No pictures today - soon enough. It's not easy to get out during the cold, stormy weather - and I want to just hibernate. I think a lot of us do around this time of year. But last night, after taking the dog for a walk, I gathered my knapsack, my camping stove and headed off into the valley. Spring was at home with a book and bundled up warm in the wool blankets.
I was thoroughly bundled up too - last night ended a day with the record accumulation of snow in Toronto (according to the news report I heard). It was still snowing - thick, damp snow as I walked along - one foot in front of the other - to the park covered in wool layers, my thick hat, warm gloves and scarf, knapsack on my back.
Down into the valley, I decided to go off of the path, and slogged and trudged my way through deep snow into the tree line, up the valley wall, into an area I have never been. There was an area mostly untouched by the snow underneath a large spruce. I set up my camping chair (the kind without legs, one that just unfolds with a foam backing) by the clearing under the boughs, and lit my stove. I added some water to my mug, and topped it off with fresh snow and sat and listened and waited. Worries of work melted away and soon I was listening to the outside, rather than the inside.
The snow fell thick and occasionally branches would crack under the weight of it all. The stream rushed along about 20 feet below me at the bottom of a steep incline. It was dark and quiet and good.
Soon enough my stove brought the water to a boil, and I dropped in some sugar, some powdered milk and a tea bag and had myself a nice cup of tea. A zip-lock bag held some chocolate cookies to dip into the tea and soon I was warm on the inside and full of tasty stuff.
The time had passed so I got up and trudged alongside some tracks made by a deer. I was a real sight - emerging in the back of an apartment parking lot a kilometer away from home - looking like an odd transient covered in snow while industrious and shivering apartment dwellers cleared snow from their cars or bundled in groceries through the parking lot.
All in all I had a good time, but a couple of things I would have done differently: 1. I would have brought wool pants instead of jeans. The warmer weather and wet snow soaked them from my knees down - had I planned to be out longer, I could have really got cold. 2. The wet snow was kept at bay for only a little while by the spruce - I would bring my light-weight tarp next time and set up a little simple cover in similar conditions.
Anyway, that's all folks for the day mostly - hope all is well.
On a sad note, I learned this morning that Michael of One Foot in Front of the Other passed away recently of a rare cancer that he had been dealing with for a long while. His writings were very inspiring, and honest, and funny and human, and I encourage you all to visit and witness his poems and words.
Cheers,
Mungo
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Unite or Divide and Electability: My Predictions for California Primary, Super Tuesday and Beyond...
Here are my predictions* for the California Primary, Super (Duper) Tuesday and beyond...
Republican:
McCain will win the California GOP Primary, beating Romney, and convincing the latter that he should drop out. Romney will not be in the race in March. Huckabee will be gone too. The winner will take all: McCain will win the Republican Presidential Nomination and he will use the word 'transcendent' a little less (which is good, 'cuz that's kind of annoying).
Democratic:
Obama will narrowly win California (spread of less than 5 points), and this will positively set the stage for further wins on Super Tuesday and the following primaries. Despite this, remaining unpledged delegates and Super Delegates will emerge from their beds on Wednesday morning and stare at their cereal bowls and still be uncertain which way to go.
The tension of uniting/dividing messages and 'electability' will eventually run in favour of Obama and he will win the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination because he will be perceived as being a uniting force, despite his apparent limited experience - but again it will be an almost statistically insignificant spread between him and Clinton. The bean-counters will not get much rest until all the ballots have been counted and delegates spoken for.
Presidential Race:
It will come down to personality matches - McCain and Obama or McCain and Clinton. McCain has been careful in his speeches to hopscotch backwards over the Bush administration(s) and spend his time allying himself with Reagan's uniting legacy (for those with short memories, this suits just fine - shh don't ask any questions). In a contest between uniters and dividers , the American public will ensure that McCain will beat Clinton (both the candidate and the legacy), but Obama may just give McCain a run for his money for the same reasons. If I were a betting man, I'd say Obama gets it. If I were more conservative I would say McCain.
Cheers,
Mungo
*Note that my predictions are not necessarily my preferences - e.g. I predict that the TV in my basement will break in the next 12 months. I would prefer it if it didn't. Nevertheless, I predict that I will go canoe camping in April and I would prefer it if I did.
Republican:
McCain will win the California GOP Primary, beating Romney, and convincing the latter that he should drop out. Romney will not be in the race in March. Huckabee will be gone too. The winner will take all: McCain will win the Republican Presidential Nomination and he will use the word 'transcendent' a little less (which is good, 'cuz that's kind of annoying).
