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.