Canoe trip with Mexican – クレイジーメキシカンとカヌートレッキング

On the last week of my summer holiday, I took out my canoe to nearby lake. One of the occasions was with my best friend.  We have been talking about going canoeing together since I got my canoe, but was long winter and did not have chance till now.

夏休みの最後の週、冬の間眠っていたカヌーを持ち出して、近場の湖でカヌートレッキングをしてきました。２回行って来たのですが、その２回目はあのクレイジーメキシカンといっしょ。カヌーを手に入れてからずっと、「冬が開けたら一緒にカヌー行こう！」と話をしていたので、やっとの実現です。

Started the paddling from usual place and went around the lake for a while. Enjoy the scenery and hen came close to the island, we have spotted a pair of Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus). We decided to get closer as possible, but carefully not too close, to observe the beauty.

いつも利用している場所から漕ぎ出しまずは湖を一周。そして焚き火の出来る島に近づいた時にオオハクチョウ（Cygnus cygnus）のペアを発見。静かに、そして慎重に近づき肉眼でバードウォッチング。カヌーだとまったく音を立てずに漕げるのでかなり近づけます。（近づき過ぎないように！）

After enjoying the nature on the water, we have landed on the island and time for satisfying the empty stomach. 

湖面からの自然を満喫した後は島で空腹を満たすための焚き火です。

Firepit was quietly waiting us...
火床がひっそりと待っていてくれました。

But before we can fill up our stomach, need to start the fire. So walked around to pick some kindling and fire woods. So I thought this would be a good time to give him a knife so he can make himself a makkaratikku (sausage grilling stick).

空腹を満たすにはまず焚き火を始める必要があります。まずはもう一仕事、薪と焚き付け集めです。そして、焚き火周りでの作業をするにはナイフが必要！良い機会ですのでここでナイフをプレゼントすることにしました。

Well, I guess he really was happy about getting the knife. He was whittling something all the time during the fire time and came up with quite good grilling stick system of holder + stick.

よっぽど嬉しかったらしく、焚き火をしている間はずっと何かを削ってました。もちろんソーセージ焼くための串も自作し、ついでに抑え棒まで・・・

　

Once we are done eating sausages, it was a coffee time. but the Mexican did not bring any cup, so I made him a tuohilippi, the traditional Finnish birch bark cup. But I must confess, this one on the picture did not work. I have used a dried bark and as soon as I pour coffee in, it started to rip itself. I guess I should have used a fresh one and bit thicker bark.

ソーセージを食べ終わった後はコーヒータイム。が、メキシカン君、コップを忘れる・・・そこでフィンランドの伝統的白樺樹皮のコップ、tuohilippiを作ってみた。

が、正直に白状すると、写真の物は大失敗。乾燥した薄い皮から作ったためコーヒーを注いだとたんにカールして裂けてしまった。やっぱり乾燥しきっていない厚めの樹皮を使う必要があるようだ。

Well, I made revenge on this tuohilippi making later and that was success.

そこでリベンジ！失敗を糧に作り直したものは成功！

After this, we got in to crafting something. Made atlatl, cordage from natural materials and practiced some rope works…

spend very relaxing and enjoyable time then paddled back on lake under the white night.

この後はクラフトの流れになり、アトラタルや紐の撚り方、色々なロープの縛り方などを練習して楽しい時間を過ごし終了。白夜の湖面をパドルして帰路に着きました。

裏山ブッシュクラフト - #05ナチュラル・ティンダー (#05 Natural Tinder)

今回の裏山ブッシュクラフトはナチュラル・ティンダー。メタルマッチを使って着火することのできる火口と言えば、コットンボール等人口的な物が一般的です。しかしメタルマッチの利点を最大限に活かすのは、やはり自然界にある物を火口に使えるようになる必要があると思います。そこで今回は、どんなものが火口になるのかを少し試して見ました。

庭仕事の夏休み

フィンランドもだんだんと夏らしくなり、いまリンゴの花が満開です。
On my yard all of the apple tree has got full flower blossoming.

今年は早めに夏休みを取り、今週が最後の週となっております。で、今年は大掛かりなガーデンリアレンジを行いました。
庭のあちらこちらに散らばっている花を開花時期別に仕分けし、一箇所にまとめてフラワーガーデン。そして空いた 場所を耕して家庭菜園を拡張です。

The rearranging of garden is done for now so I can move on to grill fire pit.

菜園にはイチゴ、ジャガイモ、グリーンピース、サラダ菜、ズッキーニ等を植えてみました。これからが楽しみです。


で、夏休みですので勿論アウトドアーな事もちゃんとやってます。月曜日に、自宅近くの湖で今年初のカヌーを楽しんできました。早朝にカヌーを出し、湖を一回りした後、島に上陸。そこで、何の邪魔も入らないゆっくりとした時間を楽しみました。

Haven't been posting about my summer holiday trips but does not mean I have not done any. I was on day trip with my canoe on Monday at small lake near my house.
Took the canoe out on the lake quite early in the morning, did the round trip of the lake before landing on the island.

裏山の撮影をしながら焚き火で昼食を作り、ブッシュクラフト的な釣りをしてみたり…
でも、1番楽しかったのはカヌーだからできる水鳥観察。音を立てずにゆっくりと近づき、湖面でくつろぐ水鳥を間近で見る。今までは経験出来なかった感動です。
did some crafting, made something to eat and just relaxed. But the best part of this day was canoeing. addling quietly makes possible to observe the birds on the lake very close. it was the sensation never have experienced.

次のカヌー予定は明日、友人のメキシカンと共にいってきます。
next canoe trip is tomorrow evening, this time, I am going there with that Mexican friend.

