Woodlife

We had another great weekend in Hatfield Forest as Wildcrafts held another Basic Bushcraft course.

Every participant on the course has mentioned that it’s harder than they thought, with shelter building an area which seems to test them the most. It certainly shows how much energy is expended but also shows if it’s not completed properly, there could be dire consequences as the participants actually sleep in their shelter for the final night.

As Les says, the basics should be tried out to appreciate the rest of the “bushcraft” experience. The basic course covers safe use of the knife and knife sharpening, shelter building, water collection and purification, fire preparation (firesteel) and food prep (usually skinning and cooking a rabbit). Add in a little tracking, tree ID and wild plant ID and what more would somebody need for an initial bushcraft event?

The stunning back drop of Hatfield forest is an additional incentive for people wanting to come on the course. One of the participants this weekend had never seen a deer outside of a road collision. I wish I had taken a picture of his face when, after a brief zone-in session, a family of fallow passed within 20 feet of him.  It’s moments like these that make me proud to be included in the Wildcrafts team.

When wandering alone looking for likely deer watching areas, I was drawn to the many ancient trees in the forest.

This area is the site of the ancient “Doodle” tree; the girth marked out by stakes.  The tree died in 1907 but was reportedly over 1,000 years old when it eventually fell and at one time one of only two trees in Britain of that size. The tree to the right is an off-shoot of the original tree, so technically the “Doodle” tree still survives.

As usual my summer set up is the Scout DD hammock and Auscam tarp. The camo on this tarp is excellent for this woodland. (Note the mug tree on the left in the foreground)

I’m off to Devon this weekend. I’m leading a Shadowhawk course and will be assessed by Max as a Shadowhawk instructor. This is the culmination of 5 years of hard work at Shadowhawk, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed all goes well.

See you next week.