Natural tinders and fire making and the mindset of looking for resources

Discussion in 'Bushcraft' started by Hanzo, Jan 27, 2019.


  1. Hanzo

    Hanzo Monkey+++

    Today, I took the dog on my usual Sunday run. And as usual, I do not plan where I want to go. We have a great trail system that we discovered near our home. And it is rarely used. I have not seen another hiker in there. But we do see people dirt biking. Not a lot, but some. Most times, we are all by ourselves, which is how I like it.

    Today, we went in the direction of the trail head. It is only 1-2 miles from the house depending on which shortcuts we might take. So I decided to take her to the stream.

    When I run, I am pretty minimalist. I had the dog and some poop bags. And on my person, I had my phone, one ear bud and a folding knife. SOP for me. Running is a rare time that I do not have at least one method of fire starting on me. And no water.

    So as I went, I looked for fire making aids. Always a good idea to not only scout your area, but to inventory resources. This particular area does not have a lot of hau, one of my favorite local woods for friction fire. But there is bamboo. And some hibiscus, which is related to hau.



    I love paper bark, but have never tried pine bark. Anyone try it? How do you like it or not?




    But I do like pine sap.



    And like I posted before, there is natural cordage materials. So a bow drill could be in order. Or a Samoan fire plow, or bamboo fire saw.


    The rest of the pictures are just scenes and the dog.












    Another food source is the taro growing along side of the stream. And those mushroom flowers are all over the place on quite a few trails.


    The dog drank from the stream. I didn't. In a pinch, I could make a fire to disinfect the water in a depression in the ground or on a rock using the hot rock method. But today was fine. I don't usually drink until I finish and get home. And after we got off the trail, there are water fountains and faucets in the neighborhood for more doggie hydration.


    My mindset was to look for resources, since I was not carrying any. So my needs could have been met if required with just the trusty little pocket knife. Might take longer, but the knife got it covered. When I do plan to be out in the woods, I pack a full set of gear and supplies. I am guessing under 20 pounds including water.
     
    DuxDawg, Oltymer, snake6264 and 5 others like this.
  2. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    Good planning and keen sense of awareness to scout your area and take a look ahead. Here, everything is wet, so even if you know there are materials in the wild, they will undoubtedly be saturated. Prepare for the worst case scenario and then I'm good to go no matter the weather.
     
    snake6264 and Hanzo like this.
  3. Hanzo

    Hanzo Monkey+++



    That’s why I like pine sap and fat wood. Also always have a ranger band or two. Little strip lit with a lighter is good wet condition initial flame.
     
    Dunerunner likes this.
  4. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    Funky sky like in a freq of a wave
     
    Hanzo likes this.
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