Saturday, October 16, 2010

Practicing Bushcraft Skills at Home

Our Waterfall
I recently spent some time in the City of Buffalo and as I drove around and saw building after building and highway after highway, I realized how lucky I am to live in a small, rural area.  I have about an acre of land to call my own and although that may not seem like much, I'm surrounded by farms and woods and have fantastic neighbors. For years I've had an area in my yard to have campfires, hang a hammock and generally just bum around.  It's big enough to try out tarp setups or pitch a tent.  It's fairly private and I've occasionally spent a night out there. Part of our property has a creek running through it with a small waterfall, giving me plenty of trees, stones and water for raw materials for projects.
Fire Ring
Our family has been extremly busy lately, giving us little time to get out in the woods, but I always try to find a few minutes to wander down to the creek or cut a sapling or find some stone for some project I want to start.   The best thing about this spot is that it allows me to practice bushcraft and outdoor skills at home.  If I want to try out fire starting techniques when it starts to rain, it's just a few steps out the door. I'm sure by now my neighbors are used to me wandering around in my yard setting up tarps, chopping up sticks and other outdoor practices.  I encourage everyone to find a place to practice around their home, If you live in a city you may not be able to have an open fire, but next time you light the charcoal grill, try using a method you want to practice instead of using matches or a lighter.  Many times I've used the attached metal side tables on my gas grill to test a homemade alcohol stoves that I've built. Be creative and remember, even if your not in the woods, you can still practice and enjoy your skills.  Thanks for reading, and may our paths someday cross in the woods.
N.E.V.
The view down the creek