Democratic:
Obama will narrowly win California (spread of less than 5 points), and this will positively set the stage for further wins on Super Tuesday and the following primaries. Despite this, remaining unpledged delegates and Super Delegates will emerge from their beds on Wednesday morning and stare at their cereal bowls and still be uncertain which way to go.
The tension of uniting/dividing messages and 'electability' will eventually run in favour of Obama and he will win the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination because he will be perceived as being a uniting force, despite his apparent limited experience - but again it will be an almost statistically insignificant spread between him and Clinton. The bean-counters will not get much rest until all the ballots have been counted and delegates spoken for.
Presidential Race:
It will come down to personality matches - McCain and Obama or McCain and Clinton. McCain has been careful in his speeches to hopscotch backwards over the Bush administration(s) and spend his time allying himself with Reagan's uniting legacy (for those with short memories, this suits just fine - shh don't ask any questions). In a contest between uniters and dividers , the American public will ensure that McCain will beat Clinton (both the candidate and the legacy), but Obama may just give McCain a run for his money for the same reasons. If I were a betting man, I'd say Obama gets it. If I were more conservative I would say McCain.
Cheers,
Mungo
*Note that my predictions are not necessarily my preferences - e.g. I predict that the TV in my basement will break in the next 12 months. I would prefer it if it didn't. Nevertheless, I predict that I will go canoe camping in April and I would prefer it if I did.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Blanket of Snow
The winter storm came in the night and put a thick white blanket on the ground.
As the day wore on, Monty and I stepped out into the blowing storm and wandered about in the backyard.
The new shed seems to be standing up to the cold, winter weather well. I stepped inside the shed for a moment - it is warm and dry and I imagine I could sleep in it one night with my sleeping bag and Thermarest mattress. That might be fun.
I would bring a small stove in and make something to eat, and listen to the radio and maybe read a book with my lantern.
The birds assembled on the fence taking all the food that is left over. I need to buy more bird feed - well, actually, bird and squirrel feed. It's an equal-opportunity feeding station.
The snow has actually warmed things up, a thick insulating coat all around. We stayed out for a while, poking around, snuffling about under the snow.
The cedar and juniper shrubs are as green as ever, and fragrant still in the cool winds. It won't be long now until the first buds of spring begin to emerge from the frozen earth and from branches and boughs.
This year we will focus somewhat on the back yard, planting and taking care of the soil. I'm thinking of wandering down into the valley and finding flora that I can transplant...
So that was the wander in the snowy backyard. Hope you have enjoyed your day too.
Cheers,
Mungo
As the day wore on, Monty and I stepped out into the blowing storm and wandered about in the backyard.
The new shed seems to be standing up to the cold, winter weather well. I stepped inside the shed for a moment - it is warm and dry and I imagine I could sleep in it one night with my sleeping bag and Thermarest mattress. That might be fun.
I would bring a small stove in and make something to eat, and listen to the radio and maybe read a book with my lantern.
The birds assembled on the fence taking all the food that is left over. I need to buy more bird feed - well, actually, bird and squirrel feed. It's an equal-opportunity feeding station.
The snow has actually warmed things up, a thick insulating coat all around. We stayed out for a while, poking around, snuffling about under the snow.
The cedar and juniper shrubs are as green as ever, and fragrant still in the cool winds. It won't be long now until the first buds of spring begin to emerge from the frozen earth and from branches and boughs.
This year we will focus somewhat on the back yard, planting and taking care of the soil. I'm thinking of wandering down into the valley and finding flora that I can transplant...
So that was the wander in the snowy backyard. Hope you have enjoyed your day too.
Cheers,
Mungo
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Cheese Croissants and a Brown Leather Sofa
I am at quite a loss with finding something to write about today. Wish I had more to say.
Wish I had oodles of words and a plethora of passages related to what I consider to be the main theme of this blog: camping, bushcraft and the outdoors.
But I don't. I soon will, I am certain of it, but not now.
Not today. Or at least, not this hour.
Perhaps next hour. But anyway, not now.
Spring and I watched a show on people buying a house somewhere in Lancashire, England and thought that would be a nice place to go.
I think I would like to find a house in the foothills of Alberta or somewhere in the woods of British Columbia, or just somewhere north of here - near the trees.
In lieu of grand essays and backwoods adventures richly woven with deep, revelatory passages of sagacity and cleverality (yes, I made that word up), I shall instead present some pictures of our new leather sectional (whatever that means) sofa and of the cheese croissants that I baked for breakfast.
The sofa is squishy and comfortable, and the croissants were flaky and rather nice.
Cheers,
Mungo
Wish I had oodles of words and a plethora of passages related to what I consider to be the main theme of this blog: camping, bushcraft and the outdoors.
But I don't. I soon will, I am certain of it, but not now.
Not today. Or at least, not this hour.
