Lovely day for a dayhike!

Today was an absolutely beautiful day for a dayhike. I recently picked up a Berghaus Munro (review coming soon, want some more time under it), and wanted to put a couple miles on the pack, to set it in, see how I liked it. The area I decided to hike is called Tophet Chasm, and it is located in Littleton MA. I pass by this on my way to work every day, and its also on the way to my gun range. I've always wanted to hit the trail, but never really got the chance. Today was my chance. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

The trailhead is located on Oak Hill Road in Littleton, MA.There are approximately 6 miles of trails located within 220 acres. Some local history of the area: the area was close to the historic Shaker Village and, from what I had read, Tophet means "road (or tunnel) to Hell". The area was an ancient waterfall at one point, almost as high as Niagara Falls. Now, of course, thats gone. The area, according to what I've read, was also a Stage Coach road. But, for more history, click the link above. On to my hike.

A beautiful, sunny, 80 degree day. My goal was to get to Lookout Rock, located just south of the highest point in Littleton, which is 600' above sea level. The trail I took, the red blazed one, is a crushed gravel road about 90% of the way up. Its a fire access road to the Littleton water tower, which, according to the plaque on it, holds 4.1 million gallons of water. It was a steady incline, but easy hiking. Once past the water tower, its a foot path that is often used by cyclists and trail runners. The Lookout Rockis maybe 1/4 mile from the water tower, on this path. 

 All told, a nice day to be outside. The ruck rode well, I used my solo stove to make lunch on Lookout Rock, and just took in the views. The guide says you can see Boston (the Prudential Tower) from the rock, but I had to use binoculars to locate this (my eyes are getting old, so, theres that!). From the rock, you have commanding views to the south, southwest, and southeast. A bottle of water will get you up & down no problem. There is a water source at the Tophet Swamp (purify it, of course), but I didnt go that route today. Maybe next time. 

There arent any trail maps located at the trail head, so do your map printing prior to going. I doubt very much you could get lost out there, but the entire park is abutted by private property.

Anyway, here are a few pics I took while out today. Enjoy!

New Boat!

So, last summer, I purchased a used Canadian 17' canoe, so me & the wife could get out on the water together. After a few trips, she decided that being in the same boat with me was too much for her (actually, my constant stopping to fish did it), so I sold it earlier this year, with an eye on purchasing a new Old Town 119 one person canoe. I pulled the trigger on it last month, and finally picked it up Friday. Before I get into my OWN review, here are the official specs:

Material:	Three Layer Polyethylene
Length:	11'9"/ 3.6 m
Width:	32.5" / 82.6 cm
Width at 4" Waterline:	31" / 78.7 cm
Bow Height:	19" / 48.3 cm
Depth:	13.5" / 34.3 cm
Weight:	49 lbs / 22.2 kg
Max Load Range:	450-500 lbs / 204.1-226.8 kg
Suggested Retail:	$649.99 USD

