Now That Was Cold One

I’m still thawing out. Even though there was little wind chill and compared to extreme colds in some more northern countries and perhaps Canada, it was still damned cold.

We had great difficulty getting the fire going on Friday night. A couple of feather sticks helped and we chopped the wood down into slithers, but it was still damp all the way through. Not only was it damp, but the damp had frozen through the wood. Any heat was taken away almost immediately and at best, for a long while at least, we had a miserable, smouldering mess. But it did pick up eventually.

With little daylight left, the tarp and hammock went up. After a bit of tea, a friendly social as more people turned up, a bit of start-gazing at the crisp, clear night sky, I turned in. I looked longingly at the Helesport tipi Rob had just erected.

It wasn’t a bad night. Only my toes suffered the cold. This was my own fault. I always takes off my socks and rub some talcum powder on to my feet and then put a pair of fresh socks on before turning in. This chore leaves the feet massaged with blood circulating and, above all, dry. I was too lazy and too cold, consequently I suffered.

The morning saw a layer of fine snow and a crackling cold temperature. When I went to bed it was minus 4C. It wasn’t that much warmer in the morning. Luckily the fire had been started and was looking good.

The coffee pot was on, the smell of bacon was in the air, and things were looking up.

Later, I wandered down into the valley, following some fallow tracks. The stream was in full flow and it was nice just to sit in the weak sunshine, listening to the water being pushed along the narrowing gaps between the fallen branches. Despite the cold, it was a beautiful day.

My feet were beginning to thaw as I climbed the hill back to the hut. I had seen no deer so I had to be content with watching the birds hurrying to try and beat the daylight to find enough to eat.

It was time to eat again and I planned not to make the same mistake as the previous evening and prepared not only the fresh socks and powder, but a NATO water bottle full of hot water to warm the bottom of the sleeping bag. I also closed down the usually open side of the tarp. I intended to be snug-as-a-bug.

We piled the fire high and sat around it in a huddle slowly roasting away. Amongst other things we discussed the merits of wool layering and keeping hydrated in the cold.

I was certainly warmer during the night and had the additional benefit of having non-frozen water to drink in the morning. The MSR dromedary had frozen solid. After a quick breakfast, it was time to pack away. My fingers suffered as I wrapped up the ice-cold cordage and it took me twice as long to pack everything away. On this occasion I was pretty glad to see the car as I walked around the bend and into the car park. Roll on spring!

Now That Was Cold One

I’m still thawing out. Even though there was little wind chill and compared to extreme colds in some more northern countries and perhaps Canada, it was still damned cold.

We had great difficulty getting the fire going on Friday night. A couple of feather sticks helped and we chopped the wood down into slithers, but it was still damp all the way through. Not only was it damp, but the damp had frozen through the wood. Any heat was taken away almost immediately and at best, for a long while at least, we had a miserable, smouldering mess. But it did pick up eventually.

With little daylight left, the tarp and hammock went up. After a bit of tea, a friendly social as more people turned up, a bit of start-gazing at the crisp, clear night sky, I turned in. I looked longingly at the Helesport tipi Rob had just erected.

It wasn’t a bad night. Only my toes suffered the cold. This was my own fault. I always takes off my socks and rub some talcum powder on to my feet and then put a pair of fresh socks on before turning in. This chore leaves the feet massaged with blood circulating and, above all, dry. I was too lazy and too cold, consequently I suffered.

The morning saw a layer of fine snow and a crackling cold temperature. When I went to bed it was minus 4C. It wasn’t that much warmer in the morning. Luckily the fire had been started and was looking good.

The coffee pot was on, the smell of bacon was in the air, and things were looking up.

Later, I wandered down into the valley, following some fallow tracks. The stream was in full flow and it was nice just to sit in the weak sunshine, listening to the water being pushed along the narrowing gaps between the fallen branches. Despite the cold, it was a beautiful day.

My feet were beginning to thaw as I climbed the hill back to the hut. I had seen no deer so I had to be content with watching the birds hurrying to try and beat the daylight to find enough to eat.

It was time to eat again and I planned not to make the same mistake as the previous evening and prepared not only the fresh socks and powder, but a NATO water bottle full of hot water to warm the bottom of the sleeping bag. I also closed down the usually open side of the tarp. I intended to be snug-as-a-bug.

We piled the fire high and sat around it in a huddle slowly roasting away. Amongst other things we discussed the merits of wool layering and keeping hydrated in the cold.

