Pablo’s Woodlife

As promised in my last post below (Back from the Bushmoot), I’ll begin a day by day account of the Bushmoot in log form as captured in my hard copy journal. I can’t promise to get all the instructional details in. It was just too much. My aim on this excursion was primarily to learn, but also to try out wild camping techniques and kit for the full 5 days. My travelling colleague is Paul who I’ve known for years. He’s a tent camper and this is his first bushcraft outing.

6am – It was an early start as we left for South Wales. We wanted to beat the traffic on the M25. Coffee stop , breakfast stop and a quick trip to the local supermarket to stock up on fresh rations. For me that was a pack of cigars(!) and some fruit. All rations had already been bought.

1200 – Arrived at Merthyr Mawr (MM) and immediately recce’d the area. Met Tony and Shel from BCUK who kindly outlined where things were. Seemed like very nice people. Camp looked well laid out with clean toilets, showers, wash up area and a covered workshop area. A walk through the area saw some good hammock/tarp and tent setups already in place. Very sandy soil; mixed, managed woodland. There were lots of cut timber and fallen branches. No need for felling here. I elected for an area about 200 yds away from the main area. Just right for peace if I wanted but in sight of what was going on. My new poncho covered my ration bag on the tree. The bark from the conifer is a bit sappy and sticky. I might regret this later as it will get on the cordage and tarps.

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1430 – After a brew we explored the sand dune area of MM. A huge dune complex and hard work getting to the top. Great views though. Didn’t go too far on this occasion. Weather hot and sunny (28 degrees C).

1530 – Walking back through the site, we bumped into Mors Kochanski already talking to a group of people about knots. I’ve heard he starts teaching from the time he gets off the plane, but this is ridiculous! I’m enthralled by his style. Very amusing and anecdotal. I can’t follow the knots he’s doing. He’s demonstrating a pully system tied between two struts of a small purpose built covered area (with a fire in the centre). He says the pully is extremely effective. As he pulls, the large struts visibly move to the shouts of “Watch it, Mors!” “Well, that proves it works,” says he.

Mors then talks about lashings and skilfully moves on to shelter building. He demonstrates building a loose log structure with raised bed. This aspect is pretty technical. He describes the “inverse cube” theory and the surprising benefits of using black polythene even in hot weather. This guy is amazing. I’ve been sitting here for about 3 hours enthralled, and he’s still going.

1830 – At last I make dinner. MRE chicken stew (not bad but needs more seasoning) cereal bar.

1945 – A camp triangle sounds. Uhh??! Are we scouting or is there a fire? No, its Tony gathering the clans. He welcomes those who are here (about 45 people at the moment) and explains the site, health and safety and a few rules and regulations. The workshops will be detailed on a white board daily. Excellent. I really didn’t expect this degree of organisation.

2030 – 2200 – Rest and checked Paul’s site. He looks settles in. Couple of beers then a walk to the main congregation area. This is covered by a large parachute and has a large fire in the middle. Guess who’s looking after the fire? I manage to grab him for a photo. We start chatting to people. It’s a great atmosphere. Beer gets the better of us and we wander back. A couple of glasses of the obligatory port, and it’s time for bed. Hammock and reindeer skin very comfortable. Glad I tested it out before I came. I’m now used to it. I drop off to sleep, grinning like an idiot! What a great first day. No problems sleeping, apart from releasing the beer twice during the night!

More next time…

Following the previous entry I’ll continue to describe the Busmoot in Merthyr Mawr.

0730 – Up, washed and dressed. Slightly overcast to start with, but there’s a promise of sunny intervals as the sun streams through the tree canopy on occasions. I’m not using the washing facilities on site apart from a shower tonight. The collapsible bowl is put to good use. Breakfast on porridge and a cereal bar. Many have fires going. I wander across to a neighbour who describes his Kelly kettle. Looks good bit of kit, but a bit fiddly.