There are 2 different color variations: the Discovery is red, and the Guide is a sort of camouflage. My model is the Guide.
First, the cost. Mine was $499.99 through Dicks Sporting Goods. They occasionally have it in store for as low as $429.99. This particular time they didn't, so I had to special order it, and paid full price. Not that big of a deal, as if they get one in the store and reduce the price, I can go & get the difference.
Weight: the nice thing about this canoe is the relatively light weight of it. It makes for easy handling, and putting it onto and taking it off of my jeep. Portaging it short distances, I simply put the gunwhale on a shoulder & carry it sideways. Due to the construction of it, the thwarts aren't centered, there is no yoke (the overall size of the canoe being too small to justify it), and the seat is just a smidge too far back to rest it on your shoulders for a classic portage. I may simply design a removeable yoke for it, to assist in longer portages, but for now, the standard shoulder carry seems to work just fine.
The seat: I see many reviewers either love it or hate it. Its molded plastic. It does its job. I only have a couple hours in the boat so far, and come from a kayaking background. I find the seat similar to a modern kayak seat. A cushion layer would be a nice improvement. I plan on using an old CCF pad that's a parts piece to cushion it myself. The upside of the canoe is that I can adjust my legs (pull my knees up, stretch out, etc) without having to deal with a hull. This alleviates some of the sitting issues that I sometimes get, with the legs getting stiff, lower back hurting, etc. Lounging back in the seats helps with that too.
Stowage: again, coming from a kayak, gear storage in a canoe is like the Taj Mahal. I'm used to a dry bag at my feet, one in the rear compartment, and one tied onto the deck. With the canoe, I can put a tackle box, my PFD, and a large dry bag behind the seat-and still have the rest of the canoe for gear. Needless to say, lots more room.
Now, lets look at on water performance. I took this out on two separate days, both for about an hour, so my experience with it thus far is pretty limited. The first day I took it out on a local pond, and paddled around for a bit. I used a canoe paddle-an aluminum and plastic one. Day two, I used my kayak paddle, and I will go into some detail as to each.
First, tracking. This thing being small, and lightweight, doesn't track well. But, I didn't expect it would. Kayaks sit lower in the water, and your hips are actually at the water line in most (unless its a sit on top). Also, in a kayak, YOU are the pivot-your seat is generally in the center of the boat. In the Guide, you are sitting at the back third of the boat, and above the water line. This does two things: it makes the front 2/3 of the boat into a sail, as there is little weight up there, resulting in less friction and drag from the water. Also, with the pivot point being that far back, there is that much more boat to control via steering. My experience with a standard paddle was that, when paddling one side, you track hard to the other after 1-2 strokes. Then, you change sides, and paddle the other side, doing the same thing. This results in a zig zag track, and constantly changing sides. I found that, on the second day, using my kayak paddle, made it overall MUCH easier to control the boat. Paddling was easier, steering was better, there was far less of a zig zag track (due in part to the shallower draft profile of kayak paddles, and the 1:1 paddling). My plan is to use kayak paddles to paddle normally, and take a canoe paddle when I need a deep, strong paddle.
Balance. The chief complaint from many other reviewers is that this boat is tippy. While I find this to be true, it DOES have to be put into context. This canoe is short. There is less overall volume to displace. Can it tip easier than a longer 17' canoe? Yes. Sitting where you do with this, the boat is at its heaviest where you are (naturally). There is no counter weight to it-no other person, and likely not enough gear, to counteract your weight. But, I didn't find it any more difficult to get into or out of than any other canoe-and, certainly easier than getting out of a kayak! On the water, I rocked it a little, just to get a feel of it, and it didn't seem to bad to me. One thing I DID notice was that I wasn't sitting in the center of the seat, and this causes the boat to list to that side a little. Not super noticeable, as the seat is contoured, but, when I was fishing, I was leaning more towards the gunwhale, and that causes listing more than in a kayak. I think that, moreso than with a standard sized canoe, its important to load this boat centerline and low, to keep it as stable as you can. But, as to some  complaints about instability, I would say that people either are inexperienced, or simply don't want to adapt to a different feel of the boat.
One last note on this: coming from a kayak, I found that, when its windy, this boat is a SAIL. I was pushed around by the wind for an hour, often having to take shelter behind eskers to rest a bit before fighting the wind again. I don't know if this is standard for canoes in general-they do have a higher profile than a kayak, so I expect that there is some difference regardless-but this was something I was a little surprised with.
Overall, I like this canoe a lot. Its easy to load and unload onto my jeep, its easy to maneuver on the water, its got plenty of room to pack gear into, and it works great as a fishing platform. Its small and maneuverable enough for streams, yet large enough to take out onto lakes. The construction is solid & durable, and I'm not worried about the occasional bump off of a log, rock, etc. I'm a convert, and I feel that my kayak will now get a little lonely!

Some new gear to play with/test out!!

