The Nessmuk Challenge

[RF52]

Day 29:

Perks of working late shift is I get to spend some time with the dog in daylight

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[Aloha]

I've always enjoyed reading books by Wiseman.  I think the habit of checking your belongings is helpful, even when you are travelling aboard and constantly switching transportation.

Yes.  My partners son recently got a new knife and was breaking down boxes at work.  He got home and then only realized he didn't have his knife  .  He checked his truck, double checked his work pants, then called his friend at work.  Luckly the knife was within the other boxes needing to be broke down. 

I do whats been called a EDC pat down.  When out hiking or exploring I do similar. 

[comis]

Day 29:

Perks of working late shift is I get to spend some time with the dog in daylight (Image removed from quote.)

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Nice pix!

Yes.  My partners son recently got a new knife and was breaking down boxes at work.  He got home and then only realized he didn't have his knife  .  He checked his truck, double checked his work pants, then called his friend at work.  Luckly the knife was within the other boxes needing to be broke down. 

I do whats been called a EDC pat down.  When out hiking or exploring I do similar. 

EDC pat down!    But that's a great habit to develop, especially when you are travelling where you are constantly in-and-out and it is easy to lose track of your belongings.(for example, if you loose something on a flight seat or on a taxi, it is quite likely it may be gone for good)

[comis]

Nix is still out playing, and here is today's quote.  As soon as I read the first line of today's quote, I instinctively look around to make sure Mrs. is not around to see the screen. 

[comis]

Day 29



Finally got a little time to go out to play with my fire kit, but it's been raining non-stop for the past week and the sunshine is very intermittent.  All I can say is if you want to rely on sunshine for fire, a good 2"x3" fresnel magnifier card is really your best bet.  It lit up a char cloth just within seconds with direct sunlight, other things take much longer.

[Aloha]

 

Theres something to be said about charred cloth.  Its fun to make and handy as heck. 

[David]

Day 29

(Image removed from quote.)

Finally got a little time to go out to play with my fire kit, but it's been raining non-stop for the past week and the sunshine is very intermittent.  All I can say is if you want to rely on sunshine for fire, a good 2"x3" fresnel magnifier card is really your best bet.  It lit up a char cloth just within seconds with direct sunlight, other things take much longer.

 

[Borg]

Day 29

(Image removed from quote.)

Finally got a little time to go out to play with my fire kit, but it's been raining non-stop for the past week and the sunshine is very intermittent.  All I can say is if you want to rely on sunshine for fire, a good 2"x3" fresnel magnifier card is really your best bet.  It lit up a char cloth just within seconds with direct sunlight, other things take much longer.

 I like that, nice bit of kit 

Day 29

[Alan K.]

I like the Fresnel fire starter as well. I don't think I've seen one like that before.

[Alan K.]

Day 29
Smoked turkey wings for lunch!

[David]

Day 29
Smoked turkey wings for lunch!

 

[David]

I like that, nice bit of kit 

Day 29

(Image removed from quote.)

 

[Nix]

Good stuff, guys!   

I'll get a Day 28 & 29 post up shortly.

....he says....

[ReamerPunch]

The Bic lighters mod is pretty curious...I have seen people chopping them short as a flint and wheel device.  But gutting them empty is different.

I'll carve them down to the sparker, then reinstall the spring, ferro rod, and wheel, like this:


Big Bics can be carved down to the bare essentials.

[ReamerPunch]

I do whats been called a EDC pat down.  When out hiking or exploring I do similar.

I do that every time before going outside.

[ReamerPunch]

Day 30

Removed the magnets from earbuds.

[David]

Good stuff, guys!   

I'll get a Day 28 & 29 post up shortly.

....he says....

He's back.................. can ya skin griz?     

[David]

Day 29

[ReamerPunch]

30 days done. Let's see now.
Used (most used to least used):  Rebar, Mora, Fiskars X5
Utility (most useful to least useful): Rebar, Fiskars X5, Mora

And there you have it. Another fine challenge. It should come as no surprise that my Nessmuk trio worked phenomenally well. Mora, Leatherman, Mora, these are brands we all know and love.

