March 2010 Bushcraft course

   This past weekend saw seven students arriving at IPNA for our Basic and Advanced Bushcraft course. They arrived with great weather that quickly turned into rough wind and rain. Here in South Kerry we are used to seeing this kind of weather year around. We were a bit fooled by the incredible sunshine and warmth that arrived for the two weeks prior to the start of the course.

   The instructors welcomed the students in during the first day thinking that they would have an easy time with making the five minute fire exam since the weather had been quite lovely for a fortnight.
   The overcast skies quickly stopped that option.
   Still, the students did very well with the challenge. They learned how to build a debris hut in a spruce forest. Several of the students chose to sleep in debris huts over the weekend and found their sleep more restful than those that stayed in their tents and hammocks.
   All were grateful for the warm and dry classroom and the roaring turf fire. The instructors Desmond and Aebhric were impressed with the motivation and enthusiasm that the students brought to the course. They were eager to get outside and ignored the wet. The first night all were gutting and cleaning their fish and cooking it over the campfire. Edouard came back for a second fish.
   During the Basic course there were the first shoots of some wild edible plants. Students tasted raw nettle, plantain, yarrow and dandelion. For the Advanced course the students learned how to harvest seaweed and collect limpets. This was a first experience for wild edibles for many of the students. Many went back for seconds.

   The instructors were pleased with the motivation and skill development shown by all of the students. Teaching is much easier and more rewarding when there is a desire for learning the skills. We hope to see them back for additional courses and for helping out in future Basic and Advanced Bushcraft Courses.