Date: May 23, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
Most of the day was spent carving my longbow. A lot of material needed to come off to create the proper taper. The carving process is just a matter of sitting down and getting it done (like many things I suppose). We also covered a couple new things. We made ashcakes, which were surprisingly good. We also got an introduction to hand drill friction fire (mullen drill)
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) carved taper into longbow
2) made ashcakes
3) learned basics of handdrill (floating)
Initial Reflections:
Hand drill is neat but I am still a ways off getting a coal. I will just need practice applying consistent pressure.
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 32
Date: May 22, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
Today was full of fail. The weather appeared to be uncooperative in the morning so we decided to check out the museum of natural history in Caribou. The museum's answering machine said summer hours but the door said winter and no one was home. We did a bit of riparian plant ID on the Aroostook but spent most of the day in transit.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) ID and press:
-ostrich fern
-Jerusalem artichoke
Initial Reflections:
I wanted to see that museum so it being closed was a let down. I do find myself feeling like I need greater amounts of down time as the course goes on, so maybe this is what I needed. The mosquitoes hit a level last night that required a 4am move to my tent. I am getting a bug net!
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
Today was full of fail. The weather appeared to be uncooperative in the morning so we decided to check out the museum of natural history in Caribou. The museum's answering machine said summer hours but the door said winter and no one was home. We did a bit of riparian plant ID on the Aroostook but spent most of the day in transit.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) ID and press:
-ostrich fern
-Jerusalem artichoke
Initial Reflections:
I wanted to see that museum so it being closed was a let down. I do find myself feeling like I need greater amounts of down time as the course goes on, so maybe this is what I needed. The mosquitoes hit a level last night that required a 4am move to my tent. I am getting a bug net!
Friday, 20 April 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 31
Date: May 21, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The earl part of the day was spent on further reducing the red oak stave. The day was very hot but windy enough to keep the black flies at bay. I have the stave carved close to the goal lines. I decided on the dimensions recommended in Primitive Technology II. After lunch we worked on plant ID and I added a number of specimens to my herbarium. Before dinner we identified two sets of tracks along the road.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) made progress on bow
2) pressed plants
-Fragaria virginiana
-Plantago major
-Viola sp.?
-Rumex acetosella
-Sambucus sp.?
-Amelanchier sp.?
-Alnus sp.?
-Taraxacum officinale
-Populus balsamifera
-Populus tremuloides
-Brassicaceae gs? sp?
Initial Reflections:
The family based plant ID is really helping my understand of plants. It gives a great framework for ID and for understanding plant evolution.
Current Reflections:
I am now getting back into proper plant study so its fun to try and access this information from a few years ago. I've also taken a few proper biology courses now so I am curious to see how the classroom work informs my person study and viceversa. I think the raw quantities of information in nature study make it a better fit for self study than classroom work anyway. I don't absorb a whole lot of academic information in the classroom setting, I tent to just take notes and do the actual learning on my own time.
I am surprised to find myself becoming curious about how learning actually happens and how to optimize it. Education is more interesting than I gave it credit for.
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The earl part of the day was spent on further reducing the red oak stave. The day was very hot but windy enough to keep the black flies at bay. I have the stave carved close to the goal lines. I decided on the dimensions recommended in Primitive Technology II. After lunch we worked on plant ID and I added a number of specimens to my herbarium. Before dinner we identified two sets of tracks along the road.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) made progress on bow
2) pressed plants
-Fragaria virginiana
-Plantago major
-Viola sp.?
-Rumex acetosella
-Sambucus sp.?
-Amelanchier sp.?
-Alnus sp.?
-Taraxacum officinale
-Populus balsamifera
-Populus tremuloides
-Brassicaceae gs? sp?
Initial Reflections:
The family based plant ID is really helping my understand of plants. It gives a great framework for ID and for understanding plant evolution.
Current Reflections:
I am now getting back into proper plant study so its fun to try and access this information from a few years ago. I've also taken a few proper biology courses now so I am curious to see how the classroom work informs my person study and viceversa. I think the raw quantities of information in nature study make it a better fit for self study than classroom work anyway. I don't absorb a whole lot of academic information in the classroom setting, I tent to just take notes and do the actual learning on my own time.
I am surprised to find myself becoming curious about how learning actually happens and how to optimize it. Education is more interesting than I gave it credit for.
Thursday, 19 April 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 30
All right! The semester is over and I get down to the serious business of bushcrafting and posting about it here!
Date: May 20, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
I started my long term project today, a red oak longbow. Tim has a stave cut and seasoned already so I started shaping it. I already have it down to the point where I need to start being careful about cutting into the bow. I spent the whole day on that, minus some time at lunch making fries on the fire.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Started longbow and finished much of 1st shaping stage
2) Made fries on the fire
Initial Reflections:
I am really enjoying the bow making process thus far. I will definitely be trying this again at home.
Current Reflections:
After working on lots of smaller project it was interesting to get started on a large and technically sophisticated project like a longbow.
Date: May 20, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
I started my long term project today, a red oak longbow. Tim has a stave cut and seasoned already so I started shaping it. I already have it down to the point where I need to start being careful about cutting into the bow. I spent the whole day on that, minus some time at lunch making fries on the fire.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Started longbow and finished much of 1st shaping stage
2) Made fries on the fire
Initial Reflections:
I am really enjoying the bow making process thus far. I will definitely be trying this again at home.
Current Reflections:
After working on lots of smaller project it was interesting to get started on a large and technically sophisticated project like a longbow.
Monday, 26 March 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 29
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)