Not too long ago, I received an email from a student, asking if I could point her in the right direction of a resource that could help her with the Native American uses of plants. And while there are many, only one resource came to mind when she said Native American, and it is a … Read more
There are many items I have I really don’t give much thought to and for that reason don’t give any thought to writing a review about them. But as I walked out of REI today with four pairs of socks totaling $70, I realized some people would think I’m nuts for having spent that kind … Read more
Several years ago, Ray Mears was credited with introducing the Siberian hitch to the woodcraft/bushcraft community. Since that time, the Siberian (Evenk) Hitch seems to have taken the community by storm, rightly so when one considers its ease of use… even while wearing winter gloves, however, not as popularized by Ray Mears. More on that … Read more
Rarely do such events occur in our small community that raise a nary eyebrow. On July 24, 2014 that all changed and a tornado swept through the bushcraft community, of such epic proportions, that it went international and people were banned from an online community because of it. There has been so much clutter with … Read more
Most folks don’t know who Horace Kephart is, but to a lot of us he embodies what traditional camping is—a time when leather and canvas were synonymous with camping. Horace Kephart, undoubtedly, romanticized camping with his book, “Camping and Woodcraft”, written in such prose as to spark the imagination of any young person in the … Read more
Though Mors Kochanski popularized the use of the flip flop winch, it appears it was used during World War II, by the British Army to help them get their vehicles out of the trenches. Using nothing more than rope and two four inch thick logs, the Flip Flop Winch really is an ingenious machine, giving … Read more
Many of you are already familiar with Ray Mears and know, too, I am also a fan. Those of you familiar wit Ray, will likely also know he has a knife out, designed by him, called the Woodlore. And though we only know of the knife’s existence, the back story of its creation is just … Read more
You come home from a hike and and you start developing a mysterious itch, eventually turning into a rash. You don’t get it. You did everything possible from coming into contact with known plants that can cause contact dermatitis. You zigged and zagged your way through paths, but somehow something still gotcha, but what? It … Read more
I woke up bright and early, like I usually do. Unlike other days, however, I noticed a little soreness in my hip. Along with that soreness, I noticed what appeared to be a small pimple right in the middle of the area that was sore. Without thinking about it, I popped the white head, jumped … Read more
Though no one really knows where the stew got its name, it was fairly common fare for cowboys, cooked up by cookie, out on the range. Though its name was “Sonofabitch Stew”, it was just as common to name the stew after those who cookie or other cowboys disliked. One story of how the stew got … Read more