I was certainly warmer during the night and had the additional benefit of having non-frozen water to drink in the morning. The MSR dromedary had frozen solid. After a quick breakfast, it was time to pack away. My fingers suffered as I wrapped up the ice-cold cordage and it took me twice as long to pack everything away. On this occasion I was pretty glad to see the car as I walked around the bend and into the car park. Roll on spring!

Weekend in the Woods

I like to get out into the woods for a weekend every month of the year. It’s fantastic to see the UK woodland during the different seasons and experience the  differences in the weather. Because of Christmas, I last went out in early December. It’s now late January, so, as you might imagine, I’m itching to get out there.

Planning for a trip is, for me, all part of it and I start a couple of days before the trip thinking about where I’m going, what I’ll be doing, the time of year and who will be in the crowd I’ll be meeting up with (unless I’m going solo of course). All these factors will make a difference as to what I will be packing. I also might experiment with various ways of sleeping out. So, if I’m feeling adventurous, I may take something different or new from the previous occasion.

This weekend will be cold (minus 3C) but dry and sunny. The walk-in is only about half a mile so I can afford to be a bit generous with the kit. I haven’t got a personal project planned so I will fall in with  whatever someone suggests.

I like to lay out the stuff I’m going to take with me a couple of days before going. I’ll leave it out for a day, checking to see if it’s functional and replenishing contents where necessary (although I normally do this on return from the trip) and seeing whether I really need to take it. I’ll stuff the sleeping bag into the waterproof stuff sack and roll up the self-inflating mat, both of which have been loosely laid out when stored away.

I’ll then choose the tools I’ll be taking. This, again, depends on the area and whether there’s a store of firewood or not. Generally, I would take the leuku/puuku combi or EKA W11 if no other specialist tools are needed. On this occasion, there may be some wood collecting to do so I’ll take the large Gomtaro Silky saw to help with cutting up the dead wood. There’s usually a large chopping axe on site which will do the heavy work better than the SFA.

Shelter selection is pretty easy. This time of year it’s the 3x3 tatonka tarp and DD scout hammock otherwise it’s the smaller auscam 2.75 x 1.75 tarp. The sleeping bag will be the Alpkit SkyHigh 800 down bag and on this occasion I’ll additionally take a Snugpak paratex liner.

 

I’ll always take a stove despite the fact that there will be a fire on the go. It’s nice to have the option of having a brew on your own and take in the silence of the woods first thing before wandering down to the main area. Whatever stove I take (bushbuddy, trangia burner or Optimus Crux) it will fit nicely into the small Tracpac billy. I expect the frying pan will come along as well.

Water is an obvious consideration when packing. We are very fortunate to have a fresh water tap nearby in this particular area unlike the lack of water on solo tripsaround my area  where I have to take water into the site. I will be able to substitute the water for… errrr … beer! I’ll take a 4 litre MSR dromedary to fill up before I enter the site proper (fill up with water that is!)

Food-wise, I will leave this until the morning of departure. Usually pre-prepped stew, chilli or curry serves me well for the two or three nights out. It comes straight out of the freezer and into a small insulated thermos bag and then straight into the rucksack. As you may know I like my bacon and eggs – so unless it’s a tracking trip, I’ll load up some bacon, egg and beans as well. Cereal bars, packet soup, brew kit and the odd choccy bar will finish off the food considerations.

The whole thing (apart from the food) is packed up the night before departure and a quick walk down the road will ensure everything is tight, comfortable and (harping back to military days) quiet (old habits die hard). A utility shoulder bag (like the flektarn one above) or Snugpak Response bag will be left out for last minute additions. It will also contain any sharps that I can’t wear until I get to the site.

The final consideration is something to sit on. I keep a cheap folding chair, folding stool and a sit mat in the car, so I can always choose this at the last minute. This depends on how far the walk-in is and whether there is any seating available (there has been some furniture made at some sites).

Right, I’m off to lay out some stuff. If you want to view my current or previous kit lists or look at some of the items I lug around with me, feel free to go to the kit page.

Thanks for the visit.

Weekend in the Woods

I like to get out into the woods for a weekend every month of the year. It’s fantastic to see the UK woodland during the different seasons and experience the  differences in the weather. Because of Christmas, I last went out in early December. It’s now late January, so, as you might imagine, I’m itching to get out there.

Planning for a trip is, for me, all part of it and I start a couple of days before the trip thinking about where I’m going, what I’ll be doing, the time of year and who will be in the crowd I’ll be meeting up with (unless I’m going solo of course). All these factors will make a difference as to what I will be packing. I also might experiment with various ways of sleeping out. So, if I’m feeling adventurous, I may take something different or new from the previous occasion.

