8/13 - 8/14/10 Trip Report

My buddy Tim and I have been planning an overnight bushcraft trip since last summer. We finally got around to it this weekend. We headed out to some state land about 20 minutes away from my house (see the "Close to Home" post). The weather was great, we got started hiking in about 5:00 pm and decided to stop at one of the beaver ponds so Tim could test his emergency fishing kit. After catching 4 or 5 monstrous bluegills with some local bait, it was deemed successful (I will be putting a kit together for myself ASAP, Thanks Timmy!) and we headed out to make camp.

One of the Monster Fish

I had already scouted a couple of camping spots while day hiking with my family so we headed in that general direction. We got off trail and followed a dry creek bed for a while, hoping to find some decent water. The closest thing to a water supply we found was what appeared to be a spring fed creek puddle next to a downed tree... good enough for me. About a hundred feet up from that, Tim spotted the perfect camp spot. We got our packs off and the tents setup. Tim built a fire ring, We collected some firewood and settled down for a delicious dinner of Ramen noodles. We were both using homemade alcohol stoves and they worked just fine to prepare that culinary delight. After the dinner dishes were taken care of we started a fire, kicked back and attempted to perfect the fine art of B.S.ing around a campfire for the rest of the evening.

Ahhhhh.... Campfire

In the morning, my standard breakfast of coffee and bannock was supplemented with some Vienna sausages I discovered hiding in the back of my kitchen cupboard. After eating a few.... We decided that they may make a better fish bait then breakfast so we set them aside for that noble purpose.  After breakfast we started trying out some different tarp setups and made up a couple of bow drill sets, making a lot of smoke but unfortunately no fire.... I'll keep trying, someday I will get a bow drill fire started.  With lunchtime quickly approaching we stoked up the fire and cooked up.... More delicious Bannock!!! (Did I mention I like bannock?).  Actually I discovered a secret recipe that I will only share with a few close friends on the internet..... Chicken Noodle Bannock!  Take about a cup and a half of bannock mix, add one package of chicken noodle "Cup o' soup" and mix with water to make a stiff dough. Fry in a little oil in a pan over a campfire and believe it or not.... It's pretty darn good.  After lunch it was time to tear down and start getting ready to head home.  It was beautiful weather, excellent company and pretty cheap.... A fine trip to the woods.