It's been the better part of a week since I last visited this journal. I've been so busy, successfully innovative, that I have hardly had time to think. Looking back, I was planning to embark on tool creation. The axe came out wonderfully. I was able to wedge the sharpest piece of slate into a three foot piece of pine. I barely got it in, and it hasn't budged yet. Then, I used a few other large rocks, placed into the earth a narrow "V" shape to create a sharpening device. Granted, a steel axe would be stronger, faster, and stay sharper, but this one is certainly doing its job. I was so enthralled by my new creation that I spent the rest of daylight "playing" with it. I chopped five loads of pine, it was incredible! I then discovered a new use for the axe sharpener. When I attempted to sharpen my knife, I got sparks. That, along with some dry leaves, pine, and fir needles, and a cedar branch vastly enhanced the fire making process, buying another hour of daylight.
Needless to say, I didn't get around to the shovel that day. I dreamt that night, more of a vision, actually. I awoke inspired to head out through the path I'd started while collecting lumber. In my dream, I'd come out on the other side to find a field full of deer, sheep, and even a few cows. It was possible that there were other animals, too, but these were the animals I'd eaten before. I knew that I'd find something useful there. As it turned out, I did. I found not more than thirty feet in from where I'd last harvested wood, evidence of rabbit migration. The trail was worn in both directions, and I could tell that it was an active byway. Immediately, I started whittling down some sticks. I found one about eight inches long, and notched two indentations into it. One was up near the top, and the other, more of a peghole, about two and a half inches from the bottom. I then proceeded to chisel a notch near the end of a four to five inch long stick. After there was a significant notch, I whittled the other end to fit in the peghole in the first piece. The third piece needed a notch about an inch from in from one end, and the other was chiseled down to fit the notch in the second piece. Within ten minutes, I had the pieces to my first figure four trap. Now, to set it up. I found a dark spot on the well-traveled byway, and configured the figure four, topping it with a five pound stone. Over the next hour, I set up four more of these traps.
I know that I wouldn't catch anything while I was there, watching them, so I baited them with a few berries each, and headed deeper into the woods. Or, so I thought. Within fifty feet of the small rodent superhighway, the trees thinned. There was the river, twenty feet across, and seemingly at least seven feet deep. Nothing I want to get caught up in. Walking with my axe in my left hand, and my spear in my right, I approached the river. The fish were overabundant. There were landlocked salmon, trout - brown, brook, and rainbow, perch, what might have been pickerel, and who knows how many other species. If I could figure out how to catch these fish, I'd have a hard time going hungry. To this point, I still haven't solved that issue.
Not to worry, though. Upon my return to camp, I was greeted by a wild, I hope, goat. While I was debating how to handle the situation, he charged. I thrust my spear, still with only the sharpened stick end into the goat's throat. He died almost instantly. That night, I skinned the goat, and gutted it, too. It's going to be a while until I get used to gutting animals. I have a feeling that the chipmunk was my first. I decided I could put the goat to good use.
The great thing about a goat is its size. After I had skinned it, and the pelt was laying on the ground I realized that it was the perfect size for a satchel. The only problem was going to be how to dry it out, and relieve it of any scent that may attract predators. At about that moment, I considered the fact that I had some strong log bones that would be needing to put to some use. I stabilized them in the ground and set the largest of the slate on the top, effectively making a tabletop. I dug a shallow hole under my new table top, and relocated some of the fire to the pit. For the next three days, I made sure that flame did not extinguish. The hide dried out, giving me a great way to transport smaller items to and from camp.
The next morning, I went to check my traps. By some stroke of incredible fortune, all five traps had worked. In three of the traps, I caught rabbit. In one trap, another chipmunk, and th other, a fox. I'm not sure about eating the fox, but the chipmunk, I've done, and the rabbits have been quite nice. I still haven't tried the fox, but I have cooked it. It's something I'm going to have to do, though. I reset all five traps, and added two more over the following days. I don't want to deplete these woods of the wildlife that lives here just for the sake of stocking up. I've got enough food to last a few days, and that is the only reason I am killing these creatures.
Meanwhile, around hunting small game, and drying the goat hide, I decided it would be wise to work on my shelter. I started to dig by hand, the holes for my main support posts. After I got about a foot down, and the basic shape was established, I used a piece of slate to expedite the process. I buried the posts two, maybe two and a half, feet deep. My guess is that the front of my shack is about eight feet tall, tapering back to about seven feet at the back wall. I stripped as much lumber as I could, and used what bark was strong enough to tie the lumber together. It's quite a job. This act amazed me to the point that, once again, I wondered who and what I was in my life before I showed up here. At this point, I have three suitably constructed walls, and a mostly waterproof roof over my head. During my explorations, I plan on gathering lumber to continually improve my shelter.
I've also begun to try to construct some type of rope. By stripping all lumber, I've been able to collect quite a bit of bark. I'd laid some of it at a time on top of the goatskin, in an attempt to soften it up a bit. That works, but I've got to constantly monitor it to ensure the right level of baking. Too much, and it burns. Too little, and it's not workable. When I get it to the right temperature, I can braid it together, and it holds well, working as rope. My hope is to be able to build a hammock and hang it from the ceiling of the shack.
So, it's been a pretty long week, but again, a successful one, filled with adventure, excitement, innovation, and hope. Today, I'll put hope to the test, and check in on my traps. I'll plan to also employ the adventure aspect by travelling the river, in an attempt to connect the dots I've already found. We will certainly see where the new day will lead me.
No comments:
Post a Comment