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Post by Sicilianhunter on May 17, 2021 19:40:17 GMT -7
Just read something interesting..."Benjamin Franklin recalled one of his camps where they built a charcoal fire in a 3 foot deep hole and they would lie around it, wrapped in their blankets with their feet in the hole..." That was from his autobiography, I paraphrased the quote. One helpful trick similar to that one is heat rocks (ones that don’t blow up in the fire) and place them in your shelter with you. Anybody else have some period trekking tricks that they would like to share?
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on May 17, 2021 20:47:14 GMT -7
I don't think there is much I can pass on that most experienced woodsrunners don't already know. I use a bed of sticks to get me up off the ground, if there are any dead ferns about then I may add these. I keep a store of kindling behind my bed under shelter in case the fire should go out in the night. I keep a store of firewood close to hand at the head of my shelter so I can stoke the fire without having to leave my blanket on winter nights. I do not make a large camp fire, I keep it small with a rock reflector at the back & sides with the ground scraped out for the actual fire. I carry extra clothing in my blanket roll which I put on over my day clothing on winter nights, a Monmouth cap, a woolen shirt, & a wool cloth waistcoat. I also have a half-blanket as part of my winter clothing. When I erect my oilcloth shelter, I look for a straight pole to slide over the cross beam & under the oilcloth. This raises the center of the oilcloth so there is no droop & it sheds water better. I also use this pole to hang my kettle over the fire. As the fire is close to the shelter, a tripod would be an obstacle, & this pole is very secure, no chance of knocking it over like some other kettle hanging methods. Keith.
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Post by Sicilianhunter on May 18, 2021 4:00:10 GMT -7
LeLoup, I like the idea of your center pole doubling as a hanger over the fire!! A tripod is definitely an obstacle, especially if you should need to get out of your blankets to answer nature's call during the night...
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Post by hawkeyes on May 18, 2021 5:10:38 GMT -7
If ya gotta pee, get up and do it. Your body will naturally expend energy to keep the fluids warm inside your body. So while you may want to stay in your blanket and you feel shivered, get up and go. You'll warm up faster dumping that extra load of water!
I also never wear tight fitting clothing to bed (tight stockings, leggings and the like) does absolutely nothing for insulation value and usually is just a feel good insurance policy. Wool socks, breeches and a shirt with a wool cap is all I ever wear personally.
I also will eat a good snack or small meal before bed. With calories to burn obviously that translates to staying warmer longer.
Pillow... for me it's a must and usually comes in the form of a naturally stuffed shirt or extra linen sack I keep.
Keep your feet and footwear dry to the best of your ability. Allow time for footwear and feet to air out.
I've got a host of things I've learned from playing in the woods from years of backpacking and period trips. To much to share in a single post as I'm sure that's the case with us all.
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Post by spence on May 18, 2021 6:14:34 GMT -7
During the construction of a stockade at Gnadenhutten, OH, January, 1755, Indians watched the construction from an overlooking hillside. From _The First American_ The life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, by H. W. Brands, on page 266:
"On a wooded hill overlooking the fort Franklin's men discovered several holes dug in the dirt. At the bottom of these holes were the ashes of charcoal fires; in the grass at the edges of the holes were the imprints where Indians had sat, their feet hanging down in the holes next to the smoldering (but nonsmoking) fires. Thus warm and invisible, the Indians had watched the fort go up."
Spence
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Post by brokennock on May 18, 2021 7:04:34 GMT -7
I find the holes with charcoal forest for keeping feet warm interesting. I have always struggled with staying warm, especially when sitting still for more than an hour or two, even in moderately cool weather....... Except my feet. My feet only seem to get cold if damp and in footwear that won't let then breath. The rest of me, particularly my back and neck can be miserable, shivering, almost painful as I tense up, but, my feet are warm.
I have not tried it, yet, but I like the idea of sitting cross legged with the hole with the fire in the empty space between the knees. I think this was attributed to Simon Kenton.
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Post by paranger on May 18, 2021 9:26:44 GMT -7
In land survival school many years ago, one instructor taught us how to make a "Dakota hole" as he called it. Dig two small holes next to each other, only a few inches in diameter and connect them at the bottom - sort of a u-shaped tunnel maybe 8 or 10 inches deep.
You build a small fire in one hole and the other acts as a ventilation shaft. Smoke is minimal and if you have to leave in a hurry, you simply cover over the holes with the dirt previously excavated, which is kept in a pile next to each hole for the purpose.
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Post by Sicilianhunter on May 19, 2021 6:11:17 GMT -7
My first inclination was that the design Franklin mentioned and which I now realize, thanks to Spence, seems to be for reasons of stealth. Much like the Dakota fire pit PARanger mentioned. There is a whole genre of modern/bushcraft camping that is known as “stealth camping”. I wonder how much of a concern this might’ve been to the old boys? They were usually choosing the off season for war and raids to hunt although they did get jacked occasionally in the “off season”
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Post by paranger on May 19, 2021 7:00:04 GMT -7
"Stealth camping," eh? That's a first for me. Sounds like what I would have called "evasion and escape" or "E&E." However, I never really considered making a hobby of it before...😁
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Post by brokennock on May 19, 2021 11:18:12 GMT -7
Lol, PaRanger, not everyone did SERE...
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Post by paranger on May 19, 2021 11:23:51 GMT -7
Lol, PaRanger, not everyone did SERE... 😅 ...nor would I recommend it for entertainment purposes!
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Post by Sicilianhunter on May 19, 2021 13:29:33 GMT -7
Lol, PaRanger, not everyone did SERE... 😅 ...nor would I recommend it for entertainment purposes! Some milder period form of it would help build character!!!
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Post by paranger on May 19, 2021 13:44:51 GMT -7
😅 ...nor would I recommend it for entertainment purposes! Some milder period form of it would help build character!!! Oh, I got me lots of character, all right! My knees still hurt thinking about it (long story best shared over beer with no permanent electronic record of it).😉
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Post by hawkeyes on May 19, 2021 14:08:21 GMT -7
Lol, PaRanger, not everyone did SERE... 😅 ...nor would I recommend it for entertainment purposes! That's a fact... wasn't a pleasurable experience.
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