A Must For All Hammock Users

If, like me, you're going to spend another winter tree-dwelling I might have a couple of solutions to that four letter word that might otherwise spoil a great time in the woods... c-o-l-d!

Obviously, we know we must have good insulation under the hammock. No problem. Some use a hammock underblanket but I use a Thermarest. I find an underblanket is a little too bulky and it's really like lugging a second sleeping bag around with you. But each to their own and if it provides a good nights rest, then go for it.

The second is a darned good sleeping bag. In winter, I revert to the 58 pattern British Army sleeping bag (the old Green Maggot). Designed in 1958, when there was no such thing word as Ultra-light, it's huge, bulky and heavy but it certainly does the trick with an alleged rating of down to -12C. It's also got a centre zip as well.

I've been to -5C; I sleep cold and this is the only bag I've had no issues with. I am, however, on the lookout for a lighter, slimmer version.

I've also seen a couple of people lay down a thin sheet of silver foil under the sleeping bag. Something like a fold-up emergency blanket. I'm going to try this too. Not sure of the theory behind it, but must be something to do with the insulation.

The next item is a must! I tried it out last weekend when the temperature went down to 4C and it works a treat. A simple balaclava. Yes it looks scary in the cold light of day (did I say that "C"- word again?) But when it's dark - no-one can hear you scream laugh at you.

I don't particularly like my head covered by a sleeping bag hood and a hat more often than not falls off during the night. But this is not a problem with a balaclava. You can cover the nose and mouth if required (it's not a good idea to breathe into a sleeping bag as it causes moisture in the bag) or just have the balaclava around the neck, chin and head.

You can even use it as just a neck covering during the day or pull it over your head to protect the ear 'oles if the wind gets up. I think we know that the head and neck are major areas for heat loss and in extreme cases a bit of frost nip will target the end of your nose and ears.

My choice of balaclava was a WoolPower (Ullfrotte) version from Ray Mears' site at £12-00. The best £12-00 I've spent this year!

Thanks for visiting,

Pablo.

A Must For All Hammock Users

If, like me, you're going to spend another winter tree-dwelling I might have a couple of solutions to that four letter word that might otherwise spoil a great time in the woods... c-o-l-d!

Obviously, we know we must have good insulation under the hammock. No problem. Some use a hammock underblanket but I use a Thermarest. I find an underblanket is a little too bulky and it's really like lugging a second sleeping bag around with you. But each to their own and if it provides a good nights rest, then go for it.

The second is a darned good sleeping bag. In winter, I revert to the 58 pattern British Army sleeping bag (the old Green Maggot). Designed in 1958, when there was no such thing word as Ultra-light, it's huge, bulky and heavy but it certainly does the trick with an alleged rating of down to -12C. It's also got a centre zip as well.

I've been to -5C; I sleep cold and this is the only bag I've had no issues with. I am, however, on the lookout for a lighter, slimmer version.

I've also seen a couple of people lay down a thin sheet of silver foil under the sleeping bag. Something like a fold-up emergency blanket. I'm going to try this too. Not sure of the theory behind it, but must be something to do with the insulation.

The next item is a must! I tried it out last weekend when the temperature went down to 4C and it works a treat. A simple balaclava. Yes it looks scary in the cold light of day (did I say that "C"- word again?) But when it's dark - no-one can hear you scream laugh at you.

I don't particularly like my head covered by a sleeping bag hood and a hat more often than not falls off during the night. But this is not a problem with a balaclava. You can cover the nose and mouth if required (it's not a good idea to breathe into a sleeping bag as it causes moisture in the bag) or just have the balaclava around the neck, chin and head.

You can even use it as just a neck covering during the day or pull it over your head to protect the ear 'oles if the wind gets up. I think we know that the head and neck are major areas for heat loss and in extreme cases a bit of frost nip will target the end of your nose and ears.

My choice of balaclava was a WoolPower (Ullfrotte) version from Ray Mears' site at £12-00. The best £12-00 I've spent this year!

Thanks for visiting,

Pablo.

Fallow Deer Rut - First Attempt

I'm determined to watch and capture some rutting action this year. I can hear the Fallow buck from my bedroom at night. It's a spooky bellowing which is strangely enticing even though I'm not a doe!

The buck does this to surround himself with a harem of does, calling them in so he can pick and choose. The bellowing is accompanied by scraping the ground around his stand and rubbing his antlers against trees to mark territory and leave his scent. He flays the surrounding vegetation and struts aggressively, warning off any pretentious youngsters.

If there are young bucks about, they generally keep their distance, but if a similar sized or similar aged buck happens to challenge, a fight ensues and an eerie clash of antlers can be heard vibrating through the wood.

On Saturday, I went into Poor Park to see if I could catch any of the action. It was a bit windy but dry. Last week's rain had made the woodland floor damp, making it easy to track.

As the video shows, I picked up plenty of evidence and stalked a couple of does. I identified a couple of stands but even so, the bellowing, when it came, was from another area in the wood and I had to scurry from one end to the other just in time to see a large, shadowy figure disappear from view.