Perhaps next hour. But anyway, not now.
Spring and I watched a show on people buying a house somewhere in Lancashire, England and thought that would be a nice place to go.
I think I would like to find a house in the foothills of Alberta or somewhere in the woods of British Columbia, or just somewhere north of here - near the trees.
In lieu of grand essays and backwoods adventures richly woven with deep, revelatory passages of sagacity and cleverality (yes, I made that word up), I shall instead present some pictures of our new leather sectional (whatever that means) sofa and of the cheese croissants that I baked for breakfast.
The sofa is squishy and comfortable, and the croissants were flaky and rather nice.
Cheers,
Mungo
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tired, Cold and Happy
It was 10 degrees below freezing, and the wind was blowing hard when Monty and I left the house for a walk down into the ravine this afternoon. Anticipating the cold, I had a shirt and 2 wool sweaters on, my shearling bomber hat, thick leather and fleece gloves, wool pants with a pair of track pants beneath, wool socks and my winter boots on. I should have brought a scarf to keep my neck warm - this, like the head, the arm pits, and the groin (yes, I just wrote groin, and yes, you just read groin), is a significant area of heat loss and must be covered up. My cheeks were cold and you can see how they are rosy red in the pictures below. Monty wore his leash. He is naturally cosy in his fur coat, and is covered with a layer of fat that I am trying to reduce by virtue of our little walks. I too, am covered with a layer of fat that I am hoping to reduce by virtue of our little walks.
Spring and I got a gift certificate to Chapters book store for Christmas, and last week Spring ordered a book that I wanted - Peterson's - A Field Guide to Edible Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Since my bushcraft course in November taught by Mors Kochanski down at Tim Smith's Bushcraft & Guide School, I have been trying to learn more about the flora of my territory, the plant life that I never really learned about growing up while I was thoroughly involved in television, computers, wandering down paved roads and driving around drinking Tim Horton's coffees while driving in steel, plastic and glass cars. Before going I made the decision not to bring this book with me, as it was so cold and I couldn't really see myself poring over and thumbing through the pages to identify edible plants. And it was cold. The rotted logs weren't rotting, it was so frigid.
The loud crack of a frozen tree swaying in the wind sent Monty running like hell towards me and away from the noise. His ears were thrown back in fear. But he quickly recovered his composure and began to sniff out invisible tracks.
The wind was high, and overhead, clouds raced by.
I came across a sapling that had been cut or broken off probably last spring, and since then suckers had grown from it like Medusa's hair. Amazing stuff, suckers, also known as Basal shoots - this is a significant way for willows to propagate.
I went right past the birch tree from which I had previously harvested a small amount of bark for tinder. Not certain if I was going to have a campfire, I also do not want to denude that tree any more. Birch bark is one of my favourite tinders. Even wet, the bark remains flammable because it is impregnated with oils. Birch wood rots quickly, and you will often find a downed birch tree laying in the forest - the wood rotted out and crumbling, surrounded by a hollowed out tube of bark - unaffected by the fungi and insects that break down the wood. As a tinder, the best way I have found to use it is to rapidly roll it between your open hands and break it down into finer fibers, into a dusty fluff. This material will catch a spark or a match very easily, even in damp or cold conditions. Birch bark can also be refined by heating it without oxygen - it will give up the oil for use as a waterproofing agent for wooden skis, canoes or a even the logs and planks in a building - it was used as a preservative that kept the British Royal Navy ships afloat, and kept their sheets (a.k.a. ropes) from decaying. The artificial flavorant 'Vanillan' (i.e. the cheap vanilla flavour found in many foods and drinks) is derived from birch bark. I just use it for tinder.
Some logs rot and turn into punky wood - the result of a dry white rotting fungus. This punky wood can be used as tinder, or as an absorbent material - it is used by Siberian natives - among others - as a diaper material for infants. It also makes for a nice fragrant smudge. If you mix this with chunks of false tinder fungus (which incidentally primarily grow on living birch trees) and light it, it will fill your campsite with a pleasant, fragrant smoke that keeps black flies and mosquitoes away. It makes a nice incense too.
It was very cold. Without my layers of wool and my shearling hat, I would have been much too uncomfortable to stay there for any period of time. I found a spot in the woods and remained there for an hour and a half at least. The pine and balsam trees shielded me from the winds. Pine resin leaked out of the trees, filling in any wounds to the bark. This is a flaky, fragile crystalline material once it has dried, and can be used for any number of uses - least of which is fire starting. I didn't start a campfire - I wasn't really in the mood for one for some reason. It was cold enough certainly, but I hadn't brought my axe to chop up wood, and I just didn't want to spend the time or effort assembling a pile of firewood. I was warm enough.
I found an abandoned closed-cell foam camping mattress laying in the undergrowth in the woods. It was covered in frozen leaves and debris and looked like it had been there for the winter. I used it as a windshield to help my propane-butane stove boil up some water for some soup. I don't really like this stove, I don't trust it as I can't see easily how much fuel is left. But I use it for day hikes, and rely entirely on my naphtha gas (white liquid Coleman gas) MSR Dragonfly stove for longer trips. I took the camping mattress home - it is useful to have a spare one, especially for those times when you have set up camp on a rocky or cold campsite.
My soup done, I tracked down Monty who was harassing some red squirrels and we both walked up and out of the ravine towards home. Both of us were tired, cold and happy.
Cheers,
Mungo
Spring and I got a gift certificate to Chapters book store for Christmas, and last week Spring ordered a book that I wanted - Peterson's - A Field Guide to Edible Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Since my bushcraft course in November taught by Mors Kochanski down at Tim Smith's Bushcraft & Guide School, I have been trying to learn more about the flora of my territory, the plant life that I never really learned about growing up while I was thoroughly involved in television, computers, wandering down paved roads and driving around drinking Tim Horton's coffees while driving in steel, plastic and glass cars. Before going I made the decision not to bring this book with me, as it was so cold and I couldn't really see myself poring over and thumbing through the pages to identify edible plants. And it was cold. The rotted logs weren't rotting, it was so frigid.
The loud crack of a frozen tree swaying in the wind sent Monty running like hell towards me and away from the noise. His ears were thrown back in fear. But he quickly recovered his composure and began to sniff out invisible tracks.
The wind was high, and overhead, clouds raced by.
I came across a sapling that had been cut or broken off probably last spring, and since then suckers had grown from it like Medusa's hair. Amazing stuff, suckers, also known as Basal shoots - this is a significant way for willows to propagate.
I went right past the birch tree from which I had previously harvested a small amount of bark for tinder. Not certain if I was going to have a campfire, I also do not want to denude that tree any more. Birch bark is one of my favourite tinders. Even wet, the bark remains flammable because it is impregnated with oils. Birch wood rots quickly, and you will often find a downed birch tree laying in the forest - the wood rotted out and crumbling, surrounded by a hollowed out tube of bark - unaffected by the fungi and insects that break down the wood. As a tinder, the best way I have found to use it is to rapidly roll it between your open hands and break it down into finer fibers, into a dusty fluff. This material will catch a spark or a match very easily, even in damp or cold conditions. Birch bark can also be refined by heating it without oxygen - it will give up the oil for use as a waterproofing agent for wooden skis, canoes or a even the logs and planks in a building - it was used as a preservative that kept the British Royal Navy ships afloat, and kept their sheets (a.k.a. ropes) from decaying. The artificial flavorant 'Vanillan' (i.e. the cheap vanilla flavour found in many foods and drinks) is derived from birch bark. I just use it for tinder.
Some logs rot and turn into punky wood - the result of a dry white rotting fungus. This punky wood can be used as tinder, or as an absorbent material - it is used by Siberian natives - among others - as a diaper material for infants. It also makes for a nice fragrant smudge. If you mix this with chunks of false tinder fungus (which incidentally primarily grow on living birch trees) and light it, it will fill your campsite with a pleasant, fragrant smoke that keeps black flies and mosquitoes away. It makes a nice incense too.
It was very cold. Without my layers of wool and my shearling hat, I would have been much too uncomfortable to stay there for any period of time. I found a spot in the woods and remained there for an hour and a half at least. The pine and balsam trees shielded me from the winds. Pine resin leaked out of the trees, filling in any wounds to the bark. This is a flaky, fragile crystalline material once it has dried, and can be used for any number of uses - least of which is fire starting. I didn't start a campfire - I wasn't really in the mood for one for some reason. It was cold enough certainly, but I hadn't brought my axe to chop up wood, and I just didn't want to spend the time or effort assembling a pile of firewood. I was warm enough.
I found an abandoned closed-cell foam camping mattress laying in the undergrowth in the woods. It was covered in frozen leaves and debris and looked like it had been there for the winter. I used it as a windshield to help my propane-butane stove boil up some water for some soup. I don't really like this stove, I don't trust it as I can't see easily how much fuel is left. But I use it for day hikes, and rely entirely on my naphtha gas (white liquid Coleman gas) MSR Dragonfly stove for longer trips. I took the camping mattress home - it is useful to have a spare one, especially for those times when you have set up camp on a rocky or cold campsite.
My soup done, I tracked down Monty who was harassing some red squirrels and we both walked up and out of the ravine towards home. Both of us were tired, cold and happy.
Cheers,
Mungo
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