In the past couple of months, I was fortunate enough to have some extra cash after the holidays. As such, I picked up a couple items I've been eyeing for a bit. Two major purchases were a pair of LL Bean Maine Hunter boots, and a Frost River Woodsman pack.
The LL Bean boot, I understand, people have a love/hate relationship with. The areas I roam are mixed forest, with plenty of low lying water bodies-swamps, small streams, and generally mushy ground. Mix that with typical New England weather, and you can have the potential for wet feet. Enter the Maine Boots. These are unlined, as I plan to use them year round. I've had them for a couple weeks, through a snowstorm, and, with thick socks, they worked well, so long as I kept my feet moving. But, I have dedicated winter boots, so I am not using these as my go to boots for winter.
These are sized large, if you are considering a pair. Their are instructions on their website as to how to correctly size them, depending on what you plan to use them for. As for me, I am using them for year round, and not specifically for winter. According to their site, I ordered a size down (technically, 1.5 sizes down), and they fit perfect. They dont do half sizes, FYI.
I also purchases sno-seal, to keep the leather supple. They recommend using this several times. My experience with this stuff, I put it on every 3 months, regardless of use. It conditions the leather, as well as waterproofing it. I plan on having these for a few years, so keeping them in top shape is important.
Next up is the Frost River Woodsman pack. I found ZERO reviews of this online, so I bought it on a hope. My intent was to purchase a pack for dayhikes, and possible overnight trips. The Woodsman pack is in their canoe line, and, as such, has a tump line. Its the smallest of this line, but is HUGE. Seriously. I put all my dahike gear in it, and it didnt even fill it 1/4 to the top. This will easily hold ALL the gear I need for a dayhike, an overnight, camping, etc. There is compression cords on either side, which is simply a cord run through D rings, with a cord lock, to facilitate compressing the bag if its not packed full. Additionally, there is a compression strap at the top of either side, to compress the top as well. This is a great feature, as I doubt I will pack it to capacity anytime soon. There are little pockets at the bottom of the compression cords too. I dont know if they will fit a nalgene bottle, but I know 100% they will NOT fit either a NATO water bottle or a Canteen shop steel canteen (the 39 oz one).
I havent uploaded any pictures yet, nor have I done anything more than pack it up and try it on. Keep an eye on this, as I plan on doing a couple of follow ups regarding this pack, in the hopes that someone, somewhere, will get some mileage out of it.
As to the quality of it? Its a Frost River. There really isnt anything else to be said :)

A quick outing

Sorry for being gone so long. Been a crazy year, planning a wedding, changing careers, and fighting for rights in this country. Sometimes, things take priority!!
So, I had the opportunity to go out for a quick hike yesterday. Was out for only about 2 hours, but it was well worth it. The trail conditions werent that great-we had a lot of snow and freezing temps, followed by 40+ days, making for icy trail conditions-so, I spent most of the day largely off trail, following deer tracks. I bought a new folding saw, a Kutmaster from Dicks. I tried it out on a downed tree about 3" diameter. Pro, its comfy. Its aluminum, but has a nice rubber grip. The blade cut well, on the push AND pull. No flex in the blade. I plan on using this a lot over the course of the next few months, to test its durability. I also picked up a new knife from Bark River. Its a Bushcrater, with a green micarta blade. I got it from DLT Trading. The company was fantastic-I'm a lefty, and, after placing the order for them, asked if I could get a left handed sheath. No problem. Excellent customer service! I will do a quick review, followed up by a user review on the knife, in the future.
As to the walk yesterday, here are a few pics. Enjoy!