Better luck next time. Hope you enjoy the short video.

Pablo.

Fallow Deer Rut - First Attempt

I'm determined to watch and capture some rutting action this year. I can hear the Fallow buck from my bedroom at night. It's a spooky bellowing which is strangely enticing even though I'm not a doe!

The buck does this to surround himself with a harem of does, calling them in so he can pick and choose. The bellowing is accompanied by scraping the ground around his stand and rubbing his antlers against trees to mark territory and leave his scent. He flays the surrounding vegetation and struts aggressively, warning off any pretentious youngsters.

If there are young bucks about, they generally keep their distance, but if a similar sized or similar aged buck happens to challenge, a fight ensues and an eerie clash of antlers can be heard vibrating through the wood.

On Saturday, I went into Poor Park to see if I could catch any of the action. It was a bit windy but dry. Last week's rain had made the woodland floor damp, making it easy to track.

As the video shows, I picked up plenty of evidence and stalked a couple of does. I identified a couple of stands but even so, the bellowing, when it came, was from another area in the wood and I had to scurry from one end to the other just in time to see a large, shadowy figure disappear from view.

Better luck next time. Hope you enjoy the short video.

Pablo.

Shadowhawk Tracking

Last Friday I took the long journey south west into Devon to help out with the Shadowhawk Foundation and Intermediate course.

 

We set up on the top of Canonteigne falls and waited for the students to arrive. The idea was for me to assist with mentoring the students and perhaps take a lesson. It wasn't long before the parachutes were set up and the fire was on the go. The dark evening gave way to a bright moon as the initial briefing took place and we settled into a chat around the fire.

It was good to revisit the theoretical parts of tracking and I found that during the next day I was as engrossed as the students. There seemed to be a lot more material than when I attended the course 18 months ago. Either that or I wasn't paying attention the first time! It was great to help out on the practical aspects and share a few "lightbulb" moments with others. I certainly remember this feeling well as tracks and signs come to life in front of you.

My session, teaching about stride, pitch, straddle and use of the tracking stick was after lunch at the spoor pit. Despite more than a few years of training and instructing, I was nervous as hell and had to concentrate hard to remember the material as well as extracting answers from the group. It went reasonably well but I realised that I could have done much better. I was certainly out of my comfort zone, which really wasn't a bad thing as I need to be pushed occasionally.

I joined in with the night stalking exercise and got rumbled early on, which is unusual for me as I think this is my forte. I forgot the most basic of field craft principles and found myself silhouetted against the moon illuminated background of the woods.

 

This was perhaps revenge for a success at the barefoot stalk, where Max (being Max) threw in another aspect. The mentors had to plug up one ear as well as being blindfolded. The advantage for me is that I'm not too good at hearing in one ear, so I was perhaps used to it!

Nick and Duncan did a great job of leading the course. They were under pressure as well, as it was the first time they had been lead instructors. It's not an easy task keeping things running smoothly where the woods are your classroom.

A couple of people who are going wolf tracking to Poland (the final count on how many times "Poland" was mentioned was 476!)  were also given surprise tasks by Max. Two had to scout an area for 24 hours with only a sleeping bag for company as well as building an emergency signal fire. The results were pretty good as white smoke billowed upwards through the trees.

By the final day, I was down on hands and knees, engrossed in what looked like Red deer tracks on pine needles and discovering badger trails with a spectacular backdrop of the Teigne valley. Needless to say, being Monday and the last day, it hammered down with rain and the kit was packed away absolutely soaked!

I certainly enjoyed the experience and, being a mentor, it put a whole new slant on the subject. I have a couple of concerns about my own performance, which I'll perhaps talk about in another post.

As usual, it was great to meet new folk and introduce them to the world of tracking. As Max says, the knowledge must be passed on.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Shadowhawk Tracking

Last Friday I took the long journey south west into Devon to help out with the Shadowhawk Foundation and Intermediate course.

 

We set up on the top of Canonteigne falls and waited for the students to arrive. The idea was for me to assist with mentoring the students and perhaps take a lesson. It wasn't long before the parachutes were set up and the fire was on the go. The dark evening gave way to a bright moon as the initial briefing took place and we settled into a chat around the fire.

It was good to revisit the theoretical parts of tracking and I found that during the next day I was as engrossed as the students. There seemed to be a lot more material than when I attended the course 18 months ago. Either that or I wasn't paying attention the first time! It was great to help out on the practical aspects and share a few "lightbulb" moments with others. I certainly remember this feeling well as tracks and signs come to life in front of you.

My session, teaching about stride, pitch, straddle and use of the tracking stick was after lunch at the spoor pit. Despite more than a few years of training and instructing, I was nervous as hell and had to concentrate hard to remember the material as well as extracting answers from the group. It went reasonably well but I realised that I could have done much better. I was certainly out of my comfort zone, which really wasn't a bad thing as I need to be pushed occasionally.