Leatherman Rebar
This has been my edc multi-tool since I bought it in 2017, except for when I was doing another challenge, or carrying multi-tools that I wanted to review. The Rebar is a fantastic blend of compactness and versatility. It is tiny, but loaded with tools. I also put scissors and the package opener in there, and it is even better. I like everything about it. The ergonomics, the weight, the look, the performance. I think I used it everyday or pretty close to everyday for this challenge. It never failed, and I used most of the tools on it. I particularly enjoy the scissors and package opener on it.
I believe Nessmuk would like a Rebar in his pocket. Not too heavy, but extremely capable.  :multi:I know a few members wished they had a multi-tool in their trio.

Fiskars X5
What a nice little hatchet this was. I had ordered the Bear Grylls Hatchet, and it was terrible. The ergonomics were awful. The X5 has a heavier head, great for splitting, and the shape and dimensions of the handle are perfect for my hand. It performed very well, and I particularly enjoyed the hammer face. This made a great little hammer for pegs. I also love the sheath. I had to carve out the lip of the handle, and put Gorilla tape inside to make the head fit tight, but it is a nice sheath. I am considering getting the X7, for no other reason than having and enjoying the X5.

Mora Companion Spark
As I mentioned in the Wild Man GAW, this is a Mora Companion with a ferro rod in the handle. This interferes with ergonomics a little, but it's still nice in the hand. It also has a lanyard hole, and a sharp spine. The spine chewed my thumb while carving, but I managed to carve the notches and shapes I was trying to carve. It is also good for removing bark, although the LMF does a better job at that.

Although I used the Mora more than the X5, if I had to choose two tools from the trio, I would go with the Rebar and X5. The Rebar has pliers, a saw, a file, and two blades, plus the package opener and scissors. Sure, no ferro rod, but still. And the X5 would take care of the bigger jobs, like chopping, splitting, and hammering.

[ReamerPunch]

He's back.................. can ya skin griz?     

[David]

One of my favorite parts of that movie!     

[ReamerPunch]

As promised, I tried to focus on bushcrafty tasks, and I am very pleased.
I did a bunch of traps, which I now remember to do again. I made a slingshot that turned out half-decent. I am in the process of making a fire with my bowdrill set. Tripods, tent pegs, a wedge, a can stove, fishmouth spreaders; I even made a billy can.

I got to chop, split, carve, tie knots, drill, saw, poke, cut, snip, bend wire, open cans and bottles, and hammer pegs. I am very glad I joined this challenge. I had a ton of fun, got to go outdoors more, and to my eternal joy, I lost 5 kilos I think. 

I enjoyed the trios everyone picked, and the photos everyone shared. And I know for a fact that I will be visiting this thread again in the future, and reminisce.

[ReamerPunch]

Now if you can excuse me, I have to rub two sticks together.

[Nix]

 

[Nix]

Day 28 (part 1, and a day late…):


I packed up the ol’ Nix “Chuck Wagon” and headed for the hills.

During this challenge, I really wanted to get in a little 'Woodcraft and Camping'. It hasn’t been all that easy given all the wildfire smoke, but the forecast for a few days was for clear air and cool temperatures.

And wind.

Can’t have it awl, I guess….. 

Now, George Sears would most likely have been an ultralight camper had he been born today. And some his views on building log reflecting walls would be lost in his discussion of vapor-barrier clothing or goose down vs. synthetic fill. Instead of extolling the virtue of the campfire, he’d probably be arguing for a Pocket Rocket stove vs a Jet Boil.

Given the ‘Leave no Trace’ ethos so many of us try to practice, following the advice of Nessmuk is not always so easy.

However, traveling “heavy” does give me the chance to use and practice some old-school techniques.

So, I loaded up the “Chuck Wagon” and head up into the hills to a campsite I’ve always wanted to test out. The elevation is around 6,500’ (2000 m), but is still high elevation for the area.

