Lessons from the Field

Summary of the day's events:
We started our day with oats and coffee. Prior to Tim and Chris arriving, we had our cook area cleaned minus bean prep which was missed the night prior.After our beans were properly prepared in our thermal cookers, we began our daily lessons.
Today our group discussed:

Bare Hand Navigation (360/24=15)
Lunar Cycles (24 hrs 52 min)
Mechanisms of Energy Transfer (Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Evaporation)
Means of Warmth (Insulate, Exercise, Heat Source)
Time Management
Proper Logging
Fire Craft (1 Match Fire)
Base Camp Cook Systems
Axe Exercise 1
Plant ID using Pressing

List of accomplishments and observations:

Today I accomplished:

1. A 1 match fire. My bundle of twigs could have been a bit larger. Wind was a factor and had blown out the match twice. Cheat method: light dead match with going fire. Though this is Not something that I would be done in the field it did assist nicely

2. Axe exercise 1 is something I had done during the Canoe expedition. Today my form was much more refined though I found my wrists were a bit sore. The backswing was considerably better where my foreswing kept creeping to the right. Clean chops but my axe needs sharpening.

3. Completed my first weather entry of the course. Now that I figured out how to do the entries on my phone, my laptop is dead weight unless used for a backup DVD player. The weather tracking is going to be interesting.

4. Pressed my first plant. It was a Coltsfoot. Now that I have seen it and know what it is, I can accurately differentiate between Dandelions and it. I found the flavor of the stem to be more enjoyable than a dandelion.
   Tonight we had beef and bean chilli cooked on the Coleman stove. After dinner I walked to my truck and saw a Grouse cross the road. It looks like a meat chicken and the thump sounds I've been hearing have been one of them. I grabbed my bike and rode to the river's edge where our camp was set up during the snowshoe expedition and shot a FB live video showing the difference of the area from February to now.
   
   It's all about the process and making it your own. Axe safety is paramount. Though I had accomplished the axe exercise 1 previously, it was noticeable how I've improved since last July. The weather tracking and plant ID are two areas of study I look forward too.

That was how my day went that April 30th of 2019.
Its been almost a full 6 years since that entry. The skills learned that semester were honed to a perfection.

I've been relentless with the study and application of survival techniques since even before the military. So what does all this mean? Nothing really. Its a reflection of a time well spent, building bonds with strangers, solidifying hard skills I already had in me.

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