I joined in with the night stalking exercise and got rumbled early on, which is unusual for me as I think this is my forte. I forgot the most basic of field craft principles and found myself silhouetted against the moon illuminated background of the woods.

 

This was perhaps revenge for a success at the barefoot stalk, where Max (being Max) threw in another aspect. The mentors had to plug up one ear as well as being blindfolded. The advantage for me is that I'm not too good at hearing in one ear, so I was perhaps used to it!

Nick and Duncan did a great job of leading the course. They were under pressure as well, as it was the first time they had been lead instructors. It's not an easy task keeping things running smoothly where the woods are your classroom.

A couple of people who are going wolf tracking to Poland (the final count on how many times "Poland" was mentioned was 476!)  were also given surprise tasks by Max. Two had to scout an area for 24 hours with only a sleeping bag for company as well as building an emergency signal fire. The results were pretty good as white smoke billowed upwards through the trees.

By the final day, I was down on hands and knees, engrossed in what looked like Red deer tracks on pine needles and discovering badger trails with a spectacular backdrop of the Teigne valley. Needless to say, being Monday and the last day, it hammered down with rain and the kit was packed away absolutely soaked!

I certainly enjoyed the experience and, being a mentor, it put a whole new slant on the subject. I have a couple of concerns about my own performance, which I'll perhaps talk about in another post.

As usual, it was great to meet new folk and introduce them to the world of tracking. As Max says, the knowledge must be passed on.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

An Indian Summer?

Well, I survived last weekend in London. Just! It's taken me this long to recover! It wasn't that bad to be honest but I was nevertheless pleased to get back.

It was particularly good this weekend, as you can imagine, to get back into the woods; especially as the temperatures soared into the 20's C. Another 5 days of this and we'll qualify for an official Indian Summer.

I spent Saturday in the local woods playing around with DDhammocks new products - the new DD Travel hammock and new DD tarp. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until mid week for the review, but it will be a video review so might be worth waiting for. Here's a picture of the tarp as a taster.

I wasn't surprised to see a few plants lingering on into early autumn especially as it's been so mild. The tiny Scarlet pimpernel is always one of the last to fade away.

Herb robert (Robertiella robertiana) of the geranium family is one of the first plants to show in spring and flowers all the way into early autumn. It's considered an old remedy for toothache, nosebleeds and wounds as it has an antiseptic effect. It's pink petals are always nice to see in a hedgerow.

On Sunday, I went for a quick walk in Broaks woods and then later Poor Park woods. I didn't have an agenda and just meandered along the main paths soaking in the warmth of the sun.

In Poor Park I kept having glimpses of the Fallow deer and at last I spotted the large buck. I didn't get close enough for any photos but it made me set out a plan of action for November. I'm determined to get some pictures and footage of the Fallow deer rut; and I plan to stay out a night or two in order to do so.

My mind also wandered to next week. I'm going down to Devon to help Max Maxwell from Shadowhawk out on a Tracking course. Apart from a great 4 days tracking, I'll be mentoring the students and getting stuck in around the campfire. I hope this will also be an introduction on how to instruct tracking courses. Max offered me a place on the team when we spoke at the Wilderness Gathering. I've got a hell of a lot to learn; so I'm starting as soon as possible. More on that later.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

An Indian Summer?

Well, I survived last weekend in London. Just! It's taken me this long to recover! It wasn't that bad to be honest but I was nevertheless pleased to get back.

It was particularly good this weekend, as you can imagine, to get back into the woods; especially as the temperatures soared into the 20's C. Another 5 days of this and we'll qualify for an official Indian Summer.

I spent Saturday in the local woods playing around with DDhammocks new products - the new DD Travel hammock and new DD tarp. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until mid week for the review, but it will be a video review so might be worth waiting for. Here's a picture of the tarp as a taster.

I wasn't surprised to see a few plants lingering on into early autumn especially as it's been so mild. The tiny Scarlet pimpernel is always one of the last to fade away.

Herb robert (Robertiella robertiana) of the geranium family is one of the first plants to show in spring and flowers all the way into early autumn. It's considered an old remedy for toothache, nosebleeds and wounds as it has an antiseptic effect. It's pink petals are always nice to see in a hedgerow.

On Sunday, I went for a quick walk in Broaks woods and then later Poor Park woods. I didn't have an agenda and just meandered along the main paths soaking in the warmth of the sun.

In Poor Park I kept having glimpses of the Fallow deer and at last I spotted the large buck. I didn't get close enough for any photos but it made me set out a plan of action for November. I'm determined to get some pictures and footage of the Fallow deer rut; and I plan to stay out a night or two in order to do so.

My mind also wandered to next week. I'm going down to Devon to help Max Maxwell from Shadowhawk out on a Tracking course. Apart from a great 4 days tracking, I'll be mentoring the students and getting stuck in around the campfire. I hope this will also be an introduction on how to instruct tracking courses. Max offered me a place on the team when we spoke at the Wilderness Gathering. I've got a hell of a lot to learn; so I'm starting as soon as possible. More on that later.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.