Axe Talk - Use of Axe

This post is the last post of this Axe talk series. At first, i was planing on to write about how nice to use Finnish axe. But I soon realized that writing about that would be totally senseless, because then will be filled with one's preference, situations and conditions.

So, I have changed the topic to "Use of Axe" and would like to talk about an axe as a living tool.


When think of it, the main job of an axe is to split or to chop / fell a tree. And as for Bushcrafters, carving job is also a popular job for an axe.

Well... let me ask you a question;
"How well can you make use out of your axe(s)?"

I thought I have seen quite enough of what can do with axe, but when I saw how Finns have utilized axes in old days, it changed my prospective of axe's versatility. The one place you can see it is from the clips of ISIEN TYÖ. (Just pick any clip in there and most likely you will find some axe in action.)

In there axe is not just for chopping and splitting wood. On the hands of those guys, axe is a true multi tool, or I should lather say "A life tool". Used for making everything you need for farming, forest work and day to day living.

Nessmuk has carried the sets of essential cutting tools, which we call "Nessmuk's trio". It is a set consists of double bit axe, fixed blade knife and folding pocket knife. The idea is that with this set, you should be able to handle / craft all your needs around camp and wood land traveling.
Applying this idea to Finnish old time, then I think it would be like this;
Finnish style axe
Puukko
Bucksaw

As what I have seen, with these tools, Finns really have made all what they need to thrive them life. A house, tools, fixing tasks, processing live stocks, making toys and so on. And the axe was taking the main role on all.
Of cause the puukko was the one which was carried all the time on man's belt and was considered as a most important tool. And as for northern people, Saami, that was leuku. but once men are out in the field, doing the work, an axe was probably never left home, if not, was with the men most of the occasion.

Keeping in mind how the Finnish axes has been used in Finnish land by Finns and look back to what I have written in previous posts of axe talk, Finnish axes have evolved to became the tool for to make living in Finland possible. The Swedish or the American type would have done the job as well, but if needs of doing all that has to be done, with one choice of an axe, then probably there were no more reliable axe than the Finnish axe.

Now all of us bushcrafters, the students of learning the way of nature and skill set of basic way of thriving life in natural environment, knows that skills and tools used in different environments are very similar. But has difference to accommodate the different needs.
This makes me think of that "is the world famous Swedish axe still that good when taken out from Swedish nature?" or "the Nessmuk's trio really enough?".
What if I take Finnish axe in to hard wood forest? Or to the giant size tree forest? Or other way around, taking full size double bit to Finnish nature try to accommodate the needs under the harsh cold weather?

Let me ask you that question again;
"How well can you make use out of your axe(s)?"

クレイジーメキシカン専用プーッコ、ついに完成！

自分用のマトモなナイフが一本欲しい！できれば自作したい！と言われ続けダラダラと一年も先送りしてしまいましたが、ついにクレイジーメキシカン専用プーッコ完成です。(^O^)／

ブレード:古ヤスリから鍛造.
刃渡り; 80mm
刃厚: 5.4mm (元) 4.3mm (ティップ側シノギ)
スカンジフラットグラインド
ハンドル: サンザシ、牛角、レザースペーサー
タング: コンシールドナロータング
全長: 200mm

New equipment

Found a new addition to my gears from my favorite frae market. It is a old back pack and I have been looking for it for some time and finally found the one I can agree on price vs condition.

It is a old SAVOTTA frame back pack. Quite good condition and very much in serviceable.
No damage at all that I can find, only few seams have broken but no immediate fix needed. It has 2 large side pockets and 1 back pocket. Made from rubber back coated canvas and leather straps.

I can see that it has been used a lot, but still functions as good as new. It is amazing that how well it has been made.

Oh, and the best part is that I only paid 7e for this:)

I have been up to so many activities lately...

This year, I am taking my summer holiday quite early. About 2 weeks have past and week and half left.

Some of you who have been following my blog long time may have noticed that the update slows down as when I am on holiday, that is because I fill up my 24h of day with things I need to do and want to do.

In the day time I am at home duty work. This summer is reorganizing garden. Gathering all garden plants to one spot, expanding the vegetable garden, and hopefully can manage to build a fire pit for grilling.

new vegetable garden to be..

Hope to get this fire pit done this summer...

gathering plants to here. use to be filled with annoying large bush.. 

And when raining or too hot to work outside, then extending the storage space on 2nd floor.

Took out wall and there was large space hidden...

Then the night time, I go to basement, making knives, modding outing gears, sharpening axes.. :)


Talking about the knife, I am still at trying to get the satisfactory look on those neck knives. The Makiri neck knife. I am remaking the handle now for the 3rd times. 1st one was getting nicely, but then I clacked it when peening the brass pin. The second one was just did not like the grain of wood, the 3rd one.... Nothing wrong on this one, but I can tell that I will not gonna like this one when I finished, so I am quite sure, I am going to make the 4th one....

I was getting frustrated on this project, so picked up the one I am making it for my best friend "The Crazy Mexican". (See the post http://bushnblade.blogspot.com/2012/04/it-was-easter-holyday-and-has-4-days-of.html#links)

This type blade is not the first time, so coming up fast and no difficulties. So I have tried new materials on this knife.



What do you think?

Blade: forged from old file.

Blade Length; 80mm

Blade thickness; 5.4mm (at bottom) 4.3mm (at tip side)

Scandi grind.

Handle:

Material; Orapihlajat (Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn), cow horn bolster, leather spacer

Tang: concealed narrow tang

Total length: 200mm

Still need to finish the sheath then final polish. But I really like this materials. Especially the wood, it is very hard but not like oak, it has good elasticity as well and I love this color and texture.