From Frost to Fire...

When I left Saturday morning we had a heavy frost on, snow was swirling and that wicked north wind was still coming strong as ever. The plan was to still hunt till around noon, set a camp have some lunch and piddle with the new Adventure Sworn. This was our fourth frost this year and by far the heaviest.

Ace was not happy even a little bit when I told him he had to stay home today. I swear this dog has an intelligence beyond the normal canine reach, he gave me this look like 'fine, but I'm killin everything I see for the rest of the day'.



























The snow stopped after a while though, and the sun began what was to become a day long game of peekaboo, blasting bright on occasion to hiding in heavy clouds for an hour or more at a time.

















Moving deeper into the lowlands.









All day long I was crossing wolf sign. I passed eleven cross trail markers, they drop scat often where one path crosses another within their territory. All of them full of deer hair and bone, looks like I'm not the only predator taking deer this year. I sometime wonder if they spend as much time monitoring my activity as I do theirs. On two different occasions today I crossed dry ground with a marking bush where they'd sprayed. Because the ground was dry save for that I know I they had been there not long before I found the sign. I won't bore you with multiple pictures of wolf scat.

I believe I crossed a bear as well, as I got deeper into the sphagnum and tamarack country. On one of the trails I found a destroyed beehive, all that remained were these, this is one set but there must have been four or five different groupings like this spread out for about a 15 yard radius.



Early in the afternoon I dropped my pack and gear and started working on a fire and camp.



Fire prep done which consisted of cedar bark and birch bark, then using my new AS with a fire steel I was two strokes to flame. Here only one out of seven trees is hardwood, four out of seven are birch, the rest are soft wood pines and poplars and so on. As much as I like reading and viewing the 'Hardwoodsman' threads the reality here in the north woods is God gave us birch trees to fight the cold north winds. I'm much obliged.







Once I had a fire going I started on shelter. A simple set up consisting of two MEST tarps and a casualty blanket. It is effective and it is easy to set up, I like the tarps quite a bit and I'm always using them. Best purchases of 2010/11 by far, as I've not used any other piece of gear as much or with as much enjoyment as these tarps.







The grouse I killed the other day with my bow would become lunch, along with some Highland Grog coffee.



The grouse bread was split and then I put a forked stick into it, wedge it into the ground at an angle over the fire. The occasionally turned the stick so all sides got cooked properly.

I wish I knew how many times I've used this halulite kettle over the past couple years. Another favorite piece of gear.













Once cooked I leave the stick in the ground, then using a knife just carve off what I want. I'm sure there's a name for eating bird on a stick but I can't think of it, but it does work rather well.



I'm smitten with this new knife, not that I didn't like the other one, I did. It did everything I asked of it and I am sure I'll still use it, ultimately they'll both be left to my boys someday.

I do like this full convex grind in this one though, it did slice better in my opinion. The knife is simply gorgeous to look at and is every bit a user through and through. The leather work on the sheath is top shelf work, superb execution.



















Thoroughly pleased with this knife.

At the end of this great day I was treated to one of the most brilliant sunsets that I've seen, just an explosion of color that really set the sky on fire. It was a startling contrast to the frost and snow of morning.