This weekend will be cold (minus 3C) but dry and sunny. The walk-in is only about half a mile so I can afford to be a bit generous with the kit. I haven’t got a personal project planned so I will fall in with  whatever someone suggests.

I like to lay out the stuff I’m going to take with me a couple of days before going. I’ll leave it out for a day, checking to see if it’s functional and replenishing contents where necessary (although I normally do this on return from the trip) and seeing whether I really need to take it. I’ll stuff the sleeping bag into the waterproof stuff sack and roll up the self-inflating mat, both of which have been loosely laid out when stored away.

I’ll then choose the tools I’ll be taking. This, again, depends on the area and whether there’s a store of firewood or not. Generally, I would take the leuku/puuku combi or EKA W11 if no other specialist tools are needed. On this occasion, there may be some wood collecting to do so I’ll take the large Gomtaro Silky saw to help with cutting up the dead wood. There’s usually a large chopping axe on site which will do the heavy work better than the SFA.

Shelter selection is pretty easy. This time of year it’s the 3x3 tatonka tarp and DD scout hammock otherwise it’s the smaller auscam 2.75 x 1.75 tarp. The sleeping bag will be the Alpkit SkyHigh 800 down bag and on this occasion I’ll additionally take a Snugpak paratex liner.

 

I’ll always take a stove despite the fact that there will be a fire on the go. It’s nice to have the option of having a brew on your own and take in the silence of the woods first thing before wandering down to the main area. Whatever stove I take (bushbuddy, trangia burner or Optimus Crux) it will fit nicely into the small Tracpac billy. I expect the frying pan will come along as well.

Water is an obvious consideration when packing. We are very fortunate to have a fresh water tap nearby in this particular area unlike the lack of water on solo tripsaround my area  where I have to take water into the site. I will be able to substitute the water for… errrr … beer! I’ll take a 4 litre MSR dromedary to fill up before I enter the site proper (fill up with water that is!)

Food-wise, I will leave this until the morning of departure. Usually pre-prepped stew, chilli or curry serves me well for the two or three nights out. It comes straight out of the freezer and into a small insulated thermos bag and then straight into the rucksack. As you may know I like my bacon and eggs – so unless it’s a tracking trip, I’ll load up some bacon, egg and beans as well. Cereal bars, packet soup, brew kit and the odd choccy bar will finish off the food considerations.

The whole thing (apart from the food) is packed up the night before departure and a quick walk down the road will ensure everything is tight, comfortable and (harping back to military days) quiet (old habits die hard). A utility shoulder bag (like the flektarn one above) or Snugpak Response bag will be left out for last minute additions. It will also contain any sharps that I can’t wear until I get to the site.

The final consideration is something to sit on. I keep a cheap folding chair, folding stool and a sit mat in the car, so I can always choose this at the last minute. This depends on how far the walk-in is and whether there is any seating available (there has been some furniture made at some sites).

Right, I’m off to lay out some stuff. If you want to view my current or previous kit lists or look at some of the items I lug around with me, feel free to go to the kit page.

Thanks for the visit.

Roe in the Wood

Lowt’s wood is the least accessible woods I go to, but when I make the effort I always wonder why I don’t go more often. It’s only a small wood with steep slopes and a small stream running along the bottom of the slope. Even though a public footpath runs along the bottom, hardly anyone walks through it. Probably because it’s too much trouble getting to it.

In spring most of the wood is fall of bluebells. In winter it is bare making it easy to see the inhabitants. The trouble is, they can see you easily too!

I’ve seen fallow in the wood and a few years ago I could have sworn I spotted some roe deer. Roe is our only true native deer, although we nearly pushed them to the edge of extinction in Britain. As it happens, they recovered quite well, but they still aren’t as wide-spread as the fallow. Around this area, I haven’t seen any since that time years ago.

Today, I crept into the woods (now conscious that the way you enter woods are just as important as your actions whilst inside) and spotted a movement half way up the hill. I slowly turned to see a beautiful roe buck looking at me. He had spotted me, but nevertheless he gave me a chance to get a couple of shots off. I noticed he was in velvet which fits in with when the roe deer rut (in July and August).

Of course, he (and his partner) didn’t hang about but it gave me the opportunity to study the pellets, which are quite smaller than fallow and the tracks which are also smaller but also seem to me less pointed and a bit wider in proportion to the length.

I’m delighted to confirm that there’s some roe in here and brings a new aspect to these delightful woods.

Roe in the Wood

Lowt’s wood is the least accessible woods I go to, but when I make the effort I always wonder why I don’t go more often. It’s only a small wood with steep slopes and a small stream running along the bottom of the slope. Even though a public footpath runs along the bottom, hardly anyone walks through it. Probably because it’s too much trouble getting to it.