1000 – Muster at the covered lecture area where Tony describes the main events. Flint knapping, bow making, tracking, leather work, the list goes on and on. I quickly realise that if I am to get everything in, I can’t spend all day on one subject. I’ll have to restrict my attendance to the shorter workshops and unfortunately forgoe the longer, practical “making something” elements. I elect to do the tracking, shelter building and hand drill workshops today. Before we start, an instructor gives everyone a 10 minute talk on knife safety. Great idea.

1045 – We start the tracking workshop. Rod is standing in for Rhoda from Shadowhawk as she can’t make it. He sends us into the wood for 20 minutes to sit quietly and see and hear what comes back when the wildlife gets used to us. Unfortunately, a lady has brought a couple of kids and they quickly become bored and start running about. I get the picture though. When we return, Rod explains about the tracking stick and a few anecdotes about his tracking experiences. I like the tracking stick and agree that it “can’t lie” when you arc the stick to find a missing print. He explains the use of mirrors and green light. I can understand Rod’s description of the more spiritual aspects of tracking. I have done tracking in the past and you really have to understand the subject of the track: what they do, where they would go and what would they avoid. It’s very similar to finding a missing person or child. You almost have to construct a psychological profile. We wander into the woods to find tracks and signs. Unfortunately the paths are well used by the site users and the soil is very sandy. We explore a kill site and the usual squirrel and rabbit feeding signs.

I certainly picked up a couple of tips and this has spurred me on to looking much deeper into the subject when I return. Thanks Rod.

1200 – Quick lunch of a cuppa soup, apple and banana. I’m using my Swedish Army trangia all the time. It’s quicker than building a fire as I need to cram in as many demos in as possible. I also want to see how long a litre of Meths lasts.

1300 – We start a shelter building workshop with Andy from Dryad bushcraft. It’s going to be an ‘A’ frame type shelter and not the semi-permanent shelter Mors built yesterday. In fact a Y-shaped log and longish pole starts off the process. Smaller branches provide the rest of the super-structure and the weather proofing is provided by us collecting and using the abundant Himalayan balsam. The end result is a very pleasant pink and purple looking shelter. This is all standard stuff, but it was good to get involved in the process. It starts to rain. What I did learn in both shelter demos was the need for the bed area to be as high as possible off the ground. In Mors’ shelter, this was a raised platform. In the Y-shelter, this was ample soft cushioning from available material.

1500 – I start a new spoon during a quick rest between workshops.

1600 – Hand drill workshop with Rich. He explains and describes the technique needed. Spit on hand (essential), 8lbs downward pressure, 4 passes per second. Wait til smoking. Cut notch, maintain smoke again then go for the coal. About half of us get smoke and half again turn the coal into fire. I get the smallest of wisps before my soft hands succumb to the drill. I’m so determined to succeed that my hand becomes raw. I decide that if I continue, it might jeapordise other workshops if not the moot by my hand possibly becoming infected. It’s raining hard now and the tinder is becoming damp. I fail along with some others, but Rich kindly says he’ll be back on Monday for those who want anther shot.

1845 – Dinner of pasta and Wayfarer beef stroganoff. This MRE is good if a bit bland but pepper makes it tastier. Raining very hard now and the site is strangely quiet. I wander to the main parachute covered area, but there’s no-one there. Even Mors has succumbed to the rain and gone to ground it seems. I carry on with my spoon. The tarp is holding up to the rain so far and everything appears dry. As darkness falls, I climb wearily into my sleeping bag. The rain is constant but surprisingly soothing. I start to fall asleep…

0230 – What the ****!! I can’t believe it’s a car alarm. Of course I can believe it. Instead of just turning it off, the owner tries to find out why it went off. This results in another 15 minutes of ear screeching sound. I take the opportunity to check on the kit. All is still dry. The tree canopy is taking a lot of the downpour. Eventually, I drift off again to the background of the continuing rain.

More next time…

I’m continuing my account of the Bushmoot at Merthyr Mawr. The account in log form is taken from my hard copy journal.