Life in the city

In short, I couldnt do it. Ever. Up until this week, I worked from home, 3 days a week. It was nice (I work in the telecom industry). I had to deal with horrible traffic, people, etc, only twice a week. Coworkers are fine. But, I came to a realization this week. We, as human beings, simply arent meant to be office dwellers. Nothing is healthy about sitting in traffic, only to arrive at a job, sitting in a cubicle, all day, for 9 hours, eating crappy food, to commute the same way home, again, in traffic-and repeat that, 5 days a week. We, as human beings, arent meant to be sedentary. We werent sedentary until the advent of the industrial age-and, became REALLY sedentary in the space age, and its gotten progressively worse since then. We spend 8 hours (most of us), behind a computer. We spend an hour sitting for lunch, bitching about sitting behind a desk for 8 hours. We spend an hour commute, each way. Thats 11 hours a day, we spend, sitting, doing menial work. We dont get the sunlight we need. We dont get the greenery we need (recently they released a study about how spending time out in the woods is a big anti depressant-says a LOT about our society). We, as modern Americans, are FAR too plugged in to each other. We have social media. The majority of us, myself included, have smartphones. We, technically, are never without some sort of technology. There is a lot going on politically regarding violence in this country (even though stats show its going down, most people think its going up-thank the news). Here is my take on it; we watch too much TV. We spend too much time on social media sites. We are too concerned with how others perceive us, or that others dont think the same way we do. This is not new, of course. This is because we NEVER UNPLUG. People have ALWAYS had differing views. In the past, people talked about these things. There werent threats, there wasnt facebook to let everyone know what you feel. There was actual, human interaction. Those days have largely disappeared. Now, what can we do about that?
In a word: nothing. We cannot stop progress. We cannot suddenly turn it all off, and go back to a more wholesome time-a time when kids played outside, and no one worried. A time where boys went to school with pocketknives, and werent suspended or expelled. A time where people showed respect towards each other. We cannot go back to those days, as a society. We CAN as individuals. We can choose to be what we once were; respectful of each other. Compassionate, but firm (people need to learn lessons the hard way sometimes). Caring. Happy. Here is what I am doing in MY life-you do what you like, because only you can change yourself:
First, we got rid of TV. A HUGE step. Here is why. We were sick & tired of the doom and gloom of the news. Of product placement. Of shows that, for the most part, had the IQ of a 6 year old. We discussed it, and came to the conclusion that we were paying $80/month, to watch 2 channels. JUST TWO CHANNELS. Not worth it. Now, the benefits of it? Well, other than not being subjected to the idiot stuff on TV (We still have netflix and hulu), we dont have some kind of "tv schedule". You may not even be AWARE of this phenomena. But, when you watch TV, you actually work your life around it. You are tied to certain TV shows. You know what? If you dont watch it-thats OK. NOTHING HAPPENS. Its TV. Its designed SPECIFICALLY to fill a void in your life. The average American watches 4 hours of TV a day. A DAY. Thats 4 hours, wasted, doing nothing but staring at a screen!! Trust me, give it up-its a great liberating feeling!
Second, exercise. Not go to the gym exercise-there is PLENTY you can do at home. And, along with this, eat better. When your body feels healthy, you will feel better, about life in general. Even a light regimen, daily, will make you feel great.
Third, be social. Spend REAL time with friends. Not texting, not facebooking-spend quality time with those who are important to you.
Fourth-take regular walks in the woods. Studies have shown people who do this, are less depressed. My own feeling is that we simply have less input-we simply enjoy being in a state where we arent getting bombarded with info. We simply are there. Enjoying nature. Listening to birds. Watching a small stream. Smelling the surroundings. We spent thousands of years like that-we arent meant to be inside. Engage your senses for what they were designed for.
Finally, get a hobby. It doesnt have to be anything special-but, find something that makes you feel good. That centers you. This is important. Everyone needs something in their lives, that makes them happy. That they can get absorbed in. It can be as simple as reading, or as complex as computer coding. It doesnt matter, just find something that makes you happy.
Thats all I have for tonight :). Enjoy your weekend!

Sorry :(

I havent posted in quite some time. Honestly, life gets in the way. To be brief; after the Newtown tragedy, there has been a lot of legislative assaults on legal firearms owners. As I have, literally, been around firearms 90% of my life-15 years Army, plus another 20 as a civilian who has owned them-I have been fighting constantly on the state and federal level, to ensure that the rights of ALL people arent infringed, due to knee jerk legislation. But, thats another story entirely.
Also, I am getting married this October, so my time is somewhat constrained there as well. I have lost most of my weekends to both of the above details, but, I am VOWING to get out more often this year.
One thing that the fiance and I are now getting into is birding. I see this as an almost natural progression to bushcrafting & outdoors activities. There is, literally, TONS to learn, but, learning I am! So, thats one more thing under my belt, I suppose :).
One new skill I DID pick up recently, was using a flint & steel. I went to a Bushmeet a couple weeks ago, local to me, and there were a few folks there teaching. All I can say about this old style of lighting fire is, its FUN. I plan to get a LOT of practice on this in the next few months, and develop this as a great skill. Next up, will be the bow drill. I did this, once, over 20 years ago, in a military survival class. Lets see if I can actually recreate it though :).
Anyway, thats my update for this week. I have some new gear, traded away some old gear, and plan on doing some shots of it in use. We have a couple of overnight hammock hangs planned in the next couple months, as well as some short overnight hikes. As we recently cancelled our TV subscription, we want to spend more time outdoors (I'm lucky with the fiance, as she loves the outdoors as well, and enjoys learning new skills!). So, hopefully, I will continue to update this blog, as time goes. As I have MORE time to do it now, I think that it should be a little easier. Time will tell!
Until then, be safe, enjoy the natural world, and be thankful, every day, for those precious things in life-friends, family, sunrises over lakes. Because, those things, people cannot take from you.

