It’s been a long week at work; kids have been driving you crazy, and the weather has not been too cold; what would you do? I will tell you what an Average Flatlander does. Call up a buddy and head for that river valley for some Bushcraft Taco Time.
The Driftless Area is one of the very few unspoiled places to explore in the upper Midwest. The rolling plains run into the wide open valleys and drainages that surround the Mississippi. The landscape is speckled with beautiful oak forests and dotted with trout streams; small quant towns are hidden down inside the recesses of these deep valleys.
It’s almost like the Driftless has been able to escape the hands of time, it’s the perfect place to escape for the weekend, to forget the worries of the hustle and bustle of life. Sitting in a hot tent next to a warm fire with coyotes howling out their songs in the cold winter night, you get the same feeling those French trappers and traders had when a few hundered years ago the paddled down that big river and first laid eyes on those giant wooded hills.
You could say there forever. I almost did.
There are few things better in life than heading out to that wide, deep, and wild river valley for a little bushcraft. When the weather is overcast and grey, a little bit of rain in the air, it gives it all another worldy feel. It’s almost like you transported yourself back in time; it makes you wonder about the old ones who came before and walked those river bluffs thousands of years before.
Take a tarp, string it between two trees, build the perfect campfire, fire up the stove, and cook that hot ham and cheese sandwich. Get the soup boiling, dip the sandwich in, and take a big old bite. This is living life, not tied to a glowing screen.
The eagles soar, the owls hoot, and the wild geese send down their call while they call down their noisy chatter from up high. A person could stay out here forever, disconnected and far away from the troubles waiting for you at home.
The river is something that has been running its course for centuries, the animals find their home on its banks and high hills, and there is just something about a river.
Probably one of the greatest joys that can connect you to nature when you are in the outdoors, bushcrafting, camping, backpacking, whatever … is the joy of cooking your own food under the sky over a fire that you made with your own hands. Nothing better.
It’s that time of year again, the Christmas and Holiday season is already upon us, 2024 went flying by! If you’re like me, you might be looking for something new, something different for the outdoor adventure lover in your life, better to order early than wait till it’s too late.
Have you ever been in the backwoods … backpacking, camping, hiking, whatever … and you’re sitting there eating some nasty freeze-dried meal, or a MRE, or another stupid power bar? You start thinking about all the good food waiting for you on the other side of your trip.
Like pizza.
In case you haven’t been following the outdoor news, all you bush crafters, survivalists, and outdoor adventure enthusiasts have just been schooled by a 34-year-old hiker who became lost in the mountains of northern California … for 10 days … without food or water when he disappeared!
There are few things more exhilarating in life than sneaking around somewhere you feel like you shouldn’t be. I mean, if you think hard enough all the way back to high school … isn’t that what we all did most of the time? Sneak into the school, sneak into the pool, sneak into your friend’s house, etc etc.
I guess some people never grow up.
Doing bushcraft is one thing, doing it on Federal Land is another. Who knows who will show up and put you in the clinker? You better be quiet and stealthy.
Let’s just pretend for a minute, let’s say you knew that you were going to be dropped off in the middle of the woods somewhere, anywhere, 3 days from civilization. You get to take 10 items. What do you take?
There is probably nothing more quintessentially bushcraft and survival in the woods than the classic ferro rod. You see it on TV, on YouTube, in magazines, heck, maybe you’re even jealous of your friend you go camping with who whips that magic eternal flame out and gets the fire going while you’re still breaking matches in the corner.