The “Chuck Wagon”:






Mrs Nix loves “the Wagon”, but decided to stay home this trip. 1) it was expected to get cold…near frost, 2) She doesn’t want to stress out Adventure Boy, who is getting older and less resilient, and 3) I think Covid has her a bit worried still.

So….after setting up camp, I headed out for a hike.

Lovely open hill country with some patches of woods.





And windy….

One of my goals for this challenge and this trip was to make a campfire using flint and steel.  While general campfires are not allowed because of the risks of wildfires, making a campfire in an established campsite, with fire ring, is permitted.

So, a camp-ground campfire was called for.

As I hiked along, I started collecting tinder and kindling for a campfire. This stuff (not sure what it is) seemed like it would take an ember or spark well….





That fluffy stuff seemed like just the thing. I stuffed my pack’s pocket with the fluff and dried leaves.  I also collected fine dry grasses and kindling.

The Kukri got pressed into service collecting larger sticks and branches. Usually two good cuts would sever a 1”-2” branch.




I don’t think and axe would have done much better. In the words of Doug Marcaida, “This kukri will cut.”

The Kukri was also handy: I just tied it to my waist with a bit of rope. Can’t do that with an axe….





Did I mention it was windy?  This is just me guessing, but I think it was blowing 10-15 mph steadily, with gusts up to 20-25.

I started to think that lighting a fire with flint and steel would be really difficult in these conditions.

Perhaps that was a good thing, because I stuffed more tinnier, more twigs, and more kindling into my pack.

Back at camp, the Kukri got used to process some pre-cut firewood into more manageable pieces. I knew that small stuff would be needed!





Did you notice the grasses bending over in the wind?


Yeah, me too…. This was gonna be tough….

But the Kukri did an excellent job splitting that log into fine pieces. For some, I just put the edge of the kukri on a thick bit, then tapped it with my hand to make the split, or tapped the bottom of the stick on the base log and let the weight of the kukri make the split.





I gathered up my twigs, sticks, and split wood and made a classic fire-lay:




A base of thick sticks to keep the early fire dry and supplied with air. A “V” shape to create a pocket into witch I could stick my tinder bundle. And a few cross pieces (the split wood) to support my kindling bundle.

The tall fire ring round the fire pit was a pain to work around, but I did my best. Tinder bundle to the left, smallest kindling in front (bottom for the photo), and some bigger kindling to the right.

My tinder bundle, ready for ember:





And here was my fire kit to get this started (although, given the wind…I was not optimistic….):




An old steel and a fresh flint. Fresh and sharp. 

I loaded the flint with a bit of char cloth and struck it with my steel…..

First strike!

That sharp flint created a spark and the char cloth caught it!  I was amazed….

A small ember….but…driven by the wind….growing…..






I tucked the ember into the tinder bundle and blew….and blew….and the smoldering spread…..

I jammed the tinder bundle into the crotch of my “V”, put some small twigs on the top and blew…..





Fire!





I was fairly amazed that in the windy conditions this fire took off. In some ways, the wind may have helped with this process. Perhaps one of Nessmuk’s matches would have been blown out, but this old-school spark and char-cloth technique worked beyond expectations.




So….why does one need a fire?

Dinner!

[Nix]

Day 28 (part 2, and still a day late…):


With the fire going, it was time to consider dinner.

I had brought along a Montana beef Ribeye steak. No problem there. There is always a way to cook a steak. But I had also planned to make a cornbread. (This would be the American version of the Australian ‘Damper’.)

The wind might still prove to be a problem. I rigged up a tripod from a few old pieces of rebar (stuck in the truck for just such a purpose) and set the Dutch oven to pre-heating over the flames…..




Also pictured: folding shovel and folding fry pan (on a trivet). Some sort of shovel is crucial when Dutch oven cooking.

I say that like I know what I’m doing…which I don’t…but I’ll still insist that a shovel is useful when using raw fire and a Dutch oven.

The folding fry pan is useful for awl sorts of things; in this case, to melt butter for corn bread…..





Jalapeño cornbread!





