Woodlife

The forecast was for clear skies, no wind, no rain, but cold… very cold. Minus 5 degrees C was predicted. The moon was also going to be full. What more can a Bushcrafter want? I rushed home from work and after a false start of putting the kit into the 55 litre rucksack and then remembering I would have to take 3 litres of water, I re-loaded the kit into the Karrimor Sabre 75 and rushed out to the woods. I would have just one hour before dusk to sort out the camp and prepare for the ice cold evening.

I had packed the hammock and smaller tarp. I had debated on sleeping on the ground in the bivvi bag, but I hadn’t used the hammock for a while, so hammock it was. Strangely, I put the hammock up first which was something I don’t normally do. Normally, it’s the tarp and I instantly regretted my decision as I had to muck about getting the hammock straight and the tarp at the right height. (The photo below was taken the following morning). I was losing daylight fast and I still hadn’t gathered any fire wood. At last the tarp and hammock were sorted and the sleeping bag was laid over the Thermarest. One of my aims tonight was to see how my cheap sleeping bag would stand up to the cold and whether I could justify getting a four season one. I had brought a fleece blanket, but that was all. This bag hasn’t got a rating, but I pretty sure it’s only two season. I wasn’t exactly warm at the December moot and that was in a tent.

I gathered the fire wood choosing only the driest pieces and laid them down in order of size. After learning some harsh lessons recently about not preparing a fire properly, I took my time to lay down a small cooking fire with the intention of lighting it when I came back from my ‘night safari’. A nice piece of birch bark from a dead tree went into my trouser pocket to dry out.

After a Trangia cooked bolognaise, I went out for a walk in the woods. It was about eight o’clock and it felt like midnight. The moon was astonishingly bright and sent an ethereal light through the woods. I was amazed at how the tracks and trails stood out in this light. I rarely use a torch in the woods, although I had my Tikka XP head torch (with slide-across red filter) for use in an emergency, but I could quite clearly see my way. I always use a walking stick for extra stability when walking at night in case of unseen holes and I walk even slower than my normal tracking pace. Despite these precautions, I still managed to find a deep hole filled with water. Luckily, the water didn’t reach over by rubber boots and I was spared a night of freezing feet.

I ended up at the badger setts and sat down in the vain hope that I would see one. The wind had dropped taking the wind-chill factor away from the temperature and I reflected on the decision to come out tonight. The howling owls and shrieking foxes followed by long periods of silence together with the amazing moon light made the whole experience fantastic.

About 10 pm I moved back to the tarp site. I had only seen a hunting tawny owl and, of course, no badgers. I scraped the birch bark for use as tinder and used the fire steel to set it alight. I had never done this in the dark, although I couldn’t really say that tonight was exactly pitch black. Fourth strike and away it went. The tinder went straight under the thin twigs used as kindling. Dry, dead plant stalks were added and the fire was well under way. Just shows what a bit of planning can do. I soon had a moderate fire on the go which, although not particularly physically warming (the temperature was now minus 2 degree C) it was certainly heart warming. So was the brandy!

After stoking and staring at the fire for 2 hours – can’t believe how time flies in the woods – I was ready to turn in. I entered the hammock by my tried and tested method (climb into sleeping bag standing up and gently fall into the hammock) and then fought to wrap the blanket around me. Although not an easy task, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought, and after much wriggling (which included starting over because I had forgotten to blow the candle lantern out!) I was settled. The silence of the woods enveloped me and I drifted off to sleep.

I only woke twice. Once at 2:15. My back was cold and I realised that the blanket had moved off my back (I always sleep on my side). I also noticed a gentle breeze had got up and was blowing directly from the north onto my back. I should really have made the tarp’s back edge at least cover this side of the hammock against any northerly wind. After a bit of reorganisation of the blanket, the cold spot was covered. All was quiet and it wasn’t too long before I was asleep again. The second time, I needed to pee. Again, it wasn’t too long before I was asleep.

Dawn came and I woke to a heavy frost. Everything was white, and I was warm! Maybe I don’t need that other sleeping bag after all, however that was without any wind to add to the freezing temperature. I spent the rest of the morning walking through the woods watching the squirrels, blue tits and my first sighting in these woods of a Gold crest. I finally cleared up the site, had a last mug of tea, packed up and made my way to the van. 21 hours after leaving the house, I wandered in with a satisfied but tired smile on my face. It had been an opportunity too good to miss.