0730 – Up, full wash, change of clothes and powder feet. Examined my site after last nights heavy rain. Pleased to report everything dry, except for underneath the reindeer skin on which I sleep in the hammock. Hammock is completely dry, so I can only think this is a bit of condensation. Some ground dwellers in tents have been flooded out. Together with the rogue car alarm last night, they must be pretty tired. I’m pleased that I decided on hammock and tarp. I’ve got into the habit of putting boots, cup, hat and other bits on sticks of wood. This keeps things from getting sandy or muddy. Breakfast is apple, banana and cereal bar with coffee.

1000 – Tony calls muster with the usual huge list of workshops. I decide to start with trapping.

1030 – We work with Andy again from Dryad Bushcraft. He’s a good instructor and very patient. I’ve not built any traps for years and I’m slow to catch on. We build a simple Peyote trap. I’m not sure that this would be too effective and consider that I would only ever use a trap except in an emergency situation. It’s still good to learn though. I would have to practice this more at a later date. I notice that nearly every instructor carries loads of ordinary string. Very handy stuff and cheaper than paracord.

1200 – I wander back to the site and on the way stop to look at the leatherwork workshop. There’s some good design stuff going on, mainly sheath making. I notice the number of specialist tools needed to carry out leather work. Again, this is something I’d like to get into. A good winter bushcraft skill (by the fire with a good port!)

1230 – Had a snack lunch and had a re-sort of my day bag. It’s a good canvas bag with water proof lining (called a Raider bag) with the ability to either carry on the shoulder or on your back. But I’ve got too much kit in it. I’ve noticed that many people have lots of kit on their belts. I’m not too keen on this as it makes the belt too heavy. I’ve taken my clipper knife out of the leather sheath and back into the plastic one. I’ve made a neck strap to accommodate this (a la Mors K). The knife is thus always handy. I can still clip it onto my belt if I want. Other tools I’ve put into the raider bag (folding saw, crook knife). I’ve also got a bottle of water, camera and binoculars. All other junk I’ve moved into my rucksack which sits propped up under the tarp. This feels much better, lighter and more comfortable.

1345 – I forgo the plant walk (there’s another one later) and take myself into the woods. I try to find the track that leads to the river, but I can’t find it. I decide not to go too far because of the plant walk. I cut a piece of sycamore (or is it hazel?) for a tracking stick. It’s ideal. Dead straight with a slight bend for the handle. I really must learn trees identification. In fact, I’ll ask someone to help me before I go. I replant an off cut in the hope that it will root. There’s a lot of movement in the area, so I decide to return to my area and carve the stick and finish my spoon.

1700 – Prepared fire and billy stand ready for tonight’s fire. Used axe for the first time. (Oh…didn’t I tell you I bought an Granfors small forest axe from Tony – saves postage, packing and delivery charges. That’s my excuse anyway). The axe is splendid and makes cutting and chopping tasks so much easier than using my 15 year old B&Q special!

1730 – Plant walk with Marcus from the Wild Food School. Amazingly interesting. I thought I knew about plants, but Marcus is excelling here. Marcus admits that many plants are very bitter and would only be used in a survival situation as BG (boiled greens). Ground Ivy and Borrage are good plants to utilise at the moment as well as some berries which are just beginning to ripen (including dew berry). The walk goes on for long while and I curse the fact that I’ve transferred my notebook to my rucksack. Typical!! I’ll have to rely on memory when I get back.

2000 – At last back to my area and I’m starving hungry. Too late now to make a fire. Good large meal of soup, sardines and beef pasta. Starts to rain lightly.

2130 – A walk around camp and chat with a couple of people around their fire. Rain drives people under their tarps.

2230 – Into hammock. Light rain helps the relaxation process. Very tired and soon off to sleep.

More next time and thanks for reading.

This is the continuation of my hard copy journal, recording the BCUK Bushmoot at Merthyr Mawr.

0730 – Up and a tin of all day breakfast. Worked on spoon and stick for a while. Re-sorted main pack.

