First French and Indian War Event

On Memorial Day weekend Beloved Wife and I packed up der kinder and camped at our first

F&I event. Despite the humidity and cold/heat and tornado warning. A good time was had by all, at least that what they tell me anyhow...

And I found some French Marines to hang out with. Belletre Marines, which I am seriously considering joining.

Fire Starting

I have spent a lot of time out in the woods, and have a lot of ways to start fires. All sorts of magnesium firestarters with ferro rods, a blastmatch, fire gel, commercial tinder sticks, etc. I am paranoid about being able to start a fire. I have, in the past, been truly cold...

I made a couple fires with flint and steel a long time ago, more than twenty years ago more as a lark than anything else.

But now with a new hobby of French and Indian War/Rev War re-enacting and two stepsons who really want to start a fire with flint and steel I figured that I had to try to learn for real.

I got my flint and steel kit from Jas. Townshend. There are cheaper places on the web but I did not know at the time, and I started to practice. I made my own charcloth (not hard to do at all really) and practiced just getting a spark on the cloth. I already knew how to lay a fire, that did not concern me but just getting the spark on the cloth and lighting the nest of tinder was my concern.

Of course my dad, when he found out, bet me that I could not start a fire in the snow and of course I had to accept. Heh. Heheheheheh.

Shooting the Flintlock

I went out yesterday and shot my flintlock, I had never shot a flintlock before though I have shot several percussion rifles and pistols. It's different but good. I feel a connection to the old times when I shoot blackpowder, especially when I shot the flintlock.

It's a kit from Traditions, and while I probably won't buy a kit from them again, it shot well enough (although I have lost my targets) there were some fitting problems with it. But I like it and I'll get another flintlock kit from someone else. I think I might take it out hunting though...


Edit. Found the targets. We could only shoot from the 25 yd line, the other benches were full, but here they are in order #1-#4

New blog, new post, not quite same me...

I have found myself being pulled more and more back into the woods. I really shouldn't be surprised I guess. I was raised in a rural area and I find myself liking the city (or what there is of the city that I see...) less and less.

When I was a young man I called myself a courer du bois, a runner of the woods. I would camp sometimes for weeks at a time with just a lean-to, knife, compass and some fishing line just to test myself. To see how far I could go. Of course I can't do that now, but sometimes after another day working in the butt-crack* of Detroit I wish I could.

I had skills once, I really did. This blog is about my attempt to see if I still have them or if I don't to see if I can re-learn them.

*FYI Firefox in linux does not tag butt-crack as misspelled. That just amuses me :)