don't work hard, work smart
Scrooge McDuck’s dad used to say the same thing. i learned that principle from watching Ducktales as a kid.
in a disneyfied scottish accent: “Work smarter, not harder!”
This is rekindling a similar dreamI had a while back. I wish you well with it.
The only thing I would say is don’t make it two years away, if you are anything like me because that leaves a lot of opportunity to get sidetracked.
I understand all the arguments about rewilding is about community, but I can relate to what you are trying to do. Its like a personal quest to test yourself, right?
I might do somthing similar like you are planning, or I might move closer to the wilderness first. Its hard to live in in a city in Madison while always dreaming of being somewhere else.
btw, Hey Chiggles!
This Saturday or Sunday I shall try step number one in trying to a start fire by natural ingredients found in the enviroment.
I shall post my findings one of those days.
Some are wondering why I am taking a pair of rifles with me to my relocation in the wilderness while upholding the beliefs of Anarcho Primitivism thinking that I must be some hypocrite.
Well I can think of two very good reasons: 
8)
1. The first couple of years are going to be rough especially where I am going to be at where the artic winters come in from Canada.
So I plan using hunting rifles as a supplement until I can harness my skills of spear and bow hunting or using traps.
Once I harness my skills of hunting with a spear or bow along the side of using traps I will no longer have to utilize hunting rifles.
2. Where I am going there is grizzly bears,black bears,cougars, and wolves.
I don’t intend to become someone’s meal. I will try my best to avoid the territory of these animals keeping a distance away from them and I will only use the rifles as defence.
Usually when there is a large group of people in a tribal setting such attacks are small in number but since most likely for the first couple of years I will be by myself I plan on taking all the necessary precautions.
( Of course maybe some people will come with me two years from now. One can only hope.)
My revised expected goals.
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Learn how to start a fire. ( This event is going to be this Saturday and Sunday.)
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Learn about wild nuts and berries by reading.
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Learn about the best techniques of hunting by reading.
( I have been thinking alot about tree hunting.)
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Learn about medicinal herbs by reading.
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Learn about how to construct natural shelters by reading.
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Actually try to construct a shelter by yourself.
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Learn how to make a dead fall and other traps.
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Actually try to construct a dead fall and other traps.
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Learn about spear fishing and ice fishing by reading.
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Actually practice spear fishing and ice fishing.
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Learn how to construct spears,bows,arrows and sling shots by reading.
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Actually construct spears,bows,arrows and sling shots practicing with them in isolation.
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Learn good fishing techniques by reading and then putting them into practice.
Some are wondering why I am taking a pair of rifles with me to my relocation in the wilderness while upholding the beliefs of Anarcho Primitivism thinking that I must be some hypocrite.
I see no hypocrisy. You were born into civilized society. You will carry so many parts of the civ with you–visible and invisible–until you return to the soil. What are a couple guns in comparison to the stories that you grew up with from Mother Culture that kept you from knowing the wild ways to begin with?
I would however, recommend that if you are not already familiar with guns–caring for them, handling them safely, targeting with them–that you get some practice in before you head out there. If you can’t hit a paper target in calm situations now, think how much harder it will be for you to hit a living target in a situation charged with the excitement of beholding your prey. Also, you wouldn’t want rust or residue to impede your ability to feed yourself.
I see no hypocrisy. You were born into civilized society. You will carry so many parts of the civ with you–visible and invisible–until you return to the soil. What are a couple guns in comparison to the stories that you grew up with from Mother Culture that kept you from knowing the wild ways to begin with?
I would however, recommend that if you are not already familiar with guns–caring for them, handling them safely, targeting with them–that you get some practice in before you head out there. If you can’t hit a paper target in calm situations now, think how much harder it will be for you to hit a living target in a situation charged with the excitement of beholding your prey. Also, you wouldn’t want rust or residue to impede your ability to feed yourself.[/quote]
Thanks for your understanding.
I am already familiar with firearms but I plan to do more extensive target practicing in the years to come before I venture out in the thick wilderness.
Tomorrow I plan to go to the state protected wilderness outside of my city.
( More of a giant nature trail for bikers but it will do for my wilderness trials.)
I have studied the three basic ways of starting a fire and they are:
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Lens Optics- Like the magnifying glass effect which I view to be ineffective as the weather is never the same and the sun is not always out either.
