There was some interest regarding the Adirondack canoe trip I took last week. So, I pieced together some video and posted it on YouTube.  You can watch the embedded version below or view it here at the source. It is mostly scenery and some wildlife, but I did include a brief bushcraft component as well. Enjoy!

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I did a canoe trip last week in the Adirondack Mountain region of Upstate New York. Although the nature of my trip was mostly exploratory, I did manage to practice a little bushcraft while out in the field. I was primarily interested in seeing if I could access the West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area through the Cedar River starting at a man-made impoundment referred to as the Cedar River Flow. Although I didn’t manage to make it to my intended destination due to shallow water and numerous rocks, I did end up camping on the Cedar River to enjoy a few peaceful days of  R & R (with the exception of a pontoon-equipted helicopter that landed very close to my campsite – I wish I knew what that was all about).

Anyway, while exploring the near-by woods, I found some birch bark at the base of an old paper birch tree that was suitable for fashioning some makeshift baskets. I made two baskets like the one pictured here but I accidently stepped on one of them, crushing it beyond repair. I don’t know what name is used to describe this style of basket, but I know it is a common basket-type often seen in the numerous crafts and outdoor-related books available today. I know it is illustrated in Mors Kochanski’s book Bushcraft, along with several others styles. They’re very easy to make and work great for whatever you may need to hold. If made without splitting the bark, this style of container will even hold liquids (even if you accidently do split the bark, you can still seal up the breach with pine pitch or some other resinous material to keep it from leaking). Mine were crudely fastened together with split sticks but they can also be made more aesthetically pleasing to the eye by using root lashing and a wooden rim around the opening. Either way, they are fun to make and it is a handy skill to have.

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You can collect fresh, drinkable water from grape vines. I don’t remember where I first learned about this; I think it may have been on one of the forums. This trick only works in the spring & summer when the sap is running. If you take a grape vine in your hand and cut through it,  it will begin to drip sap. If you fold the vine over into a container to catch the sap you can accumulate a good quantity of drinkable water in a relatively short period of time. All North American species of wild grape should work and are potable. For this demo, I cut a thumb-thick vine at about chest height and folded it over into my container. The sap started to flow immediately and it just about filled a 1 liter Nalgene bottle in about 1 hour.  You can then drink it straight as it is. It tastes just like water and requires no treatment. Bear in mind that there are other plants that can be mistaken for wild grape so be sure to accurately identify any plant that you intend to utilize for consumption and always cross-reference with a reputable field guide.

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I did a little camping this weekend. The weather was nice and I got to work on some crafts. The onset of warmer weather here means that the bark peeling season is upon us. So, one of the things I chose to work on was this little basket made from the bark of the quaking aspen tree. There are many books that describe this particular basket style, but specifically I used Mors Kochanski’s book Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills & Wilderness Survival to walk me through the project. I usually shy away from making bark containers like this because I have a tendency to cause runs in the bark that often result in a ruined product. But I took my time and things worked out well. I never understood the idea behind adding a rim to the opening of the basket until mine dried out and started to warp. I had always thought the rim was for decoration but now I see its intended function is to prevent the mouth from warping as the bark begins to lose moisture. So I ended up adding the willow rim a few days later. I soaked the basket in water to make it pliable enough to receive the willow. I am hoping I used a stout enough piece to hold the shape when things dry out again. I was lazy with the lashing and used unpeeled spruce roots and there was enough extra lashing material left over to use for the handle. All I need now to make the basket complete is something to put in it.

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I made this corner-notched point from a piece of Kentucky hornstone. I don’t normally knap a lot of this stuff, mostly due to limited availability. I also don’t know where it ranks on the lithic grade scale relative to other cherts that I’m more familiar with, but it has always been a challenging material for me to work with. In fact, I ruined the first two pieces of hornstone that I ever tried. This piece turned out well but there are still quite a few knapper induced flaws that can be seen on both faces (here’s a little secret: I’m only showing you the nicest of the two sides). Most of the high spots are the result of small step fractures that were compounded after failed attempts to removed them with additional thinning flakes. I have to remember to put my work down and walk away from it for a time when it is beginning to give me troubles. Anyway, this is the first flint knapping I have done in a while and I’m a little out of practice so I’ll have to pump out a few more points before I get my percussion swing back. And since I do the majority of my knapping outside and the weather has become considerably warmer, we can all look forward to more rock work in future posts.

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