Bird Language Basics

   Spring is the best time to listen to the birds. There are nests with offspring chirping for food. It is easy to find hidden bird nests by listening carefully and learning to walk quietly in the woods.

Edible Wild Plants in the British Isles

   Here in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it is easy to find plenty of edible options no matter what time of year it is. Wild edible plants can be found in the hedges and ditches along country roads and the edges of the wilder places.
 

Building a Debris Hut

   During our Basic Bushcraft course we demonstrate how to design and build a small hut made from plant materials and a few broken sticks. This takes about an hour of class time with ten people building one hut.
   In reality, it would take a minimum of three hours for one person to build a one person hut.

Dressing in Layers

   Winter is coming. As autumn comes to a close and blustery weather approaches it is important to dress appropriately. Dressing in layers allows you to quickly add or remove clothing to maintain body temperature that is comfortable depending on activity levels or weather conditions to prevent sweating.

   Here in Ireland we have cold rain most of the winter. By dressing in this layer system you can keep from overheating or getting too damp from exercise.

Filming with RTE

Over the past couple of weeks, Aebhric has been filming 14 episodes of Bushcraft skills for Elev8. It is a kids programme for RTE 2.
It was filmed on location at Kippure Adventure Centre in County Wicklow. During the filming there were demonstrations and challenges for the kids. They had to make a Lord of the Rings pitch torch, cutting edges from stones, edible feast from the woods and many more skills.

The Elev8 show will have these 3.5 minute episodes starting in September and running until December, 2011. You can find them on the RTE iPlayer.

Wildcrafting your herbal tea.

Bushcraft is all about a cup of tea. Let's face it. When you are out and about in the deep woods of Ireland or wherever you happen to be a cup of warm tea makes all the difference. It means that you have a good heat source, water source and good kit to boil the kettle. Once you are at the cup of tea phase of your weekend away it means that most of the hard work of building your debris hut and finding dry wood has been finished and now it is time to enjoy nature.

Finding wildcrafted herbs for your tea is simple enough even in the mono culture of the forestry here in Ireland. Yarrow is my favourite. Right now the Meadowsweet is perfect for collecting and it tastes wonderful. It even has aspirin in it in case you have some aches and pains.

The best and easiest option is to use the green needles found on your coniferous trees. Fir, Spruce, Pine and Larch work well. DO NOT USE YEW or CEDAR!!!! They have toxins in them.

Collect three or four sprigs of needles and place them in your tea cup. Pour boiling water over them and let them steep for five minutes. You will begin to notice a lovely colour as it sets. After five minutes pull the sprigs out and taste your bushcrafted tea.
Sip the tea through your teeth in case you missed any floating needles.

Sit back and enjoy your weekend in the woods.

Adventure Weekend at the RDS

   We just returned from a three day event at the RDS where 60 small businesses gathered to show people where and how to enjoy Ireland's great outdoors. We had a small booth where we talked with hundreds of people who hadn't heard about Remote Medicine Ireland.
   Aebhric also had a discussion at the Outsider Think Tank where he discusses Wilderness Psychology and why is it that some people live and some people just sit down and die in survival conditions.
   We enjoyed the weekend but are happy to be back here in South Kerry with our mountains, trees and ocean.

Bushcraft fitness

It is important for bushcrafters to be able be out and about in semi rugged and remote areas in all sorts of weather conditions. Since we do this for fun we do have the option to be "fair weather walkers" but some of the most exciting and memorable bushcraft events have often been under adverse conditions.

Book Review: Deep Survival

This is one of those books that must be read once per year. I have had this book for two years now and am just about ready for my third read. I also downloaded this book as an audio book. Anna and I are fond of listening to books as we drive or work around the homestead.

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 Rule of Threes

   You can survive without certain important things in a survival situation.

You can survive 3 minutes without air
You can survive 3 hours without shelter
You can survive 3 days without water
You can survive 3 weeks without food

We at Kerry Bushcraft School have added two more categories:

Spring Wild Edibles

  This is the best time of the year for finding and eating wild edible plants. The fresh green shoots are up and the tender leaves are just waiting for us to devour them.

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.

Dynamic Archery

   Dynamic Archery is the practise of shooting arrows while crouching, walking or running. For most people, the sport of archery consists of standing still and shooting your arrow with all the time in the world to perfect your shot.
   Can you do that while someone else is shooting back at you? Can you aim correctly after running through the woods to get a better shooting position?

IPNA students in Chile earthquake

   Two students who attended bushcraft and medical courses last fall experienced several earthquakes in the past weeks while backpacking around South America.

   They were camping in very remote areas of Chile close to the epicenter of the earthquake. Luckily they were not injured. They were camping in the Circuito Condores National Park. There were landslides close by but they were unharmed.

Gaisce Presidential Award

   This past week we hosted twelve teenagers who were meeting the requirements to earn the Gaisce Presidential Award. This programme was set up by the President of Ireland to challenge Irish youth to get out and experience the outdoors and their community. It is offered to all Irish youth aged from 15 to 25. It consists of a three tiered award system offering Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.

Aidless Navigation: How to find your way home

   It is exciting to explore new places. It is also easy to become immersed in the awe and wonder of Ireland’s vast beauty. But it is essential to know where you are and more importantly, how to return home. Aidless navigation is how you can keep yourself from getting lost while hiking in remote areas.

Ammo Pouch Flask

     The Bushcraft applications for the Ammo Pouch flask was quickly apparent. It is a new phenomenon for me here in Ireland and the UK. In all my years as a Special Forces medic I never came across the ammo pouch flask.

     It wasn't until late 2009 when I was teaching the medical BATLS course for the UK military that I saw a quite a few of the squadies and staff carrying this small device. Ever on the watch for new and exciting kit I inquired about it and immediately saw the potential for wilderness use.

     I ordered one as soon as I returned to Ireland. In the past few months I have found great use for this flask. It is small enough to fit into a pocket without causing a huge uncomfortable bulge. I take it on hikes with me on the surrounding hillside and it provides a nice cup of tea in the misty rain.

The Bent Stick Trap

     The art of trapping goes back far into antiquity. For some cultures it was a main staple for food. The earliest writings describing animal trapping is from the Dao De Jing. It was written in the 4th century BC.
     For those of you who have taken my Basic Bushcraft Course I introduce the art of primitive trapping. We show you both the figure four trap and what we have called the "modified figure four" trap.

Yoga and Bushcraft

Yoga and bushcraft are two very different hobbies. At first they appear to be completely different. The average person going to a yoga retreat will be dressed nicely, have clean hands, had a shower that morning, slept in a warm comfortable bed the night before, and have a look of calm serenity.
   On the other hand you see the average bushcraft enthusiast. He has been sleeping outside all weekend, his hands are somewhat clean but has scratches and they look rugged, he dipped in the mountain creek for a bath that morning, slept in a warm and comfortable bed that he made from debris and moss, and also has a look of calm serenity.