues to be, an emotionally complicated experience for me. I was a vegetarian for quite a while and rarely ascribe strict moral superiority to humans. I find it difficult to balance what I know, intellectually, to be true (subsistence predation is amoral) with my distaste for taking animal life. I eat meat and am aware of the deep ethical problems with industrial agriculture. I want to hunt and fish because those skills are important, my hypocrisy is irksome, and the experience binds you to the land.
Monday 26 March 2012
Tuesday 13 March 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 28
Date: May 18, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The order of the day was bow making. We started with really quick "tie two saplings together" style bows to get familiar with the principles. This was also good practice for my jam knots. I made my bow from alder. After those super high speed bows we started "4-hour" bows made from cutting down a sapling and shaving down one end. This also gave me an introduction to the tillering. My maple "4-hour" is not quite finished and requires a bit more tillering.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Made an alder "4-min" (2 sapling) bow
2) Practiced jam knot
3) Started maple 4-hour bow
4)Learned bowyers knot (timber hitch)
5) Made bannock on wood stove
Initial Reflections:
Bow making is very interesting. I am excited to start a "real" bow tomorrow. My jam knots actually work properly now. I wasn't hitching them properly before and they were loosening.
Current Reflections:
I recently took an archery workshop so it is helpful to review this experience. I am trying to weasel my way into an ongoing archery program being run through a local martial arts school. If I am ever going to become a skilled hunter I am first going to have to get decent level proficiency in some projectile. I understand that rifle is the more reliable tool but its logistically problematic to get regular practice or training. So the bow and I may end up as long term companions.
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The order of the day was bow making. We started with really quick "tie two saplings together" style bows to get familiar with the principles. This was also good practice for my jam knots. I made my bow from alder. After those super high speed bows we started "4-hour" bows made from cutting down a sapling and shaving down one end. This also gave me an introduction to the tillering. My maple "4-hour" is not quite finished and requires a bit more tillering.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Made an alder "4-min" (2 sapling) bow
2) Practiced jam knot
3) Started maple 4-hour bow
4)Learned bowyers knot (timber hitch)
5) Made bannock on wood stove
Initial Reflections:
Bow making is very interesting. I am excited to start a "real" bow tomorrow. My jam knots actually work properly now. I wasn't hitching them properly before and they were loosening.
Current Reflections:
I recently took an archery workshop so it is helpful to review this experience. I am trying to weasel my way into an ongoing archery program being run through a local martial arts school. If I am ever going to become a skilled hunter I am first going to have to get decent level proficiency in some projectile. I understand that rifle is the more reliable tool but its logistically problematic to get regular practice or training. So the bow and I may end up as long term companions.
Wednesday 7 March 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 27
Date: May 16, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
We stayed late at Holten Brook as it was an exceptional camp site. We were visited by a few inquisitive whiskey jacks (Perisoreus canadensis) looking for our left overs. We got back on the river a bit after 11am. The first section of the days trip had an intermittent head wind and a few rocky patches but it was a generally calm paddle. We stopped off at the Masardis trading post for lunch and paddled the short distance back to camp. The winds had blown the roof off my shelter, we will see tonight if my repairs are adequate.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Paddled from Holten Brook to JMB camp
2) Repaired shelter
3) Finished 1st multi-day canoe trip
Initial Reflections:
I am pretty wiped by the whole experience. It was a lot to take in for the first trip but I think the "trial by fire" was effective. I feel confident now, going on multiday trips without a guide.
Current Reflections:
My current reflections are closely in line with my thoughts at the time. The trip was very challenging but often because of errors I was making in my approach. The summary is that I got to learn from the experience and from my own stupid mistakes. I came out of the trip with a much better grasp on physical canoe skills, the logistics of multi-day trips, and how to manage things like my personal hydration. It was an incredibly valuable experience.
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
We stayed late at Holten Brook as it was an exceptional camp site. We were visited by a few inquisitive whiskey jacks (Perisoreus canadensis) looking for our left overs. We got back on the river a bit after 11am. The first section of the days trip had an intermittent head wind and a few rocky patches but it was a generally calm paddle. We stopped off at the Masardis trading post for lunch and paddled the short distance back to camp. The winds had blown the roof off my shelter, we will see tonight if my repairs are adequate.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Paddled from Holten Brook to JMB camp
2) Repaired shelter
3) Finished 1st multi-day canoe trip
Initial Reflections:
I am pretty wiped by the whole experience. It was a lot to take in for the first trip but I think the "trial by fire" was effective. I feel confident now, going on multiday trips without a guide.