A winter weekend spent outside, wearing nothing but wool & canvas

I had the opportunity this past weekend to go camping/snowshoeing out in western Massachusetts, and experience my first winter hammock hanging experience. I have been winter camping before, but never did so with a hammock, and, as this was a drive in & park, with a short walk, I figured this would be ideal, as I could take ample gear, just in case. Also, I decided that, for this weekend, I would use ONLY natural materials as my clothing, to see how that worked. This is something I had never done previously, and had some new gear I wanted to try out.


Here is a breakdown of what I had:

Sleeping/shelter gear:

Warbonnet Blackbird hammock

Gossamer Gear CCF pad

Homemade reflectix pad for additional insulation

¾ length Underquilt (brought, but didn’t use, as the pads were enough)

North Face 0* synthetic sleeping bag

Warbonnet Superfly tarp



Clothing:

Merino wool long undershirt (worn)

Merino wool sweater (bought at salvation army for $1.99), worn

Heavier wool sweater (also bought at salvation army, for $2.99), not worn, but taken, just in case

Wool shirt, heavy weave, for wind resistance, worn at night

LL Bean wool vest, worn

Knit wool army watch cap, worn

Ragg wool half gloves, with the mitten part that flips over, with polypro glove liners, worn

German army wool pants, worn

Merino wool socks, worn (2 extra pairs for the weekend)

USAF mukluks, with wool felt liners, worn

Ragg wool socks, for sleeping in (thick)

Medium weight polypro long underwear, for sleeping in

Snugpak parka, never worn-taken, just in case (used to stuff the bottom of my bag though).

Cooking:

Small Mors pot, with bail, titanium spork, and SS mug, with reflectix cozy.

Stove is my Emberlit.

So, with all that, I spent a weekend with fellow hammock hangers-many of whom, like me, had never done a winter hang before. A couple of people didn’t pack proper footwear-which is why we decided this one would be something that people could drive into, and out of, just for that reason. So, on to the actual fun parts:

The area chosen for this outing is a Boy Scout camp in western MA. It is an absolutely stunning area. We had a nice little stream running through our area, and were located a stones throw from a pond, where we could fish, if we desired (I didn’t know about this prior, otherwise I would have taken my gear). I got there about 11 on Friday, and was one of the first people to show up. We were expecting a large group-initially almost 40-but, experience with these are that, we usually get about 2/3 of those who say they will go. Fridays temps were in the mid 20’s during the day. We had a communal fire going, and there were 2 pots over it, the entire weekend-one for coffee, one for hot water. The fire was central to our little group-which was nice. We all gathered, talked, cooked, and warmed, near this, the entire weekend. Friday had about 16 people showing up, and setting up camp in our little area. We had the run of the woods, and the ranger made an appearance Saturday, and again Sunday, to check on us. He was a great guy-and had some pretty cool stories to tell (to include a run in with a Bigfoot, twice, in NY…). He was really impressed with all the different hammock setups.

The first night, the temps dropped down to the low teens, with gusting winds of 20 mph. One of the folks there brought a telescope in the back of their jeep, and treated those of us willing to part with the fire, to some pretty cool views of Jupiter and her 5 moons, among other things. As to the wool clothing-I was warm, throughout the night, and throughout the weekend! I think I was the only one who never once had chilled feet. The mukluks & liners were that comfortable. The combination of base layer, sweater, heavy shirt, and vest, kept me warm, and safe near the fire (several folks had sparks land on their down clothing, causing small holes). The first night, sleeping, I was warm, except for my feet. I rectified this with stuffing my puffy jacket into the end of the bag. Problem solved. I got up a few times to answer natures call, and, with the wind, outside the tarp, it was, in a word, freezing.

The second day was a little warmer, and I did some exploring of the local pond. I also picked up a hemlock branch, for my emberlit. I was one of the first people up, so I started the fire, which was fairly simple, as we still had embers from the night before. As this was a drive in meet, one of the organizers had a GIANT reflector oven, which he cooked a roast in, over the course of the day (pictures to follow). I learned a new knot as well. I don’t recall the name of it, but it’s a variation of a daisy chain (also picture of the knot below).

We were communing around the fire most of the day, swapping stories, getting to know those of us whom we had never met before. We had a dinner of goat stew, some libations, then retired for the night.

Night 2, it snowed about an inch. Prior to going to bed, I heated up some water in a bottle, and threw it into my socks for the next day, then went to bed. My setup was so efficient, that, the next morning, when I finally got up, the water was warm enough that it only took a couple minutes to get it to a boil for coffee. I was so warm the entire night, I slept with my bag part way open, with overnight temps of 20*. I was woken twice during the night; the first time, by coyotes yipping close to camp, the second, just before dawn, by the mooing of a moose. That’s the first time I have ever heard that sound, and I have to say, it was probably the highlight of the weekend for me.

Overall, it was a GREAT weekend spent outdoors. I met some amazing people, I learned a new knot, I got to test some new equipment, and felt really comfortable wearing nothing but natural fibers all weekend long.


Some pics:

More new gear testing-boots & pants

Well, as we had our first significant snowfall of the year-and none last year, I FINALLY had a chance to get out snowshoeing. I had bought Nicky some Redfeather snowshoes last Christmas, but we never had any snow. This week, we got 6" on Thursday, and another 9" overnight. So, we went out for a 3 mile loop today, at our local town forest.
The weather was 28*, with gusty winds, in excess of 15 mph. The sky was overcast, with an occasional patch of sunlight. The air was dry. The snow was a nice, light, powdery snow. Overall, a great day to be outdoors-like there is EVER a bad day. I wore, from toe to head, smartwool socks, USAF mukluks, with felt boot liners, German wool pants, an Underarmor T shirt, a wool sweater, a polypro watchcap, ragg wool finger mitts, with poly pro liners. I also started with a goretex jacket on, but got too hot, believe it or not. So, that came off pretty quick. I also carried a backpack with extra gear, and 2 quts of water.
As we were simply out for a little walk in the woods, I didnt really do anything other than some tree ID. It was simply a nice walk outside. The pants are similar to these: http://www.armynavysales.com/products/german-wool-pants/
They are heavy weight, wind resistant, and have what sounds like some sort of plastic lining in the knee area, I assume that is to keep from wetting through, when kneeling. These are actually fantastic pants-I have been searching for something like these for years, for winter outings. They are rugged, sturdy, with cargo pockets, and were my size. I really couldnt go wrong with them, and am vary happy with the purchase thus far. The REAL test will be this weekend, when I have a 3 day hiking/winter workshop, where we will be outside all weekend, practicing winter skills. But, with this test run today, I am happy so far.
The other gear tested were a pair of USAF mukluks: http://www.omahas.com/usaf-issue-mukluks
These are simply canvas boots, with a rubber bottom. They came with 2 pair of felt insoles, which I am using both. They did NOT come with liners, which I am led to believe they dont sell them with them. I ordered liners separately off of Amazon, for about $15.
These are simply canvas overboots, if you arent familiar with a mukluk. Being canvas though, they can possibly leak water in. What I did, was got some canvas wax treatment, and treated the bottom half of the boot-the part most likely to come in contact with the snow. The upper half zip up, and act as gaiters. There really isnt a need to waterproof these, as, for me, they are simply covering up my wool pants, which are water resistant anyway. These are nice & flexible-ideal for snowshoeing, which was my main reason for buying them.
With the liners, my feet were WARM, all day. This is important. They never got hot-no sweating. They never got cold-at ALL. They were covered in snow, for 2 hours. Granted, I was walking the whole time. But, the snow never got in, the melted stuff rolled right off, and the liners, plus the insoles, kept my feet at a comfortable temp-and, my feet are RARELY warm in the winter, due to previous bouts of frost nip. But, not ONCE, did they get cool. Or overheat. Based on this short stint today, I am anticipating a good weekend of use in these. They are definitely for cooler weather-being canvas, even the water resistant stuff, they will still wet out, eventually, with melted snow. One thing I do want to get, is another pair of felt liners. This way, if one set gets wet-even though its wool felt, and will retain heat, wet feet suck-I can trade them out for dry ones, and dry the wet ones when I can-hopefully, over a fire.
And, last up, so nice pictures, of our day out!!

Teaching the next generation

I had the opportunity to get out on Black Friday, with my fiance & my nephew, for some quality outdoor time. We went geocaching all day, and into the dusk (we didnt make it out of the woods before dark). We made it a sort of bushcraft & geocaching day, where I taught him how to navigate with a map, how to use a slingshot properly, how to correctly use a knife, and how to make fire with a firesteel. It was a fantastic day out with my fiance & nephew-perfect weather, a fun time out in the woods, all finished off with a late lunch by the pond, and a nice evening walk in the dark. Here are a few pictures of yesterday: