JMB Spring Term Day 18

Date: May 07, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine


The first part of the day was spent on the river. We paddled down the Aroostook and polled up part of Squapan stream. The stream ended up being too low, even for poling, so we turned around. We poled back up to our launch site and returned to camp. At camp we made a pile of "doughnuts" (deep fried bannock) followed by a presentation on map and compass navigation. For dinner we cooked pork and potatoes in the dutch oven.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Poled up stream successfully (Squapan)
2) Made doughnuts
3) Learned orientation principles
4) Cooked pork in a dutch oven


5) Saw moose, red fox, and varying hare

Initial Reflections:
I made it up the slow shallow Squapan successfully but I had a really hard time on the Aroostook. I read through a poling aritcle and I think I can make some positive changes to my technique tomorrow.

Current Reflections:
The "really hard time" I had on the Aroostook was frustrating. I wasn't getting something in poling and I couldn't convince the canoe to go upriver.  My emotion control was slipping away from me and I think I was dehydrated. It wasn't a scene or anything but I was quite annoyed. Getting upset just makes everything more difficult in an awful positive feedback cycle. I feel like I learned quite a bit about myself by going through that experience.

JMB Spring Term Day 9

Date: April 26, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine, USA

Summary:
I managed to get more felling practice in the morning before much of the day had begun. The rest of the morning was spent looking at potential camp sites down by the river. We worked on land navigation to get us there and back again. After lunch we built the shelters we will be spending the night in. These shelters went up much faster than the quadpods. The day ended with a "plant of the day" and dinner.

Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Felled 2 trees
2) Started a large 1-match fire
3) Worked on navigation by sun position
4) Found hare, grouse, and black bear scat
5) Built a shelter (looks kind of like a bivy sack made from a bough bed, alder saplings, and a tarp)
6) PotD entry for Coptis trifolia (goldthread)

Initial Reflections:
My felling is getting much better. I corrected an angle problem I was having and it made a big difference. Our trip to the new camp site made it apparent why rivers were the highways of the bush as the bush is "dense". I think the shelter sleeping will go well tonight. The temperature is supposed to drop to around -7C but I will have a sleeping bag so it should be ok.


Current Reflections:
The real accomplishment today was the 1-match fire, I think it was my first.  I think the "secret" that this jump (10-match fires to 1-match) represents is really an issue of patience. I kept trying to "force" the fire to start before I had everything in its right place. When I chilled out and took the time to get all my fuel stages properly aligned things got much easier.