Current Reflections:
My current reflections are closely in line with my thoughts at the time. The trip was very challenging but often because of errors I was making in my approach. The summary is that I got to learn from the experience and from my own stupid mistakes. I came out of the trip with a much better grasp on physical canoe skills, the logistics of multi-day trips, and how to manage things like my personal hydration. It was an incredibly valuable experience.
Tuesday 6 March 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 26
Date: May 15, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
I woke up a bit after 6am, meaning I slept for 13hours. We poled through much of the morning, ending at Boar's Head Falls. After the falls it was mostly paddling. We covered around 12 miles and arrived at camp around 7.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Paddled class 1
2) poled/paddled 12 miles from Mooseleuk Stream to Holten Brook
Initial Reflections:
Today was much better than yesterday. The weather was calmer, I was hydrated, and I got to paddle. The quantity of paddling was quite tiring.
Current Reflections:
This day was great for the amount of paddling practice it provided. I think there was a noticeable difference between my paddling before and after this section of the trip.
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
I woke up a bit after 6am, meaning I slept for 13hours. We poled through much of the morning, ending at Boar's Head Falls. After the falls it was mostly paddling. We covered around 12 miles and arrived at camp around 7.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Paddled class 1
2) poled/paddled 12 miles from Mooseleuk Stream to Holten Brook
Initial Reflections:
Today was much better than yesterday. The weather was calmer, I was hydrated, and I got to paddle. The quantity of paddling was quite tiring.
Current Reflections:
This day was great for the amount of paddling practice it provided. I think there was a noticeable difference between my paddling before and after this section of the trip.
Thursday 1 March 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 25
Date: May 14, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
We headed down stream in the morning. The section we poled until lunch had a lot of white water. Lunch was sausage and crackers on a river bank. The weather got much worse after lunch. The wind was blowing very hard up stream with gusts of about 40mph. We had to line a number of section of the river. We experienced a few close calls including two trees falling within 10 feet of canoes. We eventually arrived at our campsite and decided to stay despite bad (swampy) condition. The weather was obviously worsening. Now I am in my tent and it is pouring.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Poled down stream for 7 hours
2) Lined canoe
3) Navigated class 2 white water
Initial Reflections:
Today was brutally hard work. I let myself get dehydrated and the falling trees were frightening. I actually fell in the water as we were getting out at the camp site. Not great.
Current Reflections:
I was "not pleased" when I originally wrote this entry. Looking back now, I actually consider it one of my more valuable experiences. The day would have been hard no matter what but it was very hard because I was being a dumbass. I didn't bring enough water, drank to much coffee, and didn't think seriously about my electrolyte situation while having poor to average cardio. The primary lesson is one of managing hydration but it also helped me see the importance of building aerobic capacity.
I have, legitimately, become much better with hydration since then but my cardio could still use some work.
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
We headed down stream in the morning. The section we poled until lunch had a lot of white water. Lunch was sausage and crackers on a river bank. The weather got much worse after lunch. The wind was blowing very hard up stream with gusts of about 40mph. We had to line a number of section of the river. We experienced a few close calls including two trees falling within 10 feet of canoes. We eventually arrived at our campsite and decided to stay despite bad (swampy) condition. The weather was obviously worsening. Now I am in my tent and it is pouring.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Poled down stream for 7 hours
2) Lined canoe
3) Navigated class 2 white water
Initial Reflections:
Today was brutally hard work. I let myself get dehydrated and the falling trees were frightening. I actually fell in the water as we were getting out at the camp site. Not great.
Current Reflections:
I was "not pleased" when I originally wrote this entry. Looking back now, I actually consider it one of my more valuable experiences. The day would have been hard no matter what but it was very hard because I was being a dumbass. I didn't bring enough water, drank to much coffee, and didn't think seriously about my electrolyte situation while having poor to average cardio. The primary lesson is one of managing hydration but it also helped me see the importance of building aerobic capacity.
I have, legitimately, become much better with hydration since then but my cardio could still use some work.
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