This is a simple cornbread recipe that it made up before heading out.

Recipe:

Show content

1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Buttermilk (more or less)
5 tablespoons melted butter

It does require an egg or two plus some liquid (Buttermilk in this case) and some melted butter (or bacon grease if you have it!), but tat's why you have a Chuck Wagon. Right?

And some chopped Jalapeños……




I think we know how this turns out…….


yeah…




So, that’s the cornbread batter sorted out, but I was sure the wind would play havoc with the actual cooking.

After putting the cornbread into the Dutch oven, I added some coals to the lid (using the shovel).  But the wind was making temperature control nearly impossible. Coals on one side were glowing bright, on the other, dull.

I figured it would be burnt on the bottom, and cooked unevenly on the top. No matter how often I rotated the lid and bottom…..




Surprise!

No, really, a huge surprise. I was hoping for something that was, in parts, edible. This is what I got:






That right there is some camping magic. I take no credit. The mountains were smiling.

But, Nix, surely you can’t just live off cornbread….?

True. But you can live off Jalapeño cornbread for a very long time.

Still…..would a steak be nice, too?

Yes!





I brought along a Montana ribeye (and now you know why it is called the “Chuck Wagon”.)

This got seasoned with my Cajun rub and some salt.

The fire had died down while cooking the cornbread. Which was a good thing. ‘Cuz pine coals do not make a good base for cooking beef.

So I added some charcoal briquets. (Yes, the Chuck Wagon arrives equipped and ready to serve.)





I used a small backpacking grill, perched on a trivet, to cook said steak on the coals…..





This little grill has proven to be remarkably useful.






My mouth is staring to drool just looking at these photos……

So…done to medium-rare to medium….the steak and cornbread finally got served.





This was way too much food. But…yes…I ate it awl. #don’twaste
(One of the best steaks I've had awl year....make that 'this decade'.  )

[Nix]

Day 28 (part 3, and later by the minute…):


A few final shots…

Sunset came early.





But there was still time to boil the Billy and relax over a decaf coffee….. Only I used full caffeine instant instead of decaf….. 




Ah, well…. It had been a good day and sleep was sure to come.

The dishes got cleaned….maybe not to John Gould’s standards…..




And the moon came up:





I crawled into the camper and listened to coyotes yip and screech, while elk bugled in the far distance.

Awl three of the trio had been used and it had been a good day. I had intended to read a bit, but just lay there watching stars appear….and fell asleep, just as the coyotes got busy…..

[David]

Another great adventure. Like the chuck wagon. Steak and cornbread in the wild.                

[comis]

Theres something to be said about charred cloth.  Its fun to make and handy as heck. 

I like the Fresnel fire starter as well. I don't think I've seen one like that before.

I'll carve them down to the sparker, then reinstall the spring, ferro rod, and wheel, like this:
(Image removed from quote.)

Big Bics can be carved down to the bare essentials.
(Image removed from quote.)

Wow, handy!  I don't think I have seen it made so well, practically like the copper one I got.  That in itself another great project!

[Nix]

Day 29 (part 1 and only):

I woke up to see Orion looming large overhead.

So I dug into my blankets and tried to go back to sleep.

But the coyotes started up again……

I waited until the sun started to rise before committing to going out into that cold mountain air.






I found a nice tall stump and got “Old Faithful”, my 35 year-old Coleman stove fired up…..





Yeah….that’s burning a bit funny. But the point is that Old Faithful always fires up. He may be old, he may be heavy, he may be clunky….but he fires up. Every time.


So, after a few minutes, he settles in to a steady burn:





While the coffee water is heating up in the Billy, the Vic FX gets called into service for bacon duty.





In the pan, resting on Old Faithful (for the gratuitous Spork shot):





Once the bacon pieces are crisped, in go the eggs, ‘cuz Grandma don’t waste bacon grease:





Along with a piece of yesterday’s cornbread…..a breakfast fit for a lumberjack.




(Yeah…I ate at least twice as much as I normally do in two or three days….. )


On the way home, a backward glance: