SlimJim
16-06-2016, 01:14 AM
I've finally been getting out and about this year and also did a handful of over-nighters last year. I don't do a lot of bushcraft in the classical sense, but I get out when and where I can and take what I need from bushcraft whilst always applying the leave no trace maxim :) I like woodland camping with a tarp and also sleeping under the stars (weather permitting), because I'm a big nature lover and enjoy being outdoors in general. I also do a bit of "pro-hobo" urban camping when the environment allows it.
Camping in local woodland last month. I finally convinced my mate to try sleeping under a tarp, as he normally uses a small pod type tent. He worried about getting eaten alive by insects, but enjoyed the experience in the end and avoided getting munched on. I got bitten 5 or 6 times in the usual places instead - hands, legs, back blubber, etc. He even picked up a few new knots along the way! We dug a Dakota Firepit (very difficult in the thick clay soil). My mate cooked burgers and I pre-made some homemade curry to heat up. I had a dreadful cold, but the curry cleared my sinuses and warmed me up good n proper :p The morning after I made a quick brew on my Hexi burner, which I'm not a big fan of due to the goo it leaves. I scraped up the goo and stuck it in the rubbish bag, dowsed the pit with water and filled in the hole. A quick spreading of leaf litter with a big stick and you wouldn't even have known we'd been there!
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7691/26931108202_d55e52b6aa_b.jpg
Can't have a camp out without a decent bottle of ale!
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7480/26421648513_ba34aeb915_b.jpg
My second woodland camp out in Sussex. This was an odd one. Two friends came out, but one ended up going home (got married and is hen pecked). I picked the spot because it seemed incredibly secluded. Only a small village nearby, several square klicks of woodland and a good 300 yards or so from all of the foot paths. When nightfall came and I settled down I realised I could hear music. How very odd... Turned out the village pub was having a live gig :D All I can say is it must have been incredibly loud, because we were at least a couple of km from it. Later on in the early hours of the morning I could hear a diesel vehicle rolling somewhere. Several loud gunshots popped off and I realised the place was probably poached. I was a little bit freaked, so I whispered to my friend but he was asleep and snoring (very demanding job)! I jumped up and dumped some water from my Camelbak on the fire so not to be detected. The gunshots were quite loud, but I reassured myself that they were probably some distance. Still, the experience freaked me a little and I had trouble settling down again. I noticed that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness quite well after a short period, which was nice because I could look out the side of my tarp at all the trees. That's the beauty of tarps really. Then a light downpour of rain came, which had a wonderful soothing sound. With the rain gently tapping on my tarp I managed to catch up on some sleep. Woke up in the morning, packed up, soaked and scattered the ashes from the fire and made our way back home feeling satisfied from the experience.
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7733/18119718559_a6d0f47943_b.jpg
I did 5 camp outs in total last year in the spring/summer and I've done 2 this year so far. Hopefully we'll get a few more mild nights, which will make for some more pleasant experiences and re-connections with nature :)
Cheers,
Jim.
Camping in local woodland last month. I finally convinced my mate to try sleeping under a tarp, as he normally uses a small pod type tent. He worried about getting eaten alive by insects, but enjoyed the experience in the end and avoided getting munched on. I got bitten 5 or 6 times in the usual places instead - hands, legs, back blubber, etc. He even picked up a few new knots along the way! We dug a Dakota Firepit (very difficult in the thick clay soil). My mate cooked burgers and I pre-made some homemade curry to heat up. I had a dreadful cold, but the curry cleared my sinuses and warmed me up good n proper :p The morning after I made a quick brew on my Hexi burner, which I'm not a big fan of due to the goo it leaves. I scraped up the goo and stuck it in the rubbish bag, dowsed the pit with water and filled in the hole. A quick spreading of leaf litter with a big stick and you wouldn't even have known we'd been there!
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7691/26931108202_d55e52b6aa_b.jpg
Can't have a camp out without a decent bottle of ale!
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7480/26421648513_ba34aeb915_b.jpg
My second woodland camp out in Sussex. This was an odd one. Two friends came out, but one ended up going home (got married and is hen pecked). I picked the spot because it seemed incredibly secluded. Only a small village nearby, several square klicks of woodland and a good 300 yards or so from all of the foot paths. When nightfall came and I settled down I realised I could hear music. How very odd... Turned out the village pub was having a live gig :D All I can say is it must have been incredibly loud, because we were at least a couple of km from it. Later on in the early hours of the morning I could hear a diesel vehicle rolling somewhere. Several loud gunshots popped off and I realised the place was probably poached. I was a little bit freaked, so I whispered to my friend but he was asleep and snoring (very demanding job)! I jumped up and dumped some water from my Camelbak on the fire so not to be detected. The gunshots were quite loud, but I reassured myself that they were probably some distance. Still, the experience freaked me a little and I had trouble settling down again. I noticed that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness quite well after a short period, which was nice because I could look out the side of my tarp at all the trees. That's the beauty of tarps really. Then a light downpour of rain came, which had a wonderful soothing sound. With the rain gently tapping on my tarp I managed to catch up on some sleep. Woke up in the morning, packed up, soaked and scattered the ashes from the fire and made our way back home feeling satisfied from the experience.
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7733/18119718559_a6d0f47943_b.jpg
I did 5 camp outs in total last year in the spring/summer and I've done 2 this year so far. Hopefully we'll get a few more mild nights, which will make for some more pleasant experiences and re-connections with nature :)
Cheers,
Jim.