I finally got around to uploading my photos and video from the RantMedia 10th Anniversary in Vancouver over the first weekend of the new year.
We had a tendency to hang out in dark places – mostly alternating between Subeez, Vancity Theatre, and Sanctuary – so none of the pictures turned out to be any kind of decent, but there you have it.
The live Afternow (which kicks off a brand new season) was certainly pant-wetting material, but, for me, the highlight must be dinner the night before. The group included Avagdu, Hatterofmaddnesz, Kevin, Yugosaki, Halloween, IceHawk, Ephoy, ButcherShopVegan, and myself. It started off innocently enough, sharing flashlights and knives, but the night quickly degenerated to other debauchery: boots on the table, belts coming off, Kevin trying to teach Avagdu to braid paracord after Avagdu had had too much to drink.
Thanks to Avagdu and Hatterofmaddnesz for driving me up.
One of my favorite bushcraft sites is the oft-overlooked Ravenlore. The site is very simple, containing information on a number of projects that cover the basics of the craft, such as cooking and cutting. Interspersed throughout the site are stunning photographs that appear as if windows into Arda.
In addition to the site’s excellent and diverse set of information, what appeals to me so much is the manner in which it is presented and organized. It creates a feeling of myth, framing bushcraft as a story that we move through while on the trail. This is important, but undervalued. Joseph Campbell used to say that we were a people without myth. I disagree. I believe that we have an over-abundance of myth. Individuals must pick their own mythology to live within. Bushcraft, when taken as more as just wilderness survival skills, can be part of this.
Thousands of years ago, the work that people did had been broken down into jobs that were the same every day, in organizations where people were interchangeable parts. All of the story had been bled out of their lives. That was how it had to be; it was how you got a productive economy. But it would be easy to see a will at work behind this: not exactly an evil will, but a selfish will. The people who'd made the system thus were jealous, not of money and not of power but of story. If their employees came home at day's end with interesting stories to tell, it meant that something had gone wrong: a blackout, a strike, a spree killing. The Powers That Be would not suffer others to be in stories of their own unless they were fake stories that had been made up to motivate them. People who couldn't live without story had been driven into the concents or into jobs like Yul's. All other had to look somewhere outside of work for a feeling that they were part of a story, which I guessed was why Sæculars were so concerned with sports, and with religion. How else could you see yourself as part of an adventure? Something with a beginning, middle, and end in which you played a significant part?
Neal Stephenson, Anathem
I love titanium. It’s so light, yet strong, and discolors beautifully when burned.
The Snow Peak Trek 700 has been with me on every foray into the wilderness for the past four years, and it’s still going strong. It’s my primary pot/mug/bowl, whether I’m cooking with a fire, canister stove, or alcohol. If I were to create a list of my top ten most valued possessions, I think this would be on it.
I’ve only had the Vargo Triad XE for a few months, but it’s quickly become my favorite stove. It’s far lighter and more versatile than the Esbit stove. I haven’t even looked at my Jetboil since purchasing the Triad. The stove burns both denatured alcohol and fuel tabs, giving it a wider operating potential than most stoves that burn only either one or the other. My experience with alcohol stoves is limited, so I can’t compare the burn efficiency of the Triad to its competitors, but I, so far, have zero complaints.
There’s still 6” of snow on the ground (more predicted for tonight) and temperatures are hovering around 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. The only runners on the trail this morning were myself, two women, and a fellow who looked to be in his 70s.
Two days ago (when the powder was fresh and the snow still falling), it was only me and a couple folks on skis.
What’s with that? Why retreat to central heating when you can generate your own warmth, achieve the satisfying feeling of beating up your body, and be harder, better, faster, stronger the next day?
In one of my EDC photos last week, I showed that I carry a 40oz Klean Kanteen. I think the water tastes better from the stainless steel bottle than from a plastic Nalgene, and prefer carrying 40 ounces over just 32.
The main complaint many people express concerning a single-walled stainless steel bottle is that you can’t carry hot liquids in it. That’s not much of a detraction for me, since I have a different bottle for that. What does annoy me is that, in the cold, when the bottle is filled with cold water, the stainless steel can become too cold to touch without gloves. To address this, I took an old wool sock and cut it off at about the neck of the bottle. Instant insulation.
The only disadvantage is that the sock is just a little too thick for the bottle to nest inside my mug. Depending on how you carry the bottle, you might want to cut off a few inches from the bottom of the sock as well as the top.
Winter arrived early last weekend, a week before the solstice. The daily temperatures have been hovering in the low 20s Fahrenheit (that’s somewhere around -5 for you centigrade folks), with high winds and plenty of snow. I’ve been out hiking every day, practicing winter fire lighting and taking advantage of the snow for tracking. It’s also provided ample opportunity to test out the wool pants I bought a few months ago.
They’re surplus from the West German army, circa 1976. I acquired them on ebay for $20.
They have a standard 6 pocket design. The back pockets and two side pockets have button closure flaps. The cargo pockets have flaps with two button closures: one in the middle and one on the back. The front edge of the pocket flap is actually sewn onto the pants, which prevents the flap from, you know, flapping. It encourages the flap to stay closed, even when both the buttons are undone, providing for somewhat secure storage while still having instant access. On the outside of each cargo pocket is a smaller, 3” wide pocket with no closure. It was probably originally meant for a magazine, but is a perfect size for a cell phone or camera. It’s a little small for my compass or GPS.
The front of the pants is reinforced roughly 7” above the knee to 7” below. The butt is not reinforced
The crotch is closed via four buttons, rather than a zip. Buttons are easier to replace in the field, but makes access a little slower. Annoying when nature calls. There’s also a series of buttons along the waistband, both on the inside and the outside. Some of these can be used to make minute adjustments to the waist size, others just seem to be spares. In all, there’s probably about 10 buttons that could be salvaged to repair the crotch or pocket closures. On the inside back of the waist band, there’s also attachments for suspenders.
On the hem of each leg, there’s are snaps that allow the legs to be tightened and the excess material folded, useful for blousing the pants with boots or for wearing under gaiters.
I love these pants. I received them in new condition, and their worth could easily be placed upward of $60. My only complaint is the button crotch, which I would prefer to be zippered.
In the cold (and somewhat wet) snow, I’ve been staying perfectly warm and dry with these and a pair of merino wool long underwear worn underneath. In slightly warmer weather, I’ve found the wool to be soft enough to be worn without the underwear underneath. (I haven’t ever worn US Army surplus wool, but I’m told that the West German stuff is softer. I’ve also been told that wool from the former Eastern Bloc is the itchiest, and warned to stay well away from it.)
I’d recommend the West German wool to anyone. When passing someone on the trail decked out in plastic from head-to-toe, making that annoying swish-swish-swish sound as they walk by, you can chuckle to yourself, content in the knowledge that you are warmer, quieter and more comfortable in your wool.
I took some photos of my EDC pack today. I live in an urban area and commute on my bike, but I also use the pack during day hikes, so the pack includes an odd mix of urban, bicycle, and wilderness tools. All the items are identified by comments and notes on flickr.
The pack itself is a TAD Gear FAST Pack EDC, which is probably evident to most of you. It’s been my every day carry pack for a little over a year now. I’m very pleased with it.
The gear that I EDC on my person is probably more interesting. Maybe someday I’ll take pictures of that.