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The wooded bow technique- I find it pretty hard and time consuming.
I don’t like the idea of making or finding a cord every time in making a fire.
This does not sound like a very fast process either.
- The two rocks concept- I find this to be the only practical system of starting a fire since you can go to just about any river,stream or creek in finding the utensils of starting a fire.
For more information about the two rocks concept of starting a fire look here:
http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/twostones/abbww/index.html
So tomorrow I am going to this wooded area in seeking the necessary rock materials to start a fire. Last time I went in this wooded area there was already a rock boundry set up for a fire so all I will need is dry wood,leaves and other combinations of dry materials for this to work.
I already know this will probally be time consuming tomorrow and it may take a entire four hours to perfect this procedure but it is a risk I am willing to take for the development of skills I wish to acquire.
Other items to put on the lists of things I need in order to live in the wilderness is:
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Water purifier
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Hatchet Axe.
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Artic Winter Coat.
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Heavy winter clothes.
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Boot spikes for mountain climbing.
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Additional military rope for climbing mountains along with mountain climbing equipment.
Other skills I need to acquire:
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Skinning animals and butchering.
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Skinning fur to make pelts,clothes,blankets, and anthing else that I need.
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Natural ingredients to fight off bugs and mosquitoes.
( I hate mosquitoes.)
A second thought occured to me.
A hand drill for starting a fire would be just as effective too in case the rocks don’t work. I am going to start a hand drill set instead tomorrow trying the rock process later in comparison
I am also wondering how I am going to be able to get to a computer every four or five months to leave a update with people on my progress once I go off into the wilderness. I will have to ponder on this more.
2. The wooded bow technique- I find it pretty hard and time consuming.I don’t like the idea of making or finding a cord every time in making a fire.
This does not sound like a very fast process either.
The bow drill is definately the easiest primitive firestarting method. It’s not very difficult or time consuming once you are fully familiar with the process. And don’t worry; you won’t have to make a new cord every time you attempt a fire. Cords can last a very long time(especially if it’s made of rawhide or sinew). Cords will last longer if you use the so-called Egyptian bow drill wrapping method.
3. The two rocks concept- I find this to be the only practical system of starting a fire since you can go to just about any river,stream or creek in finding the utensils of starting a fire.
This method sounds pretty difficult. I’ve never done it, but there seems to be alot that has to go just right. I mean if Allen Beauchamp struggled at it for a long time, then it’s probably quite the feat to achieve. I’m not saying you won’t be able to do it, but you may need to be more experienced with the whole primitive firemaking process before being successful. But man I hope you get it!
Day 1. Of The Fire Starting- Sad pathetic evening.
I decided to start a ember at my house as a test before I started any major fires anywhere else.
At first I tried the hand drill method for about a good hour and thirty minutes until I couldn’t do it any more due to my hands being ripped to shreds.
So then I decided to go the bow drill route finding some boot laces for the cord of the bow and for about two hours I sat there drilling away with no effect. After four hours of trials and error nightfall came with me deciding to throw in the towel on the account of no ember.
Looking back at the events that unfolded today I wonder if I am not cutting the notches in the wood deep enough or if I am not using enough dried leaves to start the spark.
One thing is for sure if I can’t successfully find a way to start a fire by all these steps I am just going to use flint rock and a knife for now on.
( I certainly felt like a pathetic human being today on the account that I couldn’t even start a fire since beyond the domes of civilization I wouldn’t survive a week. This has only strengthened my resolve to keep trying everyday.)
[quote=“Ando, post:31, topic:228”][quote]2. The wooded bow technique- I find it pretty hard and time consuming.
I don’t like the idea of making or finding a cord every time in making a fire.
This does not sound like a very fast process either.
[/quote]
The bow drill is definately the easiest primitive firestarting method. It’s not very difficult or time consuming once you are fully familiar with the process. And don’t worry; you won’t have to make a new cord every time you attempt a fire. Cords can last a very long time(especially if it’s made of rawhide or sinew). Cords will last longer if you use the so-called Egyptian bow drill wrapping method.
This method sounds pretty difficult. I’ve never done it, but there seems to be alot that has to go just right. I mean if Allen Beauchamp struggled at it for a long time, then it’s probably quite the feat to achieve. I’m not saying you won’t be able to do it, but you may need to be more experienced with the whole primitive firemaking process before being successful. But man I hope you get it![/quote]
Look at my post above.
Maybe you could tell me what I did wrong.
Some cool video collections I have found on the net.
( I will add some more survival videos when my computer isn’t giving me difficulty like it is doing presently.)
Temporary Shelters:
Day 1. Of The Fire Starting- Sad pathetic evening.
Don’t feel bad about it. I failed ALOT before I got my first ember. I would have been very surprised if you actually got a coal on your first day with no hands-on personal instruction. I did not have the luxury of being taught by someone either, so I found all the information I could online and had to take it from there. The rewild wiki has a good page on it http://www.rewild.info/fieldguide/index.php?title=Bow_drill
Looking back at the events that unfolded today I wonder if I am not cutting the notches in the wood deep enough
The notch should be close to the center of the hole but never at or past the center.
or if I am not using enough dried leaves to start the spark.
You don’t need dried leaves to start the spark. It will spark into an ember with enough friction heat and powder.
( I certainly felt like a pathetic human being today on the account that I couldn't even start a fire since beyond the domes of civilization I wouldn't survive a week. This has only strengthened my resolve to keep trying everyday.)
Just keep at it brother, you WILL get it.
Maybe you could tell me what I did wrong.
OK, a couple questions first: What kind of wood(s) did you use for spindle, fireboard, and handhold? Was the wood dry? What was your body form? Where were your feet, legs, etc.? Did you get much powder in your attempts? There’s alot more for me to ask but these’ll do for now.
ando has made some great points. your combination of woods makes a huge difference–especially when you haven’t done this before.
i too recommend the wiki page as a great place to start, as it was born out of my own frustrations and failures and successes with my first bowdrill.
but here’s the breakdown of how it works:
as you spin the spindle on the hearthboard, the two woods are going to wear against each other and produce two things: a powdery substance and heat. the powder should be a nice, rich brown color, and it should look kind of fluffy when you get really close. the heat from the friction actually causes the powder to turn into an ember. this is why your choice of woods, the amount of pressure you put into the spinning, and the placement of the notch are so critical. you need to have a soft enough wood so that the powder gets produced pretty readily. you need to put just the right kind of pressure on it so that the powder has the right consistency. check out the “Reading the Powder” section on this page to see what to do if your powder doesn’t look right.
the first time that i got an ember, i didn’t even know that i had. i gave up because my arms were so tired. i’d had smoke, but didn’t see any glowing. when i sat back on my haunches to rest for a minute, i noticed that the pile of powder on my coal-catcher was still smoking. i looked really close and saw that there was a glow deep down in the middle of the pile of powder.
it definitely takes work. and blowing a coal into flame is a completely different skill set than busting a coal with your friction materials.
keep at it, joker. it’s hard, but when you get your first tinder bundle into flame, you’ll realized that all the work was worth it.
Joker,
Just curious–since you chose Pasayten–have you read Tom Harmer’s books? I read the second one first, What I’ve Always Known. Now I’m working on Going Native. Good reads, specific to that neck of the woods–white guy goes to live with local Salish/Okanogans and learn their ways.
TheJoker-welcome to the feral failure club! Like everyone said it’s pretty hard to do fire without good instruction. In fact I’ve only done a bowdrill fire a few times myself and never even got one with wood on wood. Ironically I’ve taught other people to make friction fires but I haven’t even tried myself for months!
hey joker
wood type is a huge factor…where are you and what woods are available? as for the two rocks method…not all rocks spark. so good luck. (river rocks make a quick, usable knife though)
take the wood you’re using and push your thumbnail into it. easily marked? with a bit pressure you should get a mark. if it marks too easy the wood may be too soft, too hard and, well, it may be too hard. any wood [i]can[i] work but oaks, hckory, aspen, etc, are kinda difficult. juniper, cedar and willows are pretty good. cottonwood is very easy. if possible, dry out and use a root for the hearth, spindle too if its not too thin. coniferous woods are very hard to use.
thats myspace page with a bowdrill primer
good luck
hey joker, I have enjoyed reading in your journey so far and support you for it. Would love to hear more from you : )