In spring most of the wood is fall of bluebells. In winter it is bare making it easy to see the inhabitants. The trouble is, they can see you easily too!

I’ve seen fallow in the wood and a few years ago I could have sworn I spotted some roe deer. Roe is our only true native deer, although we nearly pushed them to the edge of extinction in Britain. As it happens, they recovered quite well, but they still aren’t as wide-spread as the fallow. Around this area, I haven’t seen any since that time years ago.

Today, I crept into the woods (now conscious that the way you enter woods are just as important as your actions whilst inside) and spotted a movement half way up the hill. I slowly turned to see a beautiful roe buck looking at me. He had spotted me, but nevertheless he gave me a chance to get a couple of shots off. I noticed he was in velvet which fits in with when the roe deer rut (in July and August).

Of course, he (and his partner) didn’t hang about but it gave me the opportunity to study the pellets, which are quite smaller than fallow and the tracks which are also smaller but also seem to me less pointed and a bit wider in proportion to the length.

I’m delighted to confirm that there’s some roe in here and brings a new aspect to these delightful woods.

No Escape!

"It can't be!" I wailed.

"Oh yes it is," said Mrs P. "In fact it's been over a year. But at least it's not London this time."

The blood drained from my face. An annual corporate function. No! Please! Anything but this, especially at the weekend when there's bushcrafting to be done.

"Can I... ?"

"No. You can't. No hammocks, no tarps, no knives, no axes, no Kooki-things..."

"Kukris."

"... No machetes. NO! Nothing to do with bushcraft."

"But..."

"No billies, no frying pans, no cooksets, no meths, no wood, no hexy tablets, nor firethingys..."

"...fire steels."

"Exactly."

[Sulk]

"And you can stop sulking. It's one evening and a night in a hotel, that's all."

"That's enough isn't it?"

"The woods won't miss you for one day - Now... stop wailing and throwing a tantrum. Get up off the floor and put the kettle on."

So, that's it. I'm doomed. No way out. No Escape.

Keep an eye out for the mini-blog Twitter updates on the left. I might bombard it out of boredom!!!

See  you next week.

Pablo.

No Escape!

"It can't be!" I wailed.

"Oh yes it is," said Mrs P. "In fact it's been over a year. But at least it's not London this time."

The blood drained from my face. An annual corporate function. No! Please! Anything but this, especially at the weekend when there's bushcrafting to be done.

"Can I... ?"

"No. You can't. No hammocks, no tarps, no knives, no axes, no Kooki-things..."

"Kukris."

"... No machetes. NO! Nothing to do with bushcraft."

"But..."

"No billies, no frying pans, no cooksets, no meths, no wood, no hexy tablets, nor firethingys..."

"...fire steels."

"Exactly."

[Sulk]

"And you can stop sulking. It's one evening and a night in a hotel, that's all."

"That's enough isn't it?"

"The woods won't miss you for one day - Now... stop wailing and throwing a tantrum. Get up off the floor and put the kettle on."

So, that's it. I'm doomed. No way out. No Escape.

Keep an eye out for the mini-blog Twitter updates on the left. I might bombard it out of boredom!!!

See  you next week.

Pablo.

Follow that Fox

There's no getting away from it. It's in the news. In fact it's never out of the news. Not just the usual doom and gloom about Britain not being able to cope. But  we are now (apparently) in the middle of a Great Freeze like the ice-age. This is exacerbated by no funding, bad governmental leadership, poor local council contingency planning, lack of salt supplies for the roads, the wrong type of snow, idle work-force that can't be bothered to even try to get into work - but they seem to be able to crowd out the supermarkets and decimate the shelves of milk and bread and even the fact that someone's sold most of our snow-ploughs!! Britain at it's best! But things aren't dire yet. That's when we Brits really pull together... don't we?

In Pablo' world, I've also failed to plan. At home we've nearly run out of heating oil and I doubt the supply will get through next week, but at least I have a contingency plan. I have a gas heater. If that fails, we'll go to the woods. It seems I can cope better there.

I was out for 7 hours on Saturday. This is a tracker's paradise and I can't get enough! I was busily studying some squirrel tracks when, no more than 10 yards away, a pair of foxes ran past me. That was just an insult and a challenge! They weren't going to get away with that, so I urged my cold legs into action and ran after them.

They split up, one going towards the village while the other went into the wood. Instead of following the tracks, I kept to the main path and tried to run parallel with the fox, catching glimpses of him going through the thick undergrowth.

After a couple of close approaches, I finally gave up when the fox saw something of particular interest and bolted towards it out of sight.