1000 – Muster with everyone at the main workshop building. Decided to go and visit the ruins at Ogmore castle and find the river. It was a couple of miles walk but worth the visit. The castle is reached by the medieval stepping stones. On the way back, we cut a path through the wood to find the elusive track that runs along the river. Had lunch of home made beef jerky on the way. It was worth the visit as there the scenery along the river bank was excellent. No sign of otters, but plenty of water vole tracks.

1300 – Back to my area and a rest. I haven’t really had much time on my own and it was nice to have a rest, catch on my journal and do some admin.

1500 – Visited Mors’ axe workshop. He talked about basic safety and the different ways different trees fall. He refers to alot of technical jargon, and this promts me to buy his book when I get back home. A good tip he gave us was to soak the head of the axe in coolant. This assures a strong bond with the axe head and helve. He wanders off the subject of axes and goes on to talk about knife use including battoning and wedging techniques.

On the way back I visit the knife sharpening demo. A lot of good tips here including using glass, wet and dry, and cardboard (with autosol rust remover). I seem to be doing most things right, but when it comes to stropping, I was doing exactly what they said you shouldn’t do and that is stropping like I was in a barber shop! Apparently, you must strop in the same way as you sharpen the knife with a whetstone.

1700 – Looked into the food prepping workshop where Marcus was cooking his gathered greens. Judging by the expressions of some peoples faces, it didn’t seem the culinary delight that Marcus had insisted it was on our plant walk yesterday. I wander back to see what Mors is up to, only to find he’s spinning himself around using a bull-roarer he’d just made. Is there no end to this mans energy! The hangi is delayed, so I decide to lay my first fire and have a brew. It’s raining again so it’s quite difficult. It stays alight long enough for a cup of coffee.

2115 – At last the hangi. There’s huge amounts of pork and beef with potatoes, carrots and swede all of which has been cooked underground for the last six hours. This was washed down with a few beers. Now this is what a call a good final night. We stay up chatting, reminiscing and talking about all things bushcraft.

Obviously Mors is the centre of attention but I manage to drag him away for an autograph in my hard copy journal, an autograph on a piece of poplar bark (which I’ll carve at home) and a quick chat about his plans for retirement. After telling me that I should have sanded the bark to make a better signature (whoops) he says that he might retire next year instead. What makes me think that he would probably never retire.

As I thank him, he turns away and starts yet another discourse, this time on carving. He almost snatches a piece of poplar bark from someone and within 10 minutes, he’s carved what appeared to be an axe head and spear. In actual fact there was an atalatle in the carving as well. He passed it back to the lucky recipient and said, “Here ya go. 7,000 years of Bushcraft in one carving”. Outstanding.

2330 – I climb wearily into my hammock. This was going to be the last night. I seriously didn’t want to leave.

The last entry of the bushmoot will be in a couple of days time. More of Mors’ carvings are here.

This is the final entry from the Bushmoot held at Merthyr Mawr at the end of July. The entries have been taken from my hard copy journal.

0730 – After last nights hangi, it wasn’t easy getting up this morning. At least it didn’t rain over night so it will make striking camp more comfortable.

0830 – A quick cup of coffee and everything is already packed up. I’m avoiding spending long moments saying goodbyes. I said cheerio to most folks last night. It’s only really a matter of ensuring that no evidence of my 5 days under the pine trees exists. I’m satisfied that there’s no evidence of my presence left.

I will be sorry to leave. I’ve learned so much that my head is actually spinning if I try and remember everything. It will take me a few days to reflect and let the learning sink in.

So what were the high points? No doubt meeting Mors and listening to his marvelous anecdotes and teachings; listening to Rod who has awakened my interest in tracking; learning with Marcus about the potential of British Boiled Greens; watching the Master at work carving wonderful objects and portraits from the Poplar; learning more about axe and blade work; meeting the excellent people from BCUK. I was also pleased with my own tarp and hammock setup. I realised that I could live comfortably for a week or even more with this minimal setup. I was pleased with the extra poncho which was used for covering my rations which were tied to a tree. The litre of meths lasted well and I came away with about 1/4 litre.

I don’t think there were any negative points at all, although there are a couple of things I would change to my set up which mostly involves kit and rations. I took far too much food and my belt kit was too heavy. The whole carry system seemed a bit bulky and if I was to carry it an distance (which I didn’t) I think I would have been in trouble. I was just about to put the kit in the car after carrying it 50 yards, when it all fell to pieces! Oh well…back to the drawing board when I get home. I think that the reason is that I didn’t fix the reindeer skin on properly.

There is just one nagging area. It relates to my state of mind when carrying out some of the tasks. Did I give up too easily? Am I using lack of skill for an excuse for lack of determination? It’s an area that I will have to examine over the next few weeks. I don’t want to get into the situation where I buy more and more kit just to make things more comfortable whilst not trying to make use of what I’ve got and not being determined to achieve it.

In the meantime, I’ll just think about one of the best experiences I’ve had for a long time.

I eventually climbed out of the Vaude tent about 9 o’clock, which was late for me. I normally wake just after dawn whenever I’m in the woods (no matter what the season). Perhaps the interrupted sleep due to the cold had something to do with it (or maybe the mulled wine). I even missed the hard frost that apparently covered everything in white. The sun was now streaming through the trees promising at least a fine morning. I hadn’t checked the temperature during the night, but at the moment it was about 4 degrees C. Cold enough to numb the fingers and toes.

I certainly reaped the benefit from base-layer clothing and fleece material outers. An ideal combination for dry, cold conditions. After the usual breakfast (the obligatory tin of ‘All Day Breakfast’) and sweet tea with a drop of rum, we went for another wander in the woods, purely to warm up.

This time we were a little more aware of our surroundings and managed to identify a few more trees that Swyn was talking about around the fire the night before. We also saw the indentations of the stray stick of bombs dropped by a German WW2 aircraft.

The communal fire was going full throttle on our return. George challenged us to figure out how the Wimmie Diddle worked (no, I couldn’t find it on Google either). It’s apparently based on a Native American toy. The photo shows the propeller spinning and the idea is to change its direction without stopping the scraping action that caused it to spin in the first place. Confused…we were! Anyone with more information on this, I’d be glad to hear it.

All too soon it was time to pack away. The clouds were coming in from the south west with the promise of forecasted afternoon rain. A few others had the same idea which was at least pack the gear away before any downpour occurred. Weather-wise, it had been perfect conditions for a moot. Cold, crisp and dry. The company had been excellent and the knowledge sharing beyond reproach. Another great moot.

Arrived and set up tarp and hammock. Fire made in large round tin half barrels kindly supplied for us. Cooked stew in billy over the fire. Great stuff

1130pm. Just heard fascinating talk on Kalahari bushmen. Now under tarp. Expected rain is here. This morning woodland management walk for a couple of hours. Pablo also made fire by bow drill. Fantastic, thanks to Jason. Made own bowdrill with flint for block. Chopped more wood than ever in my life! Now nearly time for hammock …after medicinal brandy. Cheers, Pablo.

Raining all day, now very strong winds. Just heard two trees crack. Have had to move one bloke into the centre of the wood. Apart from weather. Another great day. Jungle kit talk. Good tips on kit in any location. Also did nettle cordage. Wind now very strong. Testing tarp to limit. This idiot forgot his rain jacket! Poncho is c@@p! Brandy time. See you later. Pablo.

Well, we survived the night but only just. Most folk have strung their hammocks in the barn. No damage done though. Some tarp lines loose (poor qulity paracord) but at least I satyed dry in the hammock. Fingers numb taking down tarp. Wind and rain pretty bad. Lot of debris and fallen branches. Not exactly pretty packing but car ony 100m away. Not a lot going on now so said goodbyes and off home to a warm shower and roqast dinner. Learnt so much not least an appreciation of home. See you later for more details of the moot. Pablo.