Earn Your Patina

 Cool stuff from my piratical hero Jeff Olson over at Olson Iron works. Just follow the attached link.

"I have to kinda chuckle at the knife kooks I read about online that ask silly questions like “How do I force a patina on my new Mora?”

– First of all – throw away the Mora, get a Green River and USE IT. Get off of your computers, get out into the woods, deserts, jungles and mountains. Split some wood, cut some meat (and a finger or two), build some fires, defend yourself, and simply USE the Knife!"

Tomahawk

https://olsonironworks.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/earn-your-patina/

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

Wil Davies Visits an Aeta Tribe

The stranger in the woods by Michael Finkel

 The stranger in the woods by Michael Finkel

"The last true hermit" is a bit of a bold claim by the author. I know a few old crusty farts out west that would made this dude in Maine look like a social butterfly.

All that aside, this is a pretty good book and worth the read. I liked it because I am familiar with the area in the Maine north woods.

In my opinion the author is trying to mystify, glorify or romanticize this guys particular "hermit" life style. There is NOTHING romantic about living alone for 27 years, in the woods of Maine, in a tent. Never building a fire, speaking to anyone or even taking a hot shower. It sounds horrible to me.

However, Chris Knight has some interesting insight.

“I was never lonely,” Knight says. He was attuned to the completeness of his own presence rather than to the absence of others. Conscious thought shifted from words to a soothing, internal humming.

“Once you taste solitude,” Knight confides, “you don’t grasp the idea of being alone.”

~Christopher Thomas Knight AKA "The stranger in the woods"

Lighter wood

On my walk today I harvested a small chunk of "Lighter wood," also known as "fat lighter," "Fatwood",  "rich lighter," "pine knot," "lighter knot," "heart pine" or "lighter'd". I need a few pieces to stash in my tinder bundle kit for the road.

"Lighter wood" is derived from the heartwood of pine trees. This resin-impregnated heartwood becomes hard and rot-resistant. The stump (and tap root) left in the ground after a tree has fallen or has been cut is an excellent source of fatwood. Other locations, such as the joints where limbs intersect the trunk, can also be harvested. Although most resinous pines can produce fatwood, in the southeastern United States the wood is commonly associated with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), which historically was highly valued for its high pitch production.

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

Cedar walking stick.

Yesterday, I was walking around in the woods and found a nice piece of seasoned Cedar. I decided to harvest it and have turned it into my new "Mushroomin" stick. Morel season is just around the corner.

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

Ferro rod handle

I recently received a large ferro rod as a gift. Today I put a handle on it. The wood is seasoned persimmon, I burned the name in with a wood burner tool, Highlighted the letters with a fine point sharpie pen, dyed it dark with a paste made from instant coffee and vinegar, added a lanyard of 550 and a striker made from a broken sawsall blade.

It came out pretty good.

See you  on the trail!

Tomahawk

Turkey tail mushroom - Trametes versicolor

Turkey tail mushroom - Trametes versicolor 

Is one of my favorite mushrooms, and is easy to identify. I have found this Mushroom worldwide in the forest and many of the Asian naturalistic drug stores carry this item in dried form.

                                          Trametes versicolor in Thailand ^^ and below

Check out wikipedia for more information - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

Wilderness TV

I love to watch "Wilderness TV"

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

Well used Chaga - Inonotus obliquus

Well used Chaga - Inonotus obliquus - This chaga was harvested in Aroostook county Maine last spring, then soaked in high velocity moonshine from North Carolina to yield 5 liters of tincture, Next it was steeped in hot water (temp below 150F) for 3 days to extract medicinal tea. 

Then over a period of several days I brewed it in my coffee pot with my morning cup O' Joe. Once it is dry, I will process it into tinder and add it to my Flint and Steel set.

I will make a medical concoction from the Alcohol tincture and the steeped tea. Each process extracts a different medical quality from the chaga.

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

Tomahawk scout school in Cambodia

                                                       "fixer" Vanessa with an AK-47

Recently in Cambodia, the Tomahawk scout school completed a joint training exercise with the Cambodian army. The Tomahawk scouts involved were instructed in the firing of the B-40 rocket, the AK-47, the PKM general purpose machine gun and several other weapons. In return the Cambodian commandos were given Jungle survival training.

The Scout school may be organizing another adventure training session in Cambodia again soon. Contact me directly for details. tomahawkscoutschool@gmail.com

Tomahawk,