This was a good opportunity to have some lunch. I had brought my bushbuddy and a trangia meths stove for my bacon and eggs. The stove fits inside the bushbuddy perfectly and, of course, you can still use the bushbuddy with natural fuel if you run out of meths.

 

Returning to meths was a good plan in this weather as long as the burner is warmed up prior to use. I also lit a small fire to keep my legs warm.

 

I was accompanied by a robin who was intrigued by the whole lunch thing. In return, I made sure his tiny tracks were firmly filed in my database.

Like the other week, I combined the woods trip with a walk around the fields. I'm not too sure how long this white stuff will last so I'm taking every opportunity to look at the tracks.

Fox and rabbit tracks are absolutely everywhere and in another post I'll try to describe them in depth in respect of different gaits and behaviour. This squirrel print deserves particular study as, with badger and deer tracks, there weren't too many about.

I'll just finish this post on a comment about winter clothing. I'm not experimenting this year. I'm still using the Woolpower base layer, thin fleece middle layer and Mad Dog Silent Shadow coat (when tracking) and SASS ventile jacket for bushcraft. This keeps me warm enough but I will put on another mid-layer (Natural Fibre Clothing Company shirt - above) if it really gets cold (There's a video review of this new wool alternative to Swandri  shirt on my YouTube channel).

These North Face Cedar Ridge boots have been superb so far. Even during prolonged periods in the snow they have been faultless keeping my feet dry and warm as well as exceedingly comfortable.

The hat I'm wearing above I purchased from my local fishing tackle shop (£9-99)

Stay warm.

Pablo.

Follow that Fox

There's no getting away from it. It's in the news. In fact it's never out of the news. Not just the usual doom and gloom about Britain not being able to cope. But  we are now (apparently) in the middle of a Great Freeze like the ice-age. This is exacerbated by no funding, bad governmental leadership, poor local council contingency planning, lack of salt supplies for the roads, the wrong type of snow, idle work-force that can't be bothered to even try to get into work - but they seem to be able to crowd out the supermarkets and decimate the shelves of milk and bread and even the fact that someone's sold most of our snow-ploughs!! Britain at it's best! But things aren't dire yet. That's when we Brits really pull together... don't we?

In Pablo' world, I've also failed to plan. At home we've nearly run out of heating oil and I doubt the supply will get through next week, but at least I have a contingency plan. I have a gas heater. If that fails, we'll go to the woods. It seems I can cope better there.

I was out for 7 hours on Saturday. This is a tracker's paradise and I can't get enough! I was busily studying some squirrel tracks when, no more than 10 yards away, a pair of foxes ran past me. That was just an insult and a challenge! They weren't going to get away with that, so I urged my cold legs into action and ran after them.

They split up, one going towards the village while the other went into the wood. Instead of following the tracks, I kept to the main path and tried to run parallel with the fox, catching glimpses of him going through the thick undergrowth.

After a couple of close approaches, I finally gave up when the fox saw something of particular interest and bolted towards it out of sight.

This was a good opportunity to have some lunch. I had brought my bushbuddy and a trangia meths stove for my bacon and eggs. The stove fits inside the bushbuddy perfectly and, of course, you can still use the bushbuddy with natural fuel if you run out of meths.

 

Returning to meths was a good plan in this weather as long as the burner is warmed up prior to use. I also lit a small fire to keep my legs warm.

 

I was accompanied by a robin who was intrigued by the whole lunch thing. In return, I made sure his tiny tracks were firmly filed in my database.

Like the other week, I combined the woods trip with a walk around the fields. I'm not too sure how long this white stuff will last so I'm taking every opportunity to look at the tracks.

Fox and rabbit tracks are absolutely everywhere and in another post I'll try to describe them in depth in respect of different gaits and behaviour. This squirrel print deserves particular study as, with badger and deer tracks, there weren't too many about.

I'll just finish this post on a comment about winter clothing. I'm not experimenting this year. I'm still using the Woolpower base layer, thin fleece middle layer and Mad Dog Silent Shadow coat (when tracking) and SASS ventile jacket for bushcraft. This keeps me warm enough but I will put on another mid-layer (Natural Fibre Clothing Company shirt - above) if it really gets cold (There's a video review of this new wool alternative to Swandri  shirt on my YouTube channel).

These North Face Cedar Ridge boots have been superb so far. Even during prolonged periods in the snow they have been faultless keeping my feet dry and warm as well as exceedingly comfortable.

The hat I'm wearing above I purchased from my local fishing tackle shop (£9-99)

Stay warm.

Pablo.