Winter Bushcraft

   With the coming of crisp evenings and fall colours descending from the trees it is the perfect time to spend a weekend out in the wonders of wild Ireland. Grab your hammock, sleeping bag and some provisions and heat outside.

   The four basic bushcraft skills are Shelter, Fire, Water, and Food. Once you have taken care of all of these issues you are prepared to spend a lovely winter weekend in the woods.

The Balance in Bushcraft

There are many different approaches to learning wilderness survival and bushcraft skills. On one hand there is the military approach that focuses on a lot of high end kit that you have on you at all times. At the other end of this continuum is the Hippy approach to survival. The hippies tent to look at the wilderness with respect but can underestimate the ruggedness and how unforgiving Nature can be.

The Ascetism of Mountains and Living in Nature

“The Mountain is not merely something eternally sublime.

 It has a great historical and spiritual meaning”

Alan Paton  TIME magazine, 25 April 1988, p. 106

   Almost anyone can sense the mystic appeal of mountains and Nature. Mountains are, or transcribe in visible form, the lofty unknown. In principle accessible to humans, they are still a realm apart, purer than our daily world yet inhabited by awesome, elemental powers which may give life or kill. Knowledge comes from, or can be found in the mountains. In mountains dwell the uncomfortably potent spirits of the dead. Intuitions like these